Cayenne, Lesley House, Shaftesbury Square, Belfast
Paul and Jeanne Rankin turned their award winning Roscoffs into a brand-new premises late last year. Cayenne serves up brilliant, imaginative (but not daft) food in a room that is dark and atmospheric - more like a nightclub than a restaurant. The perfect lunch destination thanks to the Enterprise train that gets into Belfast from Dublin at 1 p.m. sharp. Tel 04890331532
Brook Lodge, Macreddin, Co Wicklow
Hidden away in a fold of countryside outside the village of Aughrim, Co Wicklow is Brook Lodge, a newly built small hotel with adjoining food and craft shops. Book in advance for imaginative and good value Sunday lunches or retire to the very comfortable bar where they serve up lavish open sandwiches and afternoon tea. Tel 0402-36444
Island Cottage Restaurant, Hare Island, Skibbereen, Co Cork
The west Cork holiday set rave about Hare Island's Island Cottage Restaurant - approachable by boat only - where John Desmond and Ellmary Fenton cook and serve up superb set menus to a select few. Do book well in advance for what one devoted fan describes as "simply the best meal you will get in west Cork all summer". Tel 028-38102
Morans of the Weir, outside Clarinbridge, Co Galway
Seats in the snug of this waterside pub are as sought-after as tables at the very best restaurants. Recently extended with lots of tables at the back, it's still best to sit out front, propped up at the bar in front of a plate of perfect native oysters, generous servings of Irish smoked salmon and crumbly brown bread. Tel: 091-796113
Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow
Food veterans Avoca - who run hugely popular restaurants at Kilmacanogue and now in Suffolk Street, Dublin - run the ground floor of Powerscourt House as a shop and cafe serving fresh salads and chunky savory tarts and pates. The cafe leads out to a terrace with Lutyens-style benches pulled up to tables facing the spectacular gardens for a smart and child-friendly Sunday lunch. Get there early - at least by noon - to beat the crowds. Tel 01-2046066
