I'm not overly familiar with Naas, so I went to TripAdvisor and searched for restaurants in Naas. Vie de Chateaux came back ranked as #2 and a quick glance at their website revealed that they were indeed open for lunch.
Vie de Chateaux is centrally located, but down a quiet cul de sac, near the Harbour in Naas. There's a lovely seating area outisde, covered by an awning, which would make for relaxed outside dining on a sunnier, warmer day. On a windy spring day however, it was a little more prudent to head inside.
Once inside, I could see from the table arrangements that they were expecting a lot of Friday lunch groups, but there was no problem in finding a small table for me (dining alone). My coat was taken (a nice touch!) and I was given the short and simple lunch menu. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in very Gallic style and makes for a very elegant and relaxed dining space. There are chalkboards on the walls which still carried descriptions of the previous night's specials (which, by the way, sounded delicious).
The menu carries a selection of tartines, both cold and warm, along with a short selection of starters, mains and desserts. In addition, there are several "Grand Assiette" on offer - a large plate which holds both a starter and main. I chose La Parisienne where the starter was a salad of Mortadelle sausage, walnut, diced Emmental and sweet corn, with a main of grilled sirloin steak, fries and garlic butter.
While I was waiting, a basket of fresh sliced bread was delivered to the table along with butter. As I was dining solo, I entertained myself by catching up on Twitter and reading the newspaper online. My plate arrived quickly, an important factor when dining out for lunch on a weekday. The salad came served in a little bowl and featured crumbed, crispy pieces of sausage on lightly dressed lamb's lettuce. A very nice little starter. My steak was decent in size (for those that like their meat). I had ordered it rare, and rare it was served, along with a slice of very garlicky garlic butter. A large handful of fries completed the Friday feeling.
I debated dessert, but after such a decent lunch, nothing on the menu stood out enough to tempt my sated appetite. FYI, there was a Poire Belle Hellene, as well as star anise creme brulee on offer. I opted for a coffee instead and relaxed for several more minutes before gathering myself back to work. As I paid the bill, I chatted with the very charming French owner (quelle surprise!). I left Vie de Chateaux with a "Bon Weekend" ringing in my ears and a feeling of happiness.
Total damage came to €23.50 for a grand assiette, coffee and large bottle of sparkling water.
Vie de Chateaux, The Harbour, Naas, Co. Kildare. +353 (0)45 888 478
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