Michelin star is awarded to the cliff house hotel in Ireland

The award winning Cliff House Hotel in Co. Waterford is delighted to celebrate its first Michelin star for The House restaurant which was announced earlier this week by the Michelin Guide. The hotel is the only Irish restaurant to be given a new star this year. Opened in May 2008, the hotel has fast become a gourmet retreat for lovers of good food and the hotel is now the only venue outside Dublin, and the only hotel restaurant in Ireland to currently carry the coveted Michelin star. This award will no doubt put Ardmore and West Waterford on the map as a top culinary destination within Ireland and further afield.

Speaking about the award Head Chef Martijn Kajuiter commented: ‘I am delighted that The House restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star. It will create a very positive impact for not only the hard working team who so deserve this, but also for our suppliers and the local community. Quality is still worth the investment.’

Dutch born Martijn is passionate about sourcing food locally and showcasing the best of Irish cuisine, using only locally sourced products at the Cliff House Hotel. As the largest employer in West Waterford, the hotel employs seventy people from Ardmore and the surrounding areas. Martijn is wholly committed to supporting small local suppliers and producers in the community. He has established an organic vegetable garden in conjunction with the St Raphael’s Centre, which provides residential and day-care services for more than 150 people with intellectual disabilities. Martijn also works with local fishmongers to prepare seasonal catch which is caught in the bay.

Martijn has worked with many Michelin star chefs in the past including Marco Pierre White in The Restaurant at The Hyde Park and Pierre Koffman of Le Tante Claire. Prior to joining the Cliff House, Martijn was Head Chef at Restaurant De Kas which is one of Amsterdam’s most exciting and successful restaurants.

The Michelin Guide has been running for over a century and is one of the best-selling restaurant guides in the world. The hotel is the only Irish restaurant to be given a new star this year and the only restaurant outside Dublin to ever be awarded a star making Ardmore and West Waterford well worth a visit.