Ahmet Dede has done it again.

The former head chef of the Michelin-starred Mews restaurant, now closed, has been awarded the prestigious gong for a second time, taking home a Michelin star for his new spot, Dede in Baltimore.

The West Cork restaurant (pronounced ‘day-day’) came up trumps at the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021 awards, announced online by TV presenter Davina McCall this evening. It now joins an elite collection of Michelin star winners on Leeside, including Bastion in Kinsale, Rob Krawczyk’s restaurant Chestnut and ichigo ichie on Fenn’s Quay.

“Thank you so much,” said Chef Dede, after the news was announced.

“It just means the world to me.”

Despite one of the most challenging years in history for the industry, Chef Dede’s dining room at The Customs House in Baltimore quickly gained a reputation for its Turkish-inspired “inventive interpretation of elegant cuisine”.

Dede, who hails from Ankara in Turkey, arrived in Baltimore in 2017, having already helped the Greenhouse in Dublin to secure its first Michelin star the previous year.

While nothing is confirmed, the team hope to reopen on March 16th, 2021 if restrictions allow.

Good news for Goldie

Cork’s Goldie Fish & Ale on Oliver Plunkett Street received one of 16 Bib Gourmands. Opened in 2019, Aishling Moore’s buzzy restaurant employs a strict ‘gill to tail’ approach, sourcing everything on the menu from small day boats and local pro­duc­ers.

The Michelin inspectors said the seafood bistro’s tight-knit team offer friendly service and the feel is relaxed and informal.

“The daily menu at this new entry to the guide offers well-priced, modern dishes which use a ‘gill-to-fin’ approach, making use of the whole catch from the smaller day boats. Choose from dishes like crunchy fish spines; buttermilk fried pollock with lime aioli, and pan-fried ling with braised chicory.”

It’s been a rough year, but the Goldie team never stopped dreaming up new ways to keep the ship afloat, transforming temporarily from restaurant to fishmonger and pop-up sandwich stall in an effort to ride out the pandemic.

Greenes, Poachers, Farmgate, Aherne’s, Pilgrim’s, Sage and Da Mirco nabbed spots on the Michelin Plates list of restaurants offering takeaway and delivery, while Cork-born chef Ross Lewis of Dublin’s acclaimed Chapter One received the Mentor Chef Award for 2021.

‘Passion, ingenuity and entrepreneurship’

“Restaurants have been through challenges we previously couldn’t even have imagined – and I want to applaud chefs and owners for the passion, ingenuity and entrepreneurship they have shown this year,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides.

“The future may look different but our goal remains constant: to connect customers to the best restaurants around the country, whatever the occasion, and to celebrate this most magnificent of industries – one that brings so much joy to so many.”