To The Waters And Mr Wilde

Sheerin Wilde Greystones FRI10NOV23

e may be one of Ireland’s most acclaimed chefs but, try as we might, it was hard to find Sheerin Wilde on the interweb.

Beyond some fan posts from the likes of Lucinda O’Sullivan and Gillian Nelis, the only image we could find of the man was from an angling site after he caught a 2½ sea trout on Lough Curran, way back in May 2016.

“Ah, that was some catch,” smiles Sheerin when we met up this afternoon, “and well worth smiling for the camera for. In truth, that might actually be the only shot of me online – I like to keep myself hidden away, and just let it all be about the food, the wine, the experience…”

Something Greystonians are going to have a chance of indulging in as the man behind the award-winning and much-missed Avalon Restaurant opens the doors on his latest venture down at Greystones harbour. Transforming that large, inviting and now – thanks to some new smart sun roof installations – bright and airy space Formerly Known As The Hot Spot, Sheerin is clearly excited about The Harbour Bar Restaurant.

“I’d actually had three offers of places in Dublin,” says Sheerin, “when John Cullen from [legendary kitchen installers] Brodericks told me to check out this place at Greystones harbour. I actually thought he might be mad.

“But then I came out here with my
brother to check the place. We got our clicker out and it broke, there were so many people…”

An abundance of footfall is always a good thing for a restaurant, of course, but given Greystones’ ever-growing reputation as a major foodie town, young Sheerin shouldn’t have been all that surprised by what he found. What did surprise him though was the fact that here was a fishing town without a great fish restaurant.

“That’s akin to not having Guinness in your Irish pub,” he says. “So, we’re very keen to finally bring great seafood to the town, with the likes of gin and beetroot cured salmon, confit shallots, oysters and scallops among our starters, whilst on the mains, you’ve got mussels mariner, miso monkfish, hake and turbot alongside your 8oz rib eye steak, baked swede, roast chicken supreme and classic beef bourguignon…”

Rex, Sheerin & Jaco at your service…

Eh, yum. Making it all happen in the kitchen is head chef Jaco Pretorius (no, not the late Weather Report bassist but the main man at La Maison de Gourmet for 13 years), plus Rex, Elvis and two other guys with equally ridiculous names that just escape us right now.

“There’s no one here without years of experience behind them,” finishes Sheerin. “Each of us instinctively knows what goes into a great restaurant, and how to tailor each night to fit the people there. It’s exciting, knowing what we can achieve, and knowing that we can create something very special here…”

Open from 5pm to 9.30pm Wednesday to Saturday, with lunch from 3pm to 5pm on Sundays before dinner from 5pm to 9pm, you can check out The Harbour Kitchen Restaurant menu here and book a table right here.