Just got back from being taken out to dinner at a local Italian (Il Vulcano
in Westport, Co. Mayo, if anyone's ever near it) - and wanted to tell you
all just how wonderful my starter of duck confit in an orange and chilli
sauce was. I particularly wanted to relay the experience here because it was
the recent discussion about duck confit that inspired me to order it - and I
am SO glad I did - it was tremendous! It was a duck leg - cooked to
perfection, and the skin was just at the point of crispiness, with the meat
itself full of flavour and as tender as soft butter - intense flavour, too.
The sauce was sweet, without being too sweet, and the chilli cut through the
greasiness inherent in a duck just enough to enliven the taste buds.

My pizza was a bit of a personal decision to 'test' the restaurant (because
of our impending visit next week) - if I see a seafood pizza on the menu, I
wonder whether the crust will be underdone, and the seafood OK, or the crust
crispy, and the seafood cremated. They managed to get it right! Crispy crust
and tender seafood, including squid, which is always a bugger to get just
right.

The bill for 2 of us was ?61, including a bottle of red house wine (we left
a ?10 tip). I had the aforementioned duck to start, the hubby had a parma
ham and mozarella salad (too much for him to finish), followed by a pizza
with squid, mussels, and prawns (me) and ravioli ala Bolognese (him). We
were both too full to contemplate a pud (especially as there's most of a
homemade lemon meringue in the fridge for later, if we fancy it)., although
I was tempted by the Pana Cota (spelling unsure!) with hot chocolate sauce.

All in all, a wonderful meal out - to be repeated next Weds evening for our
2nd wedding anniversary!

I'm now about to put me feet up and watch mindless telly for the rest of the
evening (we went early to avoid the rush) - the hub has decamped to the pub,
though how he can contemplate pints of Guinness on a full tum is beyond me!

Jo


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