I arrived in Killorglin on a Monday. That's not a popular restaurant day. The nice woman working at the Aloha recommended three places, but kept talking about how great the Bianconi is (despite being expensive). Well, Nick's was closed, and Bunker's was closed for a funeral, so Bianconi was it. I've noted a few salient points:
* You are not rushed here. On the other hand, the staff is constantly rushing around doing the work of twice as many people. They will acknowledge you well before they tend to you, but they do not forget.
* Attention to detail is magnificent. All of my mussels (in the kilo pot) were open. The Guinness is of course poured correctly, with a wait to settle before being topped off, and still arrives cold.
* The food is worth the expense. It's upper middle class expensive, not frou-frou.
They started me with a bread plate. Good Irish butter and a nice tomato spread to go with coarse black bread and a delicious, fluffy sourdough. Very much a fan. I then had the mushrooms with black pudding and local cheese. Again, very much a fan, and it came with more bread for dipping. Then I had the kilo of mussels with the cream and bacon sauce. Need I say more than, very much a fan? You'll be eating at least a pound of mussels. The side of chips stayed warm and crispy all the way through my meal, and stood up well to swimming in the leftover cream broth before being fished out.
8/5 would eat this every day and get fat and poor if I lived here. read more