For Jean Grace, the key to a successful restaurant is getting the little things right, even if you just have one customer.

“You still have to have the fire lit, you still have to have the heat on, the candles all have to be lit,” she lists.

“It is hard ... but you have to do that every day.”

ADVERTISEMENT

And perhaps it’s that commitment to the basics that has seen The Brown Bear in Two-Mile-House not only celebrate five years in business, but also collect a number of accolades, most recently the Best Restaurant in Kildare award, with fans, including Kevin Myers, declaring: “There is no better food in London, Dublin or anywhere else I’ve been. This is Michelin style and quality food for a much smaller price”.

The Brown Bear – named after an old coach house on the main Naas to Kilcullen road in the 1700s – is run by Jean and her partner Eugene Brennan, on what was once his family’s dairy farm.

When the Brennans got out of agriculture 15 years ago, Eugene worked in construction in Australia and Ireland, but always had the vision of building a bar and restaurant in Two-Mile-House. Meanwhile, Jean had been immersed in hospitality since she was 16, working for many years in the award-winning Ballymore Inn.

“Initially the concept was a focal point and the bringing together of a village,” Eugene explains. “Because we didn’t have that.”

But between the first planning application in 2004 and the eventual opening in December 2008, the Irish economy had changed irrevocably.

“But it was too late,” responds Eugene when asked if he had a change of heart. “There was no going back.”

In fact, both Eugene and Jean argue the recession actually made them better business people. For example, they didn’t start serving food until September 2009, when they felt they had the bar established. However, that doesn’t mean that they played safe with their offering.

Rather than serving traditional pub grub, head chef Josef Zammit – who previously worked with Dylan McGrath at the Michelin-starred Mint – serves seasonal, hearty fare with a twist: think pumpkin soup with walnut and foie gras, fillet of beef with salsify, chestnut and Roscoff or venison cushion with candied chicory and venison ragout, with suppliers including Castlemine Farm, Wild Irish Game and Mourne Seafoods.

“There’s no end to his abilities,” says Jean. “[The goal] is to offer something different within Kildare. I think that’s what a lot of people love, things they wouldn’t normally eat. We’re that mile or two out and it’s about giving them a reason to say: ‘We’ll go out there’.”

Indeed, this approach saw Josef win Best Chef in Kildare in both 2012 and 2013, while The Brown Bear has also been recommended by the Georgina Campbell and Michelin guides. Not that the last five years have been without their challenges. Indeed, the harsh winter of 2010 presented the greatest financial battle of all.

“It took a year to recover from the snow,” says Eugene. “From a farming point of view it was like losing your hay. But we got the support from our suppliers with a bit of honesty. You just pick up the phone and acknowledge the debt and say: ‘Look this is where I am, but I can do this amount’.”

However, after five years the couple believe things have turned a corner. Plans for 2015 include seasonal tasting menus as well as introducing more tapas-style options in the bar to encourage mid-week trade. Longer-term, they hope to open a food emporium in a section of the building they have left unoccupied.

Cementing their position as a hub in Two-Mile-House is vital too. Everybody from the ICA to the local hunt frequents The Brown Bear. And, naturally, two of its most staunch supporters are Eugene’s parents Mary and Gene, who live just across the old farmyard.

“They’d be like critics now,” laughs Eugene. “They’d have a review on all the other places ... and tell us they didn’t match up.”

The Brown Bear, Two-Mile-House, Naas, Co Kildare | 045-883-561| www.thebrownbear.ie