Quite an achievement for a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
A year and a half ago, chef Robbie McCauley left behind the swanky kitchens of some of the UK's best restaurants to cook in a remote Irish cottage on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic.
The low, whitewashed, flagstone-roofed building surrounded by empty green fields, miles from the nearest town, looks the very definition of rural Ireland.
Close by are the Cliffs of Moher, famous for its dramatic, windswept landscape carved by wild oceans stands on the westernmost edge of Europe. No wonder this spectacular Atlantic scenery has made so many movie appearances. To the north is Doolin, a village known for its traditional music scene.
Though popular with tourists who enjoy venturing beyond well-beaten tracks, the far-flung setting and the cottage’s rustic (even, ramshackle) appearance are a far cry from the white-linen-tableclothed world of fine dining. Expense-account diners and fashionistas are nowhere to be seen.
The couple (he’s Scottish, she’s French) don’t have backers so did all the work themselves with the help of friends, determined to keep as much of the character of the original building as they could. And yet, within months of McCauley and his wife Sophie opening Homestead Cottage in County Clare, the Michelin Guide gave it a star, while others have hailed it the best restaurant in Ireland - strong praise in a country known for culinary excellence.
The bucolic setting hasn’t done the restaurant any harm, with Michelin calling it “surely the most rural” of their newest winners, while noting the “wonderful Irish produce” at the heart of its menu.