The Boat House is housed in one of the most unique and historically interesting buildings in North Down, dating back to 1849. The Harbour Masters Office as it was known, has been home to The Harbour Master, Billy Caufield’s Boats, The RNLI and more recently various restaurants until being taken over by local hotelier Kenneth Sharp 2 years ago.
Recently Cathal Duncan has taken over as Head Chef working with our long serving Restaurant Manager Jonathan Quinn to continue the emphasis on the finest local ingredients, prepared and cooked to the highest levels and presented and served with flair. The focus also continues on providing great wines at affordable prices.
Cathal began cooking at an early age. Food had always been a big part of his family life, and as with many families all the craic was in the kitchen. So, it was only natural that he started to help out cooking for his brother and sisters. As Cathal says “A passion for good food attracted me to professional kitchens, once I had a taste for the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen I was hooked.”
That first taste came in the kitchens of the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. Cathal then went to London to the Michelin starred Roussillon and then on to the Conran owned Boundary where he worked his way up to Senior Sous Chef. In 2013 he returned to Belfast to take up the Sous Chef position at OX before moving to a similar position at James Street South. In 2016 he took on his first Head Chef position at the Niall McKenna owned Hadskis.
Cathal is now ready to bring all these influences to bear in his own style at the Boat House. Working closely with Jonathan and the existing team to maintain the Boat House Dining’s preoccupation with great produce, sourced locally, and a meal as an overall experience, he will bring his modern Northern Irish understanding of traditional French cuisine to the fore.