11/10/2026: My wife and I made the drive all the way down from Dublin to Kinsale specifically for dinner at Rare at The Blue Haven, and honestly, it was worth every single minute on the road.
They curated a bespoke 9-course vegetarian tasting menu for us that completely blew us away. Often vegetarian tasting menus can feel like an afterthought, but here every single dish was thoughtful, creative, and packed with flavour.
The absolute standout of the night was the Paneer Makhani—hands down one of the most exciting twists on the dish I’ve ever had. Stacked and topped with shaved black truffle over a silky, vibrant makhani sauce, it paired brilliantly with warm, glossy, nigella-seeded pull-apart rolls served on the side. Pure comfort food elevated to fine dining.
Another massive highlight was the Saffron & Honey course: an incredible rasmalai crafted into a honeycomb design, paired with warm, freshly baked madeleines. Mixing French pastry with an Indian classic was genius.
What truly made the night special was the hospitality. A huge shoutout to Pierre, Amy, and Virender out front—they were warm, down-to-earth, attentive, and kept the pacing effortless. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Meeran and his team are operating on another level. The passion and effort they put into tailoring this vegetarian experience went way above and beyond.
If you’re in Kinsale—or even debating making the trip down from Dublin like we did—just go. We already can't wait to come back!
21/08/2026: Three of us had the tasting menu last night and the experience was fabulous from start to finish. As each of the courses was presented one of the chefs came out to describe them in detail. For me the trout starter was to die for, my daughters chicken dish was her favourite, while my wife thought the fish dish of turbot was delicious.
I also went with the signature wines which were all beautifully selected to go with each course.
While not a cheap night out, well worth the experience.
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