New La Touche Restaurant Gets Rave Reviews

New La Touche Restaurant Gets Rave Reviews

La Touche Elevates Punchestown Dining to the Next Level

Almost 200 guests enjoyed an afternoon of fine cuisine and action packed racing at the recently opened La Touche Restaurant at Punchestown Racecourse.

Guests dined on a delicious three course menu including crisp wonton of prawn with Vietnamese pickle and seared fillet mignon with braised Dexter beef fritters prepared by Head Chef Fergal Nugent and his team. The prestigious Savoy London, K Club and Adare Manor hotels are among the kitchens where Nugent has honed his skills over the years before launching his own venture, the highly regarded Bouchon restaurant in Naas, Co. Kildare.

The entirely refurbished 240 seat La Touche venue holds a prime first floor location offering excellent panoramic views over the famous Punchestown winners circle and parade ring enclosure. A key focus of the classic contemporary interior was to reflect the surrounding landscape with rich tones of green, bursts of yellow and copper trim  details on the booth style tables. Whilst the décor may be modern there are nods to the rich history and heritage at the Kildare track. The namesake of the newly opened restaurant is Percy La Touche, former manager of the racecourse and member of the aristocratic La Touche Family, who in 1901 gave the lands of Punchestown in trust in perpetuity for equestrian purposes to the Kildare Hunt.

Once his professional engagements were complete Champion jockey Ruby Walsh joined the occasion and had the following to say about the venue 

“The new La Touche restaurant is a very impressive addition to Punchestown. The view out over the paddock and the decor are lovely and the food was excellent. This is a different level from what you would expect at a racecourse. It is very upmarket and smart”.

La Touche is the feature element of the first phase of a major redevelopment programme taking place at the home of Irish jump racing which will host its annual festival from Tuesday 25th to Saturday 29th April this year. Race goers can expect to enjoy completely revamped bar and café facilities on the first and ground floor of the main grandstand in advance of the sporting and social highlight event.

Punchestown remains a leader in the Irish corporate hospitality market with over 16,500 guests enjoying the famous hospitality packages during the five day showcase each April. La Touche Restaurant is already receiving a high level of reservations with packages starting from €149pp so early booking is advised. Alternative venues such as the Punchestown Pavilion, Final Fence and private suite options also have limited availability at this stage.

For further information and to chat through Punchestown hospitality options please do not hesitate to contact the team on hospitality@punchestown.com or call +353 (0)45 897704 ahead of this year’s festival which runs from Tuesday 25th to Saturday 29th April.

www.punchestown.com

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