Review: Deebert House Restaurant Limerick

Deebert House Hotel review – lunch in The Cloisters Restaurant in the Deebert House Hotel in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick.

On the first day of our tour around The Munster Vales, we stopped off at Deebert House Hotel in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick for some lunch. Deebert House Hotel is less than 20km (about a 20-minute drive) from Lough Gur.

The hotel is in the medieval town of Kilmallock in South Limerick, quite near to the Cork border. You can read more in my Kilmallock travel guide.

Deebert House Hotel review

We were starving after our walk around Lough Gur and couldn’t wait to get some food.

We drove under the lovely stone arch that leads into the carpark of the Deebert House Hotel. The archway hints at the hotel’s history. Whilst looking thoroughly modern from the outside, the Deebert House Hotel has been developed on the site of the Deebert House Mill which dates back to the 1800s. However, there is evidence to suggest that a mill occupied this site as early as the 1600s.

We parked up and admired the view of the green hills of the Ballyhoura Mountains rolling off into the distance. We wished it had been a little warmer to sit outside and enjoy the view, but we were freezing and wanted to warm up.

The welcome went a long way towards thawing us out, as Margaret, the manager showed us to our table. The restaurant is decorated in warm colours. There’s a nice bit of room between tables too, so diners aren’t on top of each other. I like that. The place felt very relaxed and calm and comfortable.

Deebert House Hotel review

I poured over the menu and specials which were a decent mix of traditional Irish and more modern fare with a lovely selection of wines from around the world.

But what made me most excited about the menu was the list of local produce used in the dishes – Barry’s Brown Bread, Denny O’Sullivan’s Black Pudding and Ballymaloe Relish. However, I was instantly drawn to the mention on the menu of the local Effin cheese from the Old Irish Creamery. I’d sampled this cheese before in the Limerick Milk Market and I loved it. So, I ordered the open Ploughman’s sandwich with Effin cheese and Dave had the Effin cheeseburger and chips.

Margaret took great delight in telling us about the story of the Old Irish Creamery and the Effin cheese made over the Effin bridge in the village of Effin. We laughed at the name. Tourists must find it funny to be directed to ‘the place where they make the Effin cheese’. As a tourist, this is the exact type of place that I would want to visit.

She also informed us about ‘A Taste of Ballyhoura Country’ the local food brand. Read more about the local food and drink in my Kilmallock travel guide.

We then got chatting about the hotel facilities. Dave used to be an avid mountain biker and he was impressed that the Deebert House Hotel has a drying room and bike storage facilities. This is super handy for all the mountain bikers who pass through Kilmallock. More about Kilmallock being a Cycle Hub town in my Kilmallock travel guide.

Our lunch arrived without much delay and we devoured every morsel.

The hot, salty chips were the central heating that my body needed. But it was the large, thick slices of Mature Effin cheese that delighted my taste buds the most. The cheese is creamy and soft and almost melts in the mouth. You can taste the milk. It has a very smooth but strong taste but doesn’t leave a sharp aftertaste. I could eat a block of that in one sitting. Pass the red wine and just watch me.

Dave doesn’t particularly like cheese and even he remarked how good it was. He demolished his burger and said it was very juicy and cooked just right to add flavour to the meat without drying it out. Under the soft burger bun was a lovely surprise; the big, crispy, battered onion ring that added some crunch and sweetness. The salty bacon paired really well with the creamy cheese. It was a near perfect combination.

As you can tell, our lunch in The Cloisters Restaurant really impressed us.

We somehow found room for dessert (ok, I did, Dave was ‘being good’). If I see lemon meringue pie on a menu I just have to have it. It’s a dessert I associate with my childhood. Me and my mum used to make it together.

This slice of childhood dreams was exactly how I like it. It had loads of light fluffy meringue, oodles of tart lemon curd and a butter pastry base. It also came with a side bonus of fresh whipped cream and raspberry coulis.

We finished off with some good and strong coffees before hitting the road.

Before we left Margaret handed us a goodie bag. Inside was some of the local food she spoke so passionately about. I spied a wedge of Old Irish Creamery Cheddar Cheese laced with Murphy’s Stout. There was also a wedge of the Effin cheddar with Garlic and Herbs. Inside the bag was also a bottle of Garryowen Pale Ale. JJ’s Craft Brewing Company, a micro brewery in Kilmallock produce this craft beer. There was also a bottle of JJ’s Abbey Stout, I’ll be using that to make a chocolate and stout cake.

I felt chuffed with the food and drink and very touched.