Three Irish restaurants have been awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction by Michelin, ahead of the announcement of the newest crop of Michelin stars next week.
Twenty restaurants across the UK and Ireland were awarded the distinction this afternoon, as part of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2023. The title celebrates high quality food for more affordable prices.
The latest Michelin stars will be awarded on Monday 27 March, but this list gives an insight into what the Michelin team are keeping their eye on.
We need your consent to load this Instagram contentWe use Instagram to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Saint Francis Provisions in Kinsale, Co Cork won a spot in the guide, a small local restaurant that seats just 13 guests at a time, making it the only new addition in the Republic of Ireland.
Writing about the "freewheeling" restaurant, the editors said: "This endearing restaurant serves punchy, daily changing Mediterranean small plates, accompanied by all-natural wines." Open since 2019, they serve up everything from pintxos and onion tart tatin, to fennel shortbread cookies and grilled ox tongue with blood orange.
Responding to the announcement, the team – headed up by owner Barbara Nealon and her team of chefs – toasted their success with flutes of champagne.
We need your consent to load this Instagram contentWe use Instagram to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Two Bibs were awarded to restaurants in Northern Ireland. Belfast's EDŌ – Latin for "I eat" – is a chic tapas brasserie with a "faux-industrial look and an international sharing menu", the editors noted. Head chef and owner Jonny Elliott cut his teeth in the the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes, and cooks many of the dishes over wood in the Bertha oven.
Dishes include paella, ceviche, ham croquettes and more.
We need your consent to load this Instagram contentWe use Instagram to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The final Bib went to the Waterman, also in Belfast, a cosy bistro "set within a characterful period building, where unfussy modern dishes feature European flavours and Italy takes the lead", the editors noted.
A new addition to the buzzy city, having opened in June 2022 by Niall Mckenna and his team, Waterman serves modern European food, made with local ingredients that change along with the menus, created by head chef Aaron McNeice.
Recent menus have included dishes such as house focaccia with whipped brown butter, celeriac and young buck arancini, venison ragu and passionfruit baked Alaska.
