A Touch of the Irish

by Mick and Di
The Food Lovers

O’GARA’S Bar and Grill is the signature restaurant of the stylish Tara Court located on Pratanmak Road. It is entirely Irish owned and run by the hospitable and welcoming Barney who meets and greets with that great Irish generosity of spirit that is the charm of the Irish. The bar and grill has the feel of a relaxing hotel bar lounge which is almost literally true as part of the big luxurious bar once graced the 5-star Shelbourne hotel in the heart of Dublin. At great expense it was relocated to O’Gara’s and continues its service in another Irish setting albeit in Thailand almost 10,000 kms away.
Comfort is the essence of this most cordial lounge bar. Big comfy damask upholstered arm chairs circle the dining tables while the spacious bar stools echo the same comfort to provide bar seating supreme. O’Gara’s is open from 08.00 am for breakfast and continues throughout the day with soups, appetisers, salads, sandwiches, Chef’s specials, pastas, steaks and grills plus over a dozen Thai dishes. The breakfast menu is a big attraction around these parts and includes lots of favourite items but the star is undoubtedly the full Irish breakfast which comes brimming with eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, fried potato, tomato, mushrooms, toast, juice, tea or coffee (B.150).
It was 7.30 pm when Mick and I arrived at O’Gara’s and the atmosphere was cheery and convivial. Our tipple for the evening was an excellent fruity Berwick Estates (Western Australian) Chardonnay and with a glass of this in hand we relaxed into our comfy chairs to read the menu. The wine list features well selected labels from Chile and Australia (from B.850) while the house wine is B.140 per glass and B.390 for a carafe. The bar naturally is fully stocked with all proprietary brands of spirits, beers and of course Guinness at B.220 per pint and B.140 per glass.
As a starter I selected the crab and lobster bisque with chive cream and brandy (B.140) while Mick plumped for the prawns with concasse chilli basil sauce. I enjoyed the soup immensely; a thick, dark creamy soup with nuggets of lobster to which lobster shells and Cognac had contributed a deeply intense flavour. The concasse (Italian tomato) sauce was also intensely concentrated with spicy overtones enveloping the softness of the prawns. Other appetisers include fried calamari with a gata (coconut) sauce, chicken coriander wrapped in bacon, a trio of satay skewers, BBQ pork spare ribs plus a quartet of the kitchen’s home made soups.
From the Chefs’ specials, Mick chose O’Gara’s signature dish: slow cooked New Zealand lamb shank (B.350) while as a fish lover I couldn’t wait to try another special of the chef: fillet of sea bass served with a white wine coriander sauce. The lamb shank had been unhurriedly cooked till the aromatic flavours of cinnamon and clove beautifully permeated the meat until it was ready to fall away from the bone, while the fillets of sea bass had been pan fried with a light hand and the delicate sauce served separately in a small jug. Kudos must be given to the vegetable chef at O’Gara’s. The medley of vegetables was brilliant from asparagus to broccoli to cauliflower to snow peas to carrots to so many, I can’t remember, but each was cooked to perfection with just the correct amount of crunch and munch.
Chef also recommends the pan fried Norwegian salmon or duck breast with orange sauce, all the items from the grill, i.e. grilled New Zealand lamb cutlets, pepper crusted pork tenderloin, chicken breast or half a roast chicken with stuffing. All the steaks are sourced from Australia and are served in cuts of T-bone, rib eye, tenderloin, and strip loin (from B.680) accompanied by an assortment of sauces from Hungarian through béarnaise, brandy pepper and mustard.
O’Gara’s is a big sporting scene (they did, after all, name their bar after the famous Ronan O’Gara, the Irish rugby player!) so Gaelic football and hurling fans please listen up! Weekend matches from Ireland are televised live here at O’Gara’s. Check with Barney for the times but it is probably the only venue to screen these sporting events as they happen over in the Emerald Isle.
“Failte” is Irish for welcome and we’re sure you’ll get a warm one whenever you visit O’Gara’s. Whether it’s for an early morning Irish breakfast, a lunchtime snack with a glass of Guinness, dinner or joining the like minded to watch Gaelic football or rugby, you’ll always find yourself amongst friends. It’s called “the craic” and you’ll find it in abundance at O’Gara’s whatever the occasion.
O’Gara’is located in Tara Court situated between Sois 5 and 6 on Pratanmak Road, Jomtien and open daily from 8.00 am till late. Tel: 038 250 666. Email: stay@taracourt.net or visit www.taracourt.net.