West @ The Twelve

For such a tiny village there is certainly no shortage of choice when it comes to eating out in Barna. Mulberry's for casual and family dining, O'Grady's for the seafood lovers and what is considered by many to be the ‘jewel in Barna's culinary crown’, West at The Twelve. West's outstanding contemporary regional cuisine and seamless service has earned much critical acclaim as has their extensive wine list. Here seasonal and local ingredients shine to deliver a superb fine dining experience. 

This kitchen is confident enough to have a Chef's Table where the curious can sit and watch the nightly service unfold from a unique perspective, right in the middle of the action. If that doesn't appeal, the dining room itself is handsome and contemporary, dark and luxurious.

The service was also spot-on, very friendly and attentive. We were impressed by the knowledge of our servers about both the food and the wine. The bread couldn't be any fresher, made in their own in-house 'Pins Bakery' and accompanied by a choice of compound or plain butters. 

When it came to wine, I took the easy option of having my wines chosen for each course, matched to the food for me by the very knowledgeable team. A restaurant with the title of best wine experience in Ireland was hardly going to get this one wrong, and I would highly recommend this option. Each glass was perfect for each course, little point in listing them, however, as their list is constantly evolving. Fergus O’Halloran, General Manager and a Sommelier of some note, is constantly sniffing out new wines from the four corners of the globe to add to the list, a nice feature especially for regular visitors.

A starter of a little pot of mussels from Killary Harbour was served with some lovely baby mussel fritters. A duck plate of confit parcels had a hidden treasure of foie gras inside and was served with an unusual hoi-sin and Guinness sauce.

 The desserts were an average berry tasting plate and an outstanding rhubarb, ginger and marshmallow concoction that was very easily one of the best desserts ever to sit in front of me.

Prices are a little lower than I would have expected from this level of service with the 'small plates' at €6.50 and €8.50 respectively and the lamb at €24.90 for a generous portion. I see that they are now open for a late Sunday Lunch from 3pm - this menu seems great value also and is well worth a look.

All in all the ambiance of the restaurant on a busy Friday, the quality of our meal and some of the best staff in Galway made for a perfect night out - sophisticated without being pretentious. I have been fortunate enough to have many great food experiences over the years, from a tasting menu in an art installation on the roof-tops of Paris, to sipping homemade organic cider in a smokey yurt in Dorset with Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall (Yes - I am foodaholic). Dining at the West certainly ranks as one of the memorable ones.

the malt house restaurant

I used to go to The Kings Head quite a bit for lunch, but lately, with the introduction of the connecting door, I have found myself nipping into The Malt House. Don't get me wrong - I love 'The Head', good pub food (and I have been assured that no spaniels were harmed in the making of their 'King Charles' Burger'), nice staff and always great craic. But here's the thing. I'm no sports fan and since they have one of the biggest screens in town, I leave the sporty types to enjoy themselves and tootle into The Malt House. In fact, I seem to have tootled in there so often recently that our five year old daughter complained on our recent summer 'holiers' in Spain that the mussels she was served were not as good as 'at home in The Malt House'. I fear I may have created a tiny food critic.

Everyone's a critic.

This long-established place, tucked away down one of Galway's quaint little lanes just off High Street has developed something of a new lease of life since new owners Mary and Paul Grealish took ownership a few years ago. You may remember it from about ten years ago when it was rather formal and seemingly always filled with solicitors. It's now more relaxed and casual, the dining room is bright and spacious, with a feature wall of quirky, fun plates. The food tends towards upmarket Irish bistro dishes with an international twist and they specialise in local and organic. Listed among their suppliers are some of Galway's finest, Stephen Gould's leaves, bread and meat from their nearest neighbours Griffin's Bakery and Colleran's Butchers. This is a restaurant that goes out of its way to support the local small producers and suppliers.

