French chef Vincent Crepel to open Terre restaurant in County Cork’s Castlemartyr Resort

Crepel, who has cooked in some of the world’s most revered kitchens including the three Michelin-starred Arzak in San Sebastian, will launch Terre within a 17th-century manor house at the five-star Castlemartyr estate in mid-September.

Named in homage to the connection between land, people and produce, Terre is described as being an experience 'rooted in French cooking alive with the bright flavours of Asia whilst drawing upon abundance from the Irish terroir and sea'.

“From the first moment I saw the green fields of Ireland surrounded by its spectacular coastline, I have felt a connection with the land and its people, drawn energy from the sea, and inspiration from its bounty,” says Crepel, whose CV also includes stints at Hotel de Ville Crissier in Switzerland and with Andre Chiang in Singapore.

Details of the menu are yet to be revealed, but the dinner experience will be set over several spaces beginning with aperitifs overlooking the estate’s landscaped gardens, followed by a tour of the kitchen with champagne and snacks and a look into the dry aging fridges and fermentation rooms before guests sit down to dine.

Wine will be given the same prominence as the food, with a list of small scale, family-owned producers using low intervention methods to produce biodynamic and organic wines.

Terre’s design will be a mixture of heritage elements with a twist on modern and pure lines divided into multiple rooms. The colour palette will incorporate dark navy and rich earthy tones to emulate the wilds and waters of the Irish landscape.

Crepel will operate Terre alongside his flagship Paris restaurant, Porte12.

“At Terre my hope is to bring you on a special journey, and to share with you my very personal vision of a modern restaurant experience,” he adds.