I'd heard good reports of Fallon's in Kilcullen and its chef, Rose Brannock, from several different sources before getting around to making it down to Kildare one recent Friday evening. You can eat casually in the bar or a little more formally in the restaurant. Fallon's also has a function room that caters for small weddings. You enter the restaurant from the bar, which was busy without being mobbed on the night that we visited.

It's an instantly appealing space – all tasteful Farrow & Ball shades of grey and fine, generous tables that are well spaced. The look is that easy French shabby chic that was all the rage a few years back, with an open fire, wood floors, white linen table cloths and pretty cutlery. It's a decorating trend that is easy on the eye and, when not overdone, withstands the passing of time more successfully than many others. It has been well executed here and the room is charming. The restaurant was about two-thirds full.

There's a set menu priced at €25 for two courses and €30 for three but we had spotted a couple of dishes that we were keen to try on the à la carte so we opted for that instead. The menu is textbook in terms of ticking all the local and seasonal boxes and we loved the obvious pride with which it referenced Fallon's suppliers (Sandra Higgins' free-range chickens, Camphill organic eggs and Ted Browne's prawns to name but a few). It's instant feel-good factor.

Mairead started with the Goat's Cheese Pate (€8), served with plum chutney, brown bread and a few well-dressed leaves. The cheese had been whipped, as is the fashion these days, and was deliciously light and well-flavoured. It was a generous portion and Mairead polished off every last crumb. I went for Crab Toes with Wild Garlic and Chive Butter (€14), served in elegant style on a rectangular slate. It was a simple dish, executed impeccably. There were eight or nine fat crab claws and I'm happy to report that they too were demolished in jig time.

The fish special of the day was John Dory (€22), served in a light lemon and chive cream sauce on a bed of chive mash garnished with baby carrots. There were two pieces of fish and, again, the simple dish was perfect. My Rib Eye (€20) was a fine and flavoursome piece of meat, cooked rare as ordered, and the chunky chips were excellent.

After a pause to re-group we were persuaded to take a look at the dessert menu. Cleverly, Fallon's offers taster portions, dubbed 'minis', of all puddings. Mairead had a mini Sticky Toffee Pudding (€1.95), a mini Chocolate and Grand Marnier Mousse (€1.95) and a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream (€1.60). The puds were as faultless as everything that had preceded them.

A Half Cheese Board (€4.95, another generous gesture from Fallon's) comprised Cashel Blue, Cooleeney and a couple of other Irish artisan cheeses, all served in impeccable condition with good biscuits and grapes.

We drank a bottle of Fleur du Cap Pinotage (€32) from South Africa which was recommended by our waitress. We didn't like it hugely. I had one of those unsettling experiences where I thought I detected a whiff of mustiness about the wine but the waiter that I asked to try it didn't think there was anything wrong and so we stuck with it, sniffing suspiciously at it for the rest of the evening.

Service was generally friendly, well-informed and efficient although we thought that Fallon's probably needs to invest some time and resources into improving the wine knowledge of the waiting staff.

Our bill came to €109 before service. We liked Fallon's very much.

Fallon's, Main Street, Kilcullen, Co Kildare, Tel: 045 481260. Rating: 4/5