                Smoked suckling pig with rhubarb and ginger compote

Historically, this was the spot where the good people of Galway went for special occasions. The Malt House must have seen more birthdays and anniversaries than most restaurants over the years. Indeed, the evening menu still has special occasion written all over it. Starters of Rabbit Ballotine, Malbay Crab Claws or Quinoa Salad with Peashoots are followed by mains such as Medallions of Monkfish, with Killeen Goats Cheese and Beetroot Arancini and a showstopping Duck Tasting Plate that includes a roasted breast, confit leg and pan-fried liver. This needs to be sampled to be believed. There is a fantastically priced option of the Value Saver menu with two courses for €24 or three courses for €29 and with such tempting fare as Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Organic Fillets of Sea Trout and their perfect melty, warm chocolate fondant to choose from - it really does represent some of the best value for money anywhere in town. 

Hake with crushed baby potatoes and sundried tomato with basil cream.

The wine list is full of favourites - some excellent bottles on offer from a 2007 Domaine de la Charbonnaire Chateauneuf du Pape to the 2009 Comte la fond Sancerre, some also recommended by the glass and a very reasonable Dow Vintage 1985 port for €11.50. But don't worry if you are not a wine drinker, there are plenty of beers on tap including the local brew 'Galway Hooker' and the staff are always happy to nip into the Kings Head for you and get you a cocktail.

Always check the specials board.

However, it's the great value lunch menu that has me racking up my 'frequent flyer' miles. If you consider that you wouldn't get much change from a tenner from a takeaway of cod, chips and mushy peas, or your lunchtime soup and sandwich at any cafe in the city, then eating fresh haddock with a tomato couscous crust and organic salad for €10 from a ceramic plate, served by pleasant staff in Galway's best lunch time hidey-hole is definitely something of a bargain. Lunch is decidedly cheaper, has more traditional choices and is, quite frankly, a joy. I love the room and the modern decor and I really, really love the food. Head Chef Brendan Keane has been at the helm in the kitchen from its new beginning and it shows.

The lunchtime B.L.T. Salad

The consistently excellent results are testament to the continuity that comes from a tightly knit team. They do a fantastic burger that comes with a glorious slice of smoked suckling pig, their very excellent chips and blue cheese dip for €10. The highest priced item on the menu is the steak, as you might expect, but at €15 it's still priced at the lower end of the scale. They have a lovely deconstructed BLT salad and delicious fish and chips but the really good value here is usually on the specials board.

You will always find a wide selection of seafood, depending on the daily catch, and something the kitchen crew here cooks exceptionally well. Also, they are the undisputed kings of quinoa, which features in nearly always one if not more menu items and is always used imaginatively. Stir-fried with sauté spinach, beetroot and crème fraîche or in a spring vegetable and butterbean curry infused with coconut, lemongrass, lime and char-grilled bread - a vegetarian nirvana.

I always look forward to the seasonal changes from this kitchen - and coming into my favourite season now with game and venison, mushrooms and blackberries - I am excited to see what Brendan and Sous-Chef Brian McCormack will come up with. Brian is also well worth a follow on twitter @malthouserest to give you a heads up on the specials. He tweeted last Mother's Day "Free range chicken, Clare Island organic salmon, mothers love us, would be delighted to see you!" I'm one mother who loves them a lot.

Chocolate caramel cheesecake with a peanut butter cookie

Olde Malt Mall, 15 High Street, Galway, Ireland
T:+353 91 567866  F:+353 91 563993   info@themalthouse.ie

kai cafe & restaurant

On Sunday I was in Salthill early for a Triathalon. The small people were shaken awake and dressed at an early hour and we were up and out the door with bicycle, wetsuit and various sporting paraphernalia in tow. A few hours later after waving daddy off into the murky depths of the sea, we three hungry ladies turned our thoughts to breakfast in one of the sea-side cafes.

The bill was €15 for two glasses of milk, a cup of tea, a fairly decent croissant which was eaten and an elderly chocolate muffin which was not. Also included was my bacon bap. You can't go wrong with a bacon roll, right? Wrong! Unloved and unlovely as it was, I abandoned it and can safely say that I have not tasted anything as functional and joyless since my last stay on the maternity ward of the hospital… and that's really saying something! Not so much as a slick of butter to relieve the tedium of the dry bread and no offer of any help from the unenthusiastic staff either. Now, it seems to come as a shock to some cafes that it's Sunday again, but I have observed that Sunday happens at the very least once a week. There are measures you can take to ensure that anyone silly enough to order anything involving bread or baked goods is not disappointed. That was my first time eating there and I hope never to go back.

