Brought to you by The Blue Haven Collection. 

Great meals make magical memories.

Get the setting right, add some excellent company, outrageously good food, and lashings of wine and bubbles and you’ll revisit the night in your mind whenever you need a lift.

That magic is something they never run out of at Rare, one of Kinsale’s most exciting restaurants.

Head chef Meeran Manzoor has plucked the very best of the glorious summer bounty available from local market gardens and artisan producers to create the restaurant’s most tempting seasonal menu yet.

“This is the prime Irish vegetable season and I’ve tried to incorporate that into the menu with a lot of different citrus notes combined with a hint of various whole spices throughout.” Rare’s award-winning Head Chef Meeran told Yay Cork.

“We are so lucky here in Cork and especially in Kinsale to have the kind of fresh produce we have, which makes my job easier. It’s a happy time for me as a chef at the moment, there is so much to choose from and it’s exciting to push the boundaries.”

So what’s on the menu?

There is a choice of tasting menu or a new small plates a la carte menu – extremely popular among diners who don’t want to commit to the full tasting experience.

Expect Toonsbridge whipped ricotta with plump Irish strawberries and tangy balsamic and smooth Ardsallagh Goats Cheese mousse paired with earthy beetroot for starters.

If you’re a seafood fan, the turbot on the bone with mussels, cardamom curry, and pickled cucumbers is a must-try, but you could be swayed by the tempura of local Jamie’s oysters, grown on the shoreline of Oysterhaven, with pickled wild mushroom and wasabi.

There’s a tempting Chicken Ballantine too; served with a foamy beer sauce made from White Deer Stag Bán topped with fresh summer truffles for added decadence.

Our advice is to make sure you leave a little room for dessert; the mango and lavender cheesecake is heaven on a plate.

And now there’s even more to tempt those who are fond of a tipple or two of an evening:

“We have opened our new Rare front garden in an exclusive collaboration with Moët Chandon.” Chef Meeran added.

“Guests can order small plates from the tasting menu to enjoy with our cocktails and Champagne.”

If you like to make the most of the long, warm evenings, this is the place to sip something special and oooh and aaah over each dish and chat while the sun sinks ever lower.

Take a table inside to soak up the electric atmosphere of the Rare dining room, carefully tailored to create a space where the theatre of the kitchen can be appreciated.

Guests have been raving about their visits: “Definitely the best restaurant in Kinsale.” said recent visitor Anuela Kruslin.

“Not just the restaurant, the whole food concept behind it, and the experience you take home after. Awakens all your senses. Unforgettable!”

If that’s not a reason to make a break for the coast we don’t know what is.

Rare is open from Thursday to Saturday, 5pm to 10pm and Sunday from 12pm at The Blue Haven, Kinsale. Reservations are open online here and you can also book your table on 021 477 2209.