Chef – February 2018

When Loughlann Quinn, businessman

and joint-owner of Dublin’s Merrion Hotel

bought four Georgian town houses in 1992,

the decision was made to demolish the ugly

office block to the rear. The terrace of four

was originally built in the 1760’s as homes for

wealthy Irish merchants and nobility. The first

of the four houses, Mornington House, is the

reputed birthplace of Arthur Wellesley, the 1st

Duke of Wellington. The houses are directly

opposite Leinster House (Dáil Éireann), the

Irish parliament buildings and for many years

were used by Irish civil servants as state

offices. All four houses are Grade 1 listed with

An Taisce (The Irish National Trust).

Loughlann Quinn and his business partner

Martin Naughton purchased the properties with

a view to restoring them to develop the site as a

landmark five star hotel. They decided to replace

the former civil servant offices with a garden.

Twenty years on, the hotel is an Irish institution

and a brand new restaurant overlooking the

garden has been added. the garden room

is a 100 seater all day restaurant, where guests

can meet for a light snack, a convivial lunch, or a

relaxed dinner.

ed Cooney is Executive Chef at the Merrion

Hotel, having lived and worked abroad for 14

years he was head-hunted by Peter McCann,

General Manager at The Merrion when it

opened in 1997 and has been there ever since.

Ed is very down to earth and understands the

hotel business in a very pragmatic way.

Ed was born in Cork, having finished school

he studied at Rockwell Catering College, an

Irish institution, renowned for turning out

some of Ireland’s best chefs during its 25 year

existence. After graduation, Ed like many other

Irish at the time, felt the future lay abroad,

so he headed for Trust House Forte’s Albany

Hotel, in Glasgow. He initially didn’t have

the confidence to go to London, but during

his time in Glasgow he built his reputation

and that lead him eventually Mayfair and a

few years working in the Michelin starred

restaurant at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

Like many young Chef’s he dreamed of his

own restaurant, so he returned to Glasgow

to open his own. The Triangle was voted

Restaurant of the Year in Scotland in 1990. By

this stage he was settling down and starting a

family and felt a more secure future lay in the

hotel sector, so he moved to Royal Deeside to

Craigendarroch Hotel.

Back working in London by the late

1990’s at the Four Seasons as Executive

Chocolate and salted caramel tart with Popcorn ice-cream, see recipe on page 67

38 area focus dubLin: by Jean smuLLen