But this is not a story of a a bad breakfast - this is the tale of a glorious brunch and how the lovely people at Kai can turn a frown upside-down. Still hungry and refusing to be beaten where my stomach is concerned, I cheekily added my party of four to a friends table of ten in the beautiful room upstairs that is available for private hire. Lucky for us that our friends had booked it, as there was a steady queue of people waiting for a table downstairs, at what has become a very popular Sunday brunch destination. The staff, particularly David, were more than accommodating to us and quickly arranged the extra settings. An iPod dock means you can listen to your own selection of music (Toto's 'Africa' is recommended by head chef Jess Murphy).

The children now numbering six were served quickly. Spongy, fat pancakes full of zesty Sorrento lemon scent with toasted poppy-seeds popping in your month. Drenched in organic maple syrup and served with Wexford strawberries - these are the best pancakes in town. Fact! And six smiling kids is
an achievement in its own right.

Egg hollandaise on a bagel was the basis for a range of options - there was a choice of salmon, asparagus or bacon & avocado. The Hipster vegetarian fry listed rainbow courgettes and spinach among its components, and looked fantastic when it arrived.

But for me, the real star was the Kai fry. 'Pigs on the Green' sausage, bacon, creamy mushrooms, tomato, two poached eggs, home fries & brown bread. The streaky bacon was a bit too 'rindy' for my taste, but a lovely cure. The fantastic sausage, perfectly poached eggs, and lashings of sunshine-yellow hollandaise sauce more than made up for it.

Two orders of pancakes, a Kai fry and the grilled apricots on fig jam and toasted walnut bread came to 27 including a macchiato. Downstairs, the atmosphere was really buzzy and friendly, it has a real New York neighbourhood vibe going on and I left a happy camper, full and with my faith in humanity restored.

Contact: kaicaferestaurant@gmail.com + Sea Road, Galway, Ireland + 353 (0)91 526003

the kitchen

Ham hock terrine with a delicate cauliflower pickle

There are some places you go to for the best coffee, some for the best dessert and some to have just one particular dish over and over again - but you go to The Kitchen to be surprised! Head chef and proprietor Michelle Kavanagh's extensive travels bring an eclectic mix of flavours to the table, Asian, Indian, Mexican, Japanese. This is fusion at it's finest.

Szechuan squid rings in panko crumbs with a lime mayonnaise

Starting life as a cafe, The Kitchen at the Galway Museum opened its doors well over a year ago. It's a friendly cafe, quirky, homey and comfortable with a mixture of seating and lounging areas, pulled together by an enormous pretty, patterned rug. The space is airy with high ceilings and some lovely natural light from their glass wall. The outside seating is very popular when the sun shines with it's gorgeous view of Nimmo's and the river by the landmark Spanish Arch. Lunch here has a growing regular clientele for its selection of healthy salad plates, imaginative and great value food. There is good coffee and freshly squeezed juices to order. All breads and bakes are displayed on the counter among a colorful array of bric-a-brac and cookbooks, perfect for a quiet afternoon coffee and cake treat. The weekend brunch is also gaining a following - bacon and eggs, stacks of thick syrupy pancakes with Colleran's bacon or the near legendary (in our house anyway) chorizo hash. Popular as well with Galwegian parents, with ample room to park a buggy.

Stuffed pesto chicken and quinoa

After more than a year of going from strength to strength, they are now opened for dinner as well. The evening menu, like the daytime one, is changed according to what looks good from their local suppliers. You can get a heads-up on Facebook if you don't like surprises, as they more often than not post the menu ahead of service. If you embrace the unexpected you will be rewarded. I have seen such delights as a shoulder of pork, slow cooked overnight in smokey Mexican spices; succulent meatloaf with a tomato sauce and thyme-roasted baby potatoes; crisp filo tart with blue cheese and bacon. Whatever it is, you're unlikely to fail to see something on the menu that catches your imagination.

