Bricín Restaurant and Boxty House — Restaurant in Killarney Municipal District

Called in last minute and was so happy we got a reservation. This local hot spot is run by brothers Johnny & Paddy McGuire, and you can tell they pour themselves into every detail! Once we arrived we were greeted by Johnny in the darling shop on the 1st floor and taken to our table. At the end of the meal, we were able to meet Paddy and it was so fun to discuss the dishes! It's such a unique place with lot's of cozy spaces, so it feels like a more intimate dining experience, whether there's 2 or 12 in your group. It's a really interesting menu; you'd probably have to eat here a dozen times to taste everything. I went with the tasting menu ($46) and chose the Chicken Ceaser Salad, Pan fried Hake with sautéed veg & colcannon (local mashed potato dish with fresh cabbage), and Creme Brulee for dessert. I also had a nice glass of red wine to accompany it all. My husband had the Scallops ($36) with sun-dried tomato sauce, which came with a generous portion of sautéed veg (mushrooms, onions, carrots) and some garlicky potatoes. Everything tasted very fresh! Some tasting notes: chicken on the Ceaser salad was well seasoned. Hake had a great sear, but still tender inside. Pickled fennel alongside was really great and brightened everything up. Scallops were perfectly cooked, firm outside, buttery interior, surprisingly filling. Sun-dried tomato sauce was a bit understated, and as a fan, lacked some of the flavor we were hoping for. Sides were nicely seasoned. Lastly, the creme brulee blissful sigh, perfectly creamy, crispy sugared top served with a lovely ginger rhubarb jam dollop which balanced the sweetness of the dish, and added a new twist for me that I really enjoyed. Overall, we had a great meal, and you should definitely stop in if you get the...

Make reservations! We showed up without and they accommodated our group of 4 but it was full. The reason it was full became evident when the food started to arrive. A seafood chowder that rivals any you've had, a potato and leek soup that simply melted on your tongue and a bruschetta flavored and cooked to perfection. That was just the starter. Next came a chicken boxty that had a pot pie kind of a flavor if that pot pie grew up in a great home. The lamb boxty as well hit the tongue in oh so many great places that you didn't want it to stop. I had the roasted chicken and from bite one I knew I was in love. The flavors of the seasoning combined with the sauce/gravy it was served with and the juiciness of the chicken itself made me let out an audible moan. I then quickly transitioned to eating all my colcannon so that I could finish my meal entirely on the chicken. No other flavors need apply. Delayed gratification, it's a thing. I slowly finished that chicken, and I felt true remorse when the last bite was gone and the wine flushed my mouth clean. I was sad, until dessert showed up. A wonderful fruit crumble thing that I barely remember seeing, let alone eating. The first bite melted in my mouth and I'm pretty sure I entered a fugue state for the duration of my eating. I snapped out of it and my plate was clean, my eyes were heavy, my heart was racing, and I had a real joy on my face. Yep....

Host was amazingly friendly in a good way. Waitresses were very friendly and were working efficiently. We were never without water and the pacing was excellent. We were checked on regularly.

My husband's rack of lamb was cooked perfectly medium rare except for one piece being well done and had no gaminess to it at all. His only complaint was that the Madeira rosemary gravy really lacked those flavors - more of an average brown gravy. His mashed potatoes and vegetables were okay.

The soup of the day was pea and coriander. Lovely pea soup, but didn't really detect any coriander. The sundried tomato bread was good, but aside from the color, didn't really know it was tomato. The brown walnut bread had good flavor.

The hake and salmon fishcake had more potato and filler than fish. The Thai chili sauce did add flavor.

The monkfish sambal special with peanuts did pack in some good spiciness. It was delicious served with a perfect side of white rice.

Our bill had an overcharge of a few euros which was quickly corrected.

Overall a good meal served well in a traditional setting. We felt the flavors didn't live up to the menu descriptions except for the special. A revamp of the menu would solve the dichotomy of cutting-edge culinary expectations versus a blander flavor profile.

Despite being the most expensive meal during our week in Ireland, it was not the tastiest across...