If there's one thing even odder than the dearth of good cooking in provincial Irish restaurants, it's the virtual impossibility of finding somewhere decent outside central Dublin or Cork that opens for lunch.
I've no doubt that the restaurateurs have done their homework, so it would appear that a proper lunch - as in a couple of courses and maybe a glass or two of wine and a complete absence of panini - is only in demand among those feckless sophisticates who infest the capital.
Mind you, the provincials have a point. We only need two meals a day, and for most of us that's breakfast and supper (ie your "evening meal", not a glass of milk and a digestive at bedtime). Lunch may not be for wimps but in its full-blown form, and if indulged in frequently, it's undoubtedly for people whose waistlines are expanding.
However, it's widely accepted that it's better practice to eat your largest meal early in the day - breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, sup like a pauper. In which case, the restaurants of provincial Ireland are letting us down.
It's partly the paucity of decent places to lunch in all of Tipperary, partly the number of tourists visiting Cashel and partly the fact that a whole lot of people know how good it is that means getting a lunchtime table at Café Hans almost invariably means a wait.
This little restaurant is in the shadow of both the Rock of Cashel and Chez Hans, the restaurant that has been Tipp's culinary epicentre for many years. I adore what they do here: great salads (such as warm Bluebell Falls organic goats' cheese with roasted aubergine, red peppers and organic leaves for €11.95) and impressive open sangers (such as coronation chicken and cucumber for €12.95). The sandwiches are served with home-made chips (or French fries as they appear on the menu, doubtless this being the ancient Cashel patois) which are good enough to order as a side to anything on the menu bar the desserts (and even then I'd be tempted).
We had a cracking north Indian lamb curry which was served in a deep dish with a great big mound of rice in the centre. It was designed to be fragrant rather than hot and the dominant spicing was cardamom. Extra heat could be applied, however, as a little ramekin of red hot lime chilli was supplied, along with some cooling raita and four big, crisp poppadums. This has to be one of the best €13.95s you could spend on lunch.
We also had the gnocchi. The thing about gnocchi, unless you make them yourself (and they are very easy to buy), is that the quality depends on what you put with them. In this instance it was creamed ricotta with baby spinach (which retained a bit of crunch), very finely diced smoked pancetta and a generous dash of Parmesan. I was thankful that the helping seemed to have become smaller since my last visit because this revised amount was enough to give me serious second thoughts about pud.
But I gave in, and I'm very glad I did. I got a big, chunky drinking glass in the bottom of which was some stiff, concentrated passion fruit jelly, then a thick layer of vanilla yoghurt mousse and then, on top, lots of sweet, local strawberries. It was simply lovely.
The other dessert was a rich, silky, vanilla-scented panacotta served with a compote of raspberries and blackcurrants. Perfect.
This was a meal in which nobody was showing off or trying to be clever. It utilised seasonal materials and did sensible things to them. This kind of approach to food is very rare in Ireland, but when you meander off the autoroutes of France and on to the smaller roads, it is this practical, thoughtful kind of cooking that still holds sway. With a glass of wine, two mineral waters and an apple/raspberry juice, the bill came to €55.20.
Café Hans, Moor Lane, Cashel, Co Tipperary, 062-63660
WINE CHOICE:There are lots of wines available by the glass, all at €5 for a generous measure, and the list is headed by Klein & Sohn Riesling, which is directly imported by Café Hans. It's a very crisp, perfectly dry white wine from Germany, but almost New World in its exuberant fruit. It also has a touch of spritz which makes it even more refreshing. I'd be intrigued to try the Syrah from the same producer as this is not a grape that Germany is known for (indeed, German reds in general don't get me excited).
Anyway you can also have the lively Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay blend called Le Rime, a Trentino Merlot or a Côtes du Rhône. Château La Bastide Corbières is a very sound buy at €18.50 a bottle, Jordan Estate Cabernet from the Cape at €29.50 is rather less so.