Michelin star level Laois restaurant and guesthouse Ómós opens for business
Irish chef Cúán Greene talks about the luxury hospitality awaiting guests in former derelict Abbeyleix mansion
Exclusive Laois restaurant and guesthouse Ómós has opened for business in Abbeyleix, and its founder, chef Cúán Greene is hoping to welcome guests both local and international.
The new 40 seat restaurant is an extension of the restored Millbrook Hall on the estate of Abbeyleix House and Gardens, both owned by Limerick tech billionaire John Collison.
The house now has 16 designer bedrooms, decorated in soothing neutral colours and natural materials, with the best of Irish bed linen, handcrafted ceramics and Ómós’ own bodycare.
Chef Greene, 33, who has worked in Michelin star restaurants around the world, believes guests will pay the premium prices to experience his cuisine and the idyllic retreat, which includes a regenerative farm.
To stay overnight is €395, and dinner is €175 per person. The tasting menu is served five nights a week for dinner and on Saturdays for lunch. It has a big emphasis on local farm produce and seasonal ingredients.
“I definitely think there’s a big enough market. I think people are crying out for reconnection, and I think that’s what Ómós offers. It is this beautiful, tranquil calming place, but it’s also a place to feel inspired, to feel that serenity. That almost doesn’t have a price,” he said.
“We’re seeing a big interest from the domestic market which is absolutely fantastic and the feedback is wonderful, but there’s also a lot of international interest. We do hope that people will travel for this, and experience what Ireland really is all about. That’s what we’re about. We’re about celebrating this beautiful island so I definitely think there’s an opportunity there for that.
He spoke to Richard Curran on RTÉ Radio 1’s The Business show in mid July.
“It’s been six years, so to finally have opened our doors, I’m floating, it just feels like a total dream,” he said.
He explained how John Collison came to back the venture.
“I cooked for John, I went to his house in Abbeyleix. He bought the De Vesci estate, over 1,000 acres, a beautiful house. I cooked a dinner for him and on my way into the estate, I passed an old, derelict redbrick house called Millbrook Hall, I remember looking in at it and thinking, wow that would be an amazing hospitality, something, it’s too big for a restaurant, too small for a hotel, but just perfect for the kind of thing that I was looking for.
“I think it was seven courses, we cooked him a duck that had been shot by one of the local hunters. He is huge into his food, massive, he’s always talking about food. Huge into Ireland, he went to an Irish school in Tipperary, he’s just really proud of his own culture and I think he’s a really great ambassador for Ireland in that regard. Such a kind person as well, he’s just a really genuine guy.
“Speaking to him for the first time is a nervewracking thing. The intellect is incredible. He loved the meal, and there and then he offered Millbrook. He said ‘I’m thinking of buying this building and I think it would make an amazing hospitality project’.
Other investors include Sam Dennigan and Darragh Hickey and Jean Comer.
“The support of our partners has been incredible, they have a wide set of skills that’s just been invaluable for Ómós, it’s allowed it to develop as a business too.
The grandson of beloved 1970s wildlife presenter Eamon de Butléir, Cúán’s grandmother was also a chef and both were gaelgeoirs, offering a focus on nature, craft and design throughout his childhood.
His first job was when his family lived in France, working part time aged 14 in a Michelin star restaurant.
“That’s where I could connect art, that sense of camaraderie, food and culture”.
He described one of his dishes as “snail dumpling but it has the flavour of a chicken kiev”.
“The snails arrive from Cavan in a box, DPD, climbing all over the box. We cook them and roast them in garlic butter and parsley and then wrap them in a dough of malt with a rye bread sauce. It looks like a dumpling in a Chinese restaurant and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s really great to see people’s initial look of kind of fear, turn to absolute enjoyment,” the chef said.
“We’re putting produce on the map, we’re telling the Irish stories, and allowing guests really just to connect with the food. There’s a lot of giggles at the table. It’s not overly theatric, it’s just having a bit of craic with delicious food as well,” Cúán Greene said.