Lasair at Finn Lough — Restaurant in Fermanagh and Omagh District

We're vegetarian, we're from New York, we're used to spending money when we dine out and came to dinner ready to be impressed. It didn't seem like that would be a problem. The staff said the restaurant was fantastic and boasted a full vegetarian / pescatarian menu. We booked a reservation after our time in the spa, came very hungry and left very disappointed. The plates were ridiculously small for the price (think four coin-sized rounds of zucchini with some bits of pickle for £16) which would have been fine had they been spectacularly flavorful. But the elaborate plating felt like a sleight of hand as soon as you took a bite: bland sauces, limp, unseasoned vegetables, a pile of cold squash with tasteless feta. There were four slices of bread that came with the bread plate, each one half the size of a credit card and stale. The sprigs of broccoli were overwhelmed with sauce, the mushrooms had no flavor, the cronuts were cold and had clearly been sitting out for the majority of the day. We wanted very much to love this place, but even the cocktails lacked balance: some were high on sugar, low on acid, others had no flavor at all, and we noted that most are made by infusing low quality alcohol. The speech they give you when you sit down is almost comical in retrospect: "we have an ethos of sharing so our plates are very small". An ethos of sharing does not go with a plate that contains a total of three bites of food you have to force yourself to finish. Just say "Our ethos is to extract as much profit from the people who are incredibly hungry after the spa and stuck here with no other dining option by tricking them into thinking our food is exquisite because it's expensive and tiny. Our ethos is the jokes on you". The restaurant staff could tell we weren't enjoying our meal and the same server rarely returned to our table to check in. No one asked us how we liked the dishes, even when we sent plates back half-eaten. Perhaps it's a problem with the vegetarian menu - some chefs aren't well-versed at feeding vegetarians. We did notice that the table next to us - a French family - was ordering off the vegetarian / pescatarian menu as well, and were agitated enough to complain. That provided a bit of catharsis. We asked a few other couples we met how they enjoyed the food and they said it was fantastic - worth noting they were locals (UK food is notoriously bad) and they all ordered meat. We left the spa wanting to gift visits to friends and family, but we can't send anyone here to stay the night if this restaurant is the only option. I would advise Finn Lough to take a cue from Korean spas: When people have lost a lot of sweat in a sauna they need salt, starch and sweet and spicy flavors. Up the prices if you need to, but make it delicious and filling and you'll have a more consistently happy clientele. We may come back just to use the spa, but we'll bring...

The Barn restaurant is set in a really beautiful space. Lovely place for an occasion dinner/night out. It’s formal while maintaining a cosy, welcoming atmosphere. The food is in a tapas/sharing plate style format and the plates are beautifully presented. Decent options for vegetarians/vegans too!

One thing needed is more clarity on allergen contents, as there were a few mix ups regarding the food that was served to me and my allergies. Granted, we were in a large group which made plates harder to keep track of for our server, and she was very quick to bring me extra plates of safe food for me once I flagged it. But nonetheless, a clear allergen menu or some other contingency is definitely important to get installed, especially since the sharing plate format can be a risky/anxiety-inducing experience for allergy sufferers anyway (though of course it doesn’t have to be, and this can be fixed with menu clarity, staff knowledge of menu, serving individual plates to allergy sufferer, staff explaining what is on the plate, marking plate/changing presentation for identification of non-allergen portion etc. etc.).

Bar that, lovely food, staff and space! Thanks so much for having us. Will...

My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Lasair twice while staying at Finn Lough - both experiences were outstanding. For lunch we shared a delicious pancetta and rocket pizza, along with a lovely glass of Pinot Grigio and a Kinnegar craft beer. When we returned in the evening, we shared the mushroom toast and goats cheese starters, followed by perfectly cooked sirloins for the main course. In between courses, we were treated to a homemade crusty bread and dip, which had the most amazing flavours. The food in Lasair is truly elevated. Each dish was on another level - delicious, imaginative, and full of flavours that complemented each other perfectly. The chefs should be commended on making something truly memorable and extra special. The setting adds so much to the experience: a glowing log fire, the rain falling outside, and a warm, cosy atmosphere that made the evening feel really special. All staff, including Marion and Rachel looked after us with such friendliness and professionalism, making the service as memorable as the food. We visited the bar afterwards, where Barry served an excellent Boatyard gin and tonic cocktail in the bar, a perfect end to...