Aren’t we all seeking “balance” in a crazy world? Are our vacations a mix of dreams of both relaxation and fun discovery?
Lagom in Kenmare, County Kerry, is a great place to find both.
Lagom is a special, unique place of food and rest. Stay here. Eat here. Be sure to say hello to Liz and Brendan, the owners and a wonderful team.
First, the restaurant then the rooms.
When asked about the name, Lagom, Liz said when they were trying to find an Irish name, but there was no word for the concept of “balance” they envisioned. Brendan, having worked in Stockholm in the mid-2000’s, learned Lagom was Swedish for balance. A bold mission for an Irish B&B, considering the land is dotted with adapted homes with sunrooms turned to dining rooms, rooms often too dominated by a bed, and most of the time a great breakfast. Most B&B’s are pass-through on the way, Lagom is the prefect destination to explore Kenmare and Kerry and Cork.
Recently voted in the Top 100 Irish restaurants is amazing praise, but the totality of the experience is what makes it…balanced. As Liz said: “We were stunned at that and delighted. So the Restaurant Awards, you have to be nominated, there’s all different awards. And we were nominated for Contemporary Irish Cuisine, which was quite accurate to what Brendan is.”
As you enter the restaurant, you stop and take it in because it is aesthetically so different from other Irish restaurants: the cool, pale color palette of the furniture, the open kitchen with Brendan working the covered turtle-shaped grill — the Green Egg — and Liz or someone taking the orders and keeping kindness in her ballet of serving people…
…balancing a sophisticated menu and her outgoing nature. Just the range and presentation in the menu plus her enthusiasm let me know it would be special.
The menu was a fun mix (photo above) but being so near to the ocean, I had to have the fish. Even the bread and butter were bought out immediately on a dish with the logo embedded in the butter. Very tasty and stylish.
A good salad is still a feat in Ireland (sorry, it’s true) but nearly everything they source is local, so the crisp and bacon may look stylized but it was delicious (and not the usual rocket greens).
The black bass on the grill was perfection, spiced with a light touch.
The Black Soul on the bone was touched with baby mussels and the simple capers and lemon garnish was a nice touch but the sole did not need it. (The Green Egg rules).
The main course came with cooked turnips and carrots, with delicately sliced potatoes, brushed with butter and garlic — honestly, you can’t get enough veggies at a meal in Ireland, or at least variety, and this was flat out delicious and well prepared. It was a meal that built on itself, no one piece dominating but each enhancing the next.
Unlike the repetitious mundanity of the mostly 1970’s designed B&Bs in Ireland, the restaurant and rooms had been redone during the pandemic and extended that relaxing, Nordic style and its soothing spaces and colors. It was cool to the eye, yet warm and in contrast to the splashy, boisterous Irish colors you usually see. Consistent with the restaurant.
Liz was very specific in that Lagom was NOT an Irish B&B, so as not to create the wrong perception. The rooms are on the alley side of the building, code pad, easy to use. There’s no lift, and she makes that point in being more a Townhouse with multiple floors but stairs only. The stairs with luggage could be a challenge, but if I’d asked for help, I would have gotten it.
The room was large, much more spacious than any B&B I’d been in, with locally crafted tables and a comfortable bed.
Experienced owners, beautiful local food and produce, careful and considered presentation at every step…yeah, Lagom is a special balancing act of living fully, with a good touch of harmony.
Outspoken Traveler 
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