An Evening at Sika in Powerscourt Hotel ~ The #AAFoodies Experience!

Coming at ye with a little something different this week, in the form of a peek inside an evening with the AA Foodies and a look at exactly what Sika in Powerscourt Hotel have to offer by way of heavenly eats. 

I was over the moon last week to receive an invite to join the AA Secret Inspector and some other food enthusiasts at the AA Hotel of the Year Powerscourt Hotel, Resort and Spa, Enniskerry Co Wicklow for what was billed as the AA Foodie event of the year; they weren’t wrong! If you’re a regular reader round these parts you’ll know that while I often review hotels, I also give you recommendations on where to eat and what to see in the locality. Today’s post however is all about food, glorious food.

Powerscourt in all her glory

Last Friday I was really nervous, although I knew some of the people attending through social media I hadn’t actually met any of them. I really needn’t have been worried at all as when I arrived at Powerscourt I met Vicky from the AA at the door; she’s so lovely and immediately put me at ease. We proceeded into the reception area of the hotel where we were greeted with a glass of bubbles and a very warm welcome. We had time for a quick chat so we could get acquainted with each other. I met Darina who was recently a contestant on the Great Irish Bake Off, she’s friendly and so funny, and we had a giggle or two before we were ushered down to Sika Restaurant itself.

We had the honour of sitting at the Chef’s Table in the heart of the kitchens in Skia, an AA Rosette award winning Restaurant. I had the pleasure of sitting between my home baking hero, Catherine Leydon and Niamh, the AA foodie of the Year. Chef de Cuisine Peter Byrne introduced each dish from his Black Truffle Dinner, a 6 course tasting menu; as did George the in-house Sommelier. George told us about the particular wines he had chosen for each dish and his reasons behind each choice. We were thoroughly spoilt on the night.

The majority of the produce used on the truffle themed menu was sourced locally with the emphasis staying true to the Sika ethos, based on two key factors quality and seasonality. Each course was constructed with a lot of care taken to get the taste, balance and presentation just right. As we were at Powerscourt I was expecting fine dining, all of my expectations were not only met but entirely exceeded. I was mesmerised watching Head Chef Paul Byrne and his team of Chefs work their magic, before each and every dish got the final seal of approval before they left the pass. It was a wonderful experience to spend the evening chatting with like minded people over scrumptious food.

So what did we devour? What DIDN'T we devour is an easier question!

• Truffled Jerusalem artichoke soup with toasted hazelnuts

• Torrontes, Crios de Susana Baldo, Valle de Cafayete, Argentina

• Knokdrinna’s goat’s cheese, blood orange jelly, beetroot, charred cucumber  

• Gruner Veltiner Wolfsgraben, Sepp Moser, Austria

• Terrine of foie gras, radish, herb salad, toasted brioche

• Jurancon, Clos Uroulat, Charles Hours, France

• Wild halibut, savoy cabbage, stuffed chicken wing, truffles cream

• Masetto Bianco, Endrizzi, Alto Adige, Italy

• Sirloin of Irish rose veal, buttered leek, chanterelle mushroom, artichoke, truffled potato purée

• Pinot Noir, Nuits-St.Georges, Louis Jadot, Burgundy, France

• White Chocolate mousse, orange, truffle ice cream

• Moscatel, Floralis, Bodegas Miguel Torress, Penedes, Spain

If you’d like to follow some AA Foodies on Twitter you can search #AAFoodies for lots more photos & insights from the night or follow these fab folk: @AAInspector @GourmetGrazing, @EatDrinkRunFun, @gamebirdFC, @eatsleepchic_ie, @_melaniemay, @emma_ratcliffe, @CatherineOdlums & @darinacoffey

Pic via the gorgeous Steph over at EatSleepChic.ie

Tell us, have you stayed in Powerscourt or dined in Sika before? Would you consider them for a treat now? I know I'll be returning to stay over and Sue has made me pinky swear to bring her with me!

Disclaimer:

*As stated above I did not pay for my meal, nor have I

been paid for this post. I was lucky enough to be chosen 

as one of the #AAFoodies. If you’d like to dine at Sika Restaurant 

bookings can be made online at HERE or by calling 

01 2749313; prices start at €51pp - worth every cent IMHO.