It was one of those autumnal days when the world was kissing summer goodbye. A Friday afternoon, the sun was beaming down and we were watching the world go by in Kilkenny city. The Left Bank is a great many things. Perfect for people watching, it is also a bar that is three deep on busy nights and at the same time houses Rive Gauche, a cosy restaurant, perfect for winter evenings with its red velvet drapes and crystal chandelier.

However, we weren’t there for restaurant food. Pub grub was the order of the day.

The Left Bank was named the best gastro pub in Leinster at the Irish Restaurant Awards, and we were keen to try some lunch and see what the fuss was about.

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THAT EXTRA BIT

As menus go, it definitely has that bit extra. Forget toasted specials, this place has croque monsieur and croque madames topped with fried egg. And when it comes to prawn cocktails, there isn’t a hint of waterlogged iceberg lettuce, but rather a roast pecan and carrot salad.

In order to do the readers of Irish Country Living a real service, we felt it was necessary to order a starter and main – purely for editorial purposes, of course. Really, though, I just couldn’t say no to the pork belly starter with a wild mushroom risotto, topped with truffle oil (€6.95).

Risotto can be hard to dress up. Often they look bland and boring, especially with grey mushrooms added to the mix. However, the pink of the pork belly popped and was topped with a colourful purple edible flower.

Flavoursome with a lovely bite, the risotto was cooked perfectly. Unfortunately, the pork belly wasn’t as tender as we would have liked, but that was the only error in an otherwise successful start to the meal.

My guest opted for the Irish asparagus salad with hazelnuts, lemon mayo, pea shoots, parmesan snow and confit egg yolk (€7.50). It might have been lighter, but it certainly packed a punch.

The asparagus was charred and produced a delicate crunch, which paired beatifically with the zingy lemon dressing and the oozing egg yoke. A slice of foccacia added substance – and was multi-functional, as it helped mop up all those lovely sauces.

the main attraction

A much more substantial salad arrived for my main course, a glazed half chicken with Caesar salad, chicken gravy and house fries (€14.50). It was quite unusual in its approach, as a light Caesar salad isn’t usually paired with a traditional chicken gravy. But for some reason, it just worked.

A touch of sweetness was added through the chicken glaze, a fresh crunch from the salad, while the gravy added a novel hearty factor. Every bite allowed for a different combination, which might confuse some, but delighted me.

Now the half chicken board looked fantastic, but you know when you show up for dinner feeling and looking great, only to realise your friend has pulled out all the stops and looks 10 times better.

Well, that was what happened with my dish when my guest’s tiger prawns arrived, served with pork and ginger dumplings, red curry sauce, curry foccacia and house salad (€12.95).

A burst of orange from the sauce, the yellow foccacia bread and the vibrant greens of the salad leaves all combined to form a dish that had a fine spicy and creamy texture.

The prawns were big and juicy, the dumpling crispy and light, while the char-grilled bread added a rustic element.

As good as it looked, though, we did find the menu description a little misleading. The sauce was listed as an accompaniment, but really it was the main event and should have been more aptly described as a prawn curry. The surprise was worth it, though.

Just desserts

After a meal like that, we were quite full. Arguably, the main courses were so substantial that a starter was unnecessary.

Let’s leave it at that, we decided – until we looked at the dessert menu and saw a white chocolate mousse, carmelised popcorn and orange purée (€5.95).

We were even promised the last of the season’s Wexford strawberries. We’ll share, we conceded, and this dainty-size dessert really was a lovely light touch at the end of a satisfying meal.

The sweetness of mousse didn’t drown out the strawberries, and the chocolate orange purée added a vibrant zing. At times, the popcorn slightly overpowered the other ingredients, but it added a novelty factor.

Our bill came to €47.85 and, considering the portion sizes, it was excellent value. CL