Review 04: Beach House, Tramore, Co. Waterford

Bitter and sharp, served on the sunniest day of the year

When does a restaurant ascend from the ordinary to the exceptional, maybe even the astounding? Extra tasters between courses? Champagne pairings? Challenging textures? Molecular gastronomy tricking you by disguising familiar flavours in unfamiliar forms? Maybe, just maybe, it’s the simple act of bravery in embracing bitter. 

A bitter back note reminds the palate that salty and sweet are just the pair of popular kids in school who peaked too early. Bitter shuffled in the background, under the radar and never quite pulling focus in the hallways. Misunderstood, but knowing inside they’re destined for greatness one day. We do ourselves a disservice by underestimating the power of bitter, and the balance it brings to proceedings. Of course, bitter can also be a little bit of a bully on the plate when they want to be, therefore it can be so often overlooked in kitchens - maybe save for behind the bar - but by skilled hands, like those of Jumoke Akintola, it’s sensational. Balance, intrigue, depth in every bite; and bitter seems to abound in our first experience of Beach House.