Bastion — Restaurant in The Municipal District of Bandon-Kinsale

Superlative. Chef Paul, and restauranteur/sommelier/hostess Helen, have cultured a pearl in the heart of Kinsale.

My wife and I experienced the artistry of the tasting menu and a flight of fine wine assembled exclusively for the revelatory enjoyment of their diners.

Fresh, local, ingredients and global wines come together immaculately to take you on a journey through seafood, game, and the land.

The highlight above all, in my opinion, was the clearly refined rabbit dish packed with umami and gamey goodness, and not overpowered by a delicately chosen red (that I won't spoil).

The pricing is as expected for European fine dining at a one Michelin star restaurant. Altogether we paid less than €500 for two, including the wine pairing. This is exceptionally reasonable for the quality and service.

This is a restaurant on the course for another star should the service tighten appropriately. Helen's warmth is not diluted by her knowledge and confident style, which is a hard act to pull off. There is just a gap between one and two stars in terms of service expectation, but in my opinion the propriety and Scots-Irish charm of Bastion is closing the gap at pace.

Chef Paul treads the fine line of innovative gastronomy and "reliably appetising food" with circumspect judgement. He has honed dishes which challenge taste and texture while pleasing the eye, nose, and mouth like the best of mammy's home-cooked...

An absolutely wonderful restaurant. I went to Bastion for dinner this past Saturday evening and cannot praise it highly enough. The space is intimate and comfortable, appropriately elegant for a Michelin-starred restaurant without feeling overly formal. We shared the space with 5 other tables who all sat at 7pm, and we were all served the tasting menu at the same time, making for a nice communal experience. Each dish was artful, full of complex flavour, perfectly balanced. We also opted for the wine pairing and would highly recommend it. The meal was an adventure, with each dish and wine explained to us with great care. A special mention must be made of the proprietors, who took such care to treat each customer like their guest. Helen's knowledge and enthusiasm for wine was infectious, and Paul's friendly presence outside the kitchen to explain his beautiful dishes was a very nice touch. Both owners really made the evening, particularly Helen very kindly offering an extra bit of dessert with a candle for my birthday! They are genuinely warm, friendly people who have a very clear passion for what they do. An incredible restaurant experience all round, and certainly...

From the moment we stepped through the door of Bastion last night to the very end of the evening, this was a flawless experience. We had the tasting menu, and each dish was explained in detail as it arrived. We opted for wine pairing, which was an education for the palate. Co-owner Helen Noonan's wine selection brought out the subtleties of the dish they matched in a really exceptional way. Chef Paul McDonald is a culinary artist of immense talent, but what we both appreciated was the craft of his presentation and the appreciation for pure simplicity of ingredients. One of the outstanding courses, for instance, was a small bunch of locally grown charred sprouting broccoli, served with Macroom ricotta and a lemon and pernot emulsion. Perfect. A meal like this is expensive, but stays with you, as a fantastic concert experience or theatre booking will. ...