Heron and Grey is Ireland's only new Michelin star restaurant
Relief among country's top restaurants as no prestigious stars lost this year
A tiny restaurant in Blackrock Market in Dublin has become the only restaurant in Ireland to be awarded a new star by the Michelin guide.Heron and Grey, which is run by Andrew Heron and Damien Grey, has received high praise since it opened for its contemporary Irish cooking.
While there will be disappointment that this was the only new star awarded for Ireland this year, there will also be relief that no stars were lost. There was widespread shock last year when Thornton’s lost its star, a loss which Kevin Thornton has said contributed to his decision to close the restaurant next month.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin retained its two Michelin stars, and remains the only restaurant in Ireland to hold two stars.
Elsewhere in Dublin, L’Ecrivain, The Greenhouse and Chapter One retained their one star rating. In Galway, Loam and Aniar retained their stars, as did Kilkennny’s two Michelin-starred restaurants, Campagne and The Lady Helen in Kilkenny.
The House at the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co Waterford also kept its star, while in Northern Ireland, both Ox and Deanes Eipic in Belfast retained their star.
For the first time, the guide was launched at a public ceremony in London – in recent years it has simply been released by Michelin without any fanfare.
The event, which was live-streamed online, generated a mixed response online, with many criticising some of its ‘X Factor’-style elements. A major talking point was the awarding of a ‘best female chef’ title; there is no doubt that Michelin has left itself open to accusations of tokenism by choosing to award such a title.
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