Twenty-five years ago I nearly went to live in Kilkenny. I'd read a book, whose name I've forgotten, which espoused the quality of life that was to be had in the smaller provincial centres. I was so taken with the reasoning in it, that I sold up in Dublin and went looking around the country for somewhere to live. In the end I ended up in a provincial centre that's so small it doesn't even have a pub or a church - a rare thing in Ireland. But even though I didn't go there, I've still retained an affection for Kilkenny, because it's always struck me as a vibrant city where life is enjoyed.

I suppose what I like about it, and what the writer of that book would have liked, is that it has many of the benefits of a city, but with few of the unpleasant bits. It also has some rather attractive old architecture, and there is a sense that the citizens are not only proud of it, but that they actively encourage its retention. The words 'heritage' and 'Kilkenny' seem to go together. So parking just alongside the castle late one evening, we strolled up the High Street to find 'Pordylos'. Just past the arcaded frontage of the old court house there's a stone arch leading to a laneway, quaintly named 'Butterslip', and looking through the arch down to the parallel street below, I couldn't help being reminded of Breton and Norman provincial architecture, in particular Evreux. Some twenty yards down this lane you find 'Pordylos'.

My wife and I stopped for a moment outside before going in, despite the bitter wind. It's worth taking this view in. It's a very old stone building that has been meticulously maintained and its conversion into a restaurant has been nicely done. The ground floor on entry is essentially a bar and waiting area, although there was one table set. The dining room is on the first floor and it's very pretty. Much of the original stone walls is exposed and aged wooden beams are a feature of the ceiling. There are paintings hanging, the tables are wood-topped on cast iron bases and small, not very comfortable, Windsor chairs surround them. Surprisingly for such a classy room the tables are covered in paper, not linen. It was a very busy restaurant that night, but throughout the evening the service was excellent.

As we looked through the menu, the first page informed us just how old this building was. Known as the 'Stone House' it was built in 1609, which apart from Auerbach's Keller in Leipzig, makes it the oldest room that I've dined in. The menu had some interesting-looking dishes; starters included Seafood chowder, fiddlehead salad, cajun chick Caesar salad, California rolls, baked walnut-crusted brie, crab toes, roast duck confit, Thai chicken Satay, smoked salmon blinis and oysters. Main courses included New Orleans chicken, a lamb rump roast, Boston chicken, rack of lamb, duckling, fire-roasted sirloin or fillet, monkfish, salmon, prawns and calamari a couple of pastas and vegetarian dishes. As a rough guide most of the starters are about £5 and the main courses are about £15.

While we were arguing over who was going to have the California rolls, our waiter arrived with a trug of breads from which we picked both a ciabatta and a smoked salmon bread - something new to me. I gave up arguing for a bit and turned to the wine list. It starts with Champagnes and then moves on the French reds, where some less-often listed wines can be found, such as a red Sancerre, a Madiran and a Gigondas. Then it lists French whites, including the excellent Mas de Daumas Gassac, all of which are fairly priced. The rest of the list is made up of the rest of the world; Chilean, Australian, South African and Italian, where the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Tollo is listed. Again the mark up is average and there are fine wines to be found for less than £20, although there are plenty above that price. Eventually giving in to Susie's insistence on white, I chose the Wakefield Chardonnay from Australia, good value at £16.95.

With that sorted it was back to the menu and the issue of California rolls. You'll be pleased to hear that this marital discord was resolved by neither of us having them, Susie choosing the oysters to start with and me the blinis. Her oysters were prettily presented when they came, and my blinis were little ones, about the size of my palm, and were layered with slices of very good smoked salmon and accompanied with a little sour cream. We finished both of these dishes with a sense of self-congratulation for having found Pordylos.

The main course didn't change this feeling. Susie had ordered the monkfish and I'd ordered the rack of lamb. Every part of both dishes was carefully made and nicely presented. The vegetables, the accompanying sauces and flavours were all well-chosen and both dishes left us feeling very contented. Small world that it is, two friends came in and were shown to the table next to us. Antonio and Marion Cavaliere from Kilkenny's best Italian restaurant, Rinuccini, were taking a night out from their own place.

I'd enjoyed our meal so much that I couldn't leave without trying a dessert. Most of them are listed at £5.25, and they included banana and nectarine tart, cheese, cheese cake, chocolate mousse, grilled saffron pear, rhubarb crème brulee and ice-cream. The list is followed by a selection of after-dinner drinks, which included an amontillado sherry. There was no contest, crème brulee it was by common acclaim, and it turned out to be very good indeed - the rhubarb puree nestling underneath a layer of the crème brulee. We finished our meal with a couple of espressos and the bill came to £69.70, not including service. As we left I met the chef downstairs, who bears more than a passing likeness to the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. 'Unfortunately I'm not him,' he told me.

Pordylos left me feeling contented. It's a fine restaurant and a perfect example of the good things that are to be found outside the Greater Dublin conurbation. Further proof, if ever I needed it, that the book I read so long ago had some elements of truth. If you have access to the internet, www.kilkennycraic.com is a great resource, with plenty of information and history on Kilkenny.