Preserved lemon roasted pork belly

Aoife Qualter, manager and one of the most photogenic women in the city, showed us to our table when we went last week. There's something for everyone on the drinks list with a short wine list and beers from Galway Hooker, O'Haras, Eight Degrees and the Stonewall Cider. Starters were, after extensively talking it through with the friendly chap who served us very attentively for the evening, a very flavourful ham hock terrine with a delicate cauliflower pickle and a slate full of Szechuan squid rings in panko crumbs with a lime mayonnaise, crispy and perfectly cooked. All the starters sounded so good that I debated with myself whether to have a second starter of brown sugar roast peach & rye field goats cheese salad with a sprinkle of dukka instead of a main but greed took over as it always seems to do. Preserved lemon roasted pork belly won out in the end and was delicious - it came with potatoes, green beens and a very good spiced plum relish.

Chocolate mousse cake with orange cream and candied walnuts

Gluten free and diabetic are well catered for at The Kitchen with vegetarians doing particularly well here. I have been sending vegetarians there for about a year now. Even though I don't know what they will have for them, I do know it will be better than the goat cheese tart or pasta and veg on offer in a lot of restaurants. The night we were there it was spinach gnocchi with wild mushrooms, parmesan and truffle salt. You lucky vegetarians!

Lemon posset with almond shortbread biscuits

While the restaurant industry remains heavily male-dominated, one thing for sure about Galway is that if there is a trend, it is more than likely to be bucked here. Having a history of female success stories from Martine's and Goya's from way before the Celtic tiger drew it's first breath, to Kai and Ard Bia. Michelle and Aoife prove there's nothing in the industry that either gender can't do. And these girls do it very well indeed.

the ard bia cookbook

I had heard a while back there was an 'Ard Bia' cookbook in the pipeline. I had even debated it with a restauranteur friend of mine. "It's too expensive, I think it's mad. You can get cookbooks from big names for half that price", I said. "You can get a lot of rubbish cookbooks for half that price," he replied. "If it's a lovely book as well as a good cookbook, it's well worth the extra money". Now, here are the most painful words I may ever have to write… Aran McMahon, you were right and I was wrong. It's not too expensive, it's worth every penny and more.

The book takes you on a culinary journey through the day - from morning to lunchtime, afternoon and evening and then on to a set of useful pantry notes. If you eat in Ard Bia now and again, you will recognise some of these recipes - their full fry and the Berlin Platter, the lunchtime salads, soups and stews, the bakes from the table inside the little front door. A thick section which waltzes you through the starters and mezze, fish, meat and vegetarian and something for afterwards to keep you at the table a little longer than you really meant to stay - it's what they're really good at.

Our Aoibheann (Mac Namara) has teamed up with food writer Aoife Carrigy to capture the essence of Ard Bia of Nimmos. In my opinion Ard Bia really only got soul when it moved into Nimmos, but when it did it really found it's spiritual home. It's food with inspiration from around the world but is ultimately grounded in Irish produce and seasonal ingredients. It is never a chore to eat here either, no-one will ever smother your food in a mist or a foam or a nonsense - you will only ever be in danger of being smothered with love.

For the cookbook lovers out there this one is a keeper. I will be filing it in my collection alongside the Drimcong Food Affair under the "bit of Galway Food History" section. The paper is the yummy un-coated kind, the little drawings are quirky and the photos with the vintage props will cause terrible crockery envy. Even the typeface is one of my favorites. This is more than a collection of recipes, it's a memento and a keepsake, something precious and special. A snapshot of a time and a place in Galway that captures the energy and spirit of the place that is Ard Bia.

Holiday Tapas

 I am off for my holidays - a week in Spain to cure me of the respiratory illnesses I am in danger of developing from the wettest summer in Ireland ever. To celebrate, here are two recipes of my favorite Spanish snack - Patatas Bravas or more particularly for the sauce. One is from Cava, a very excellent restaurant in Galway that specialises in Spanish tapas with an Irish twist. The other is from a blog I love, The Winter Guest, a Spanish lady who posts many lovely Catalan tapas recipes (amongst other things). Both are excellent, one is pretty instant and the other requires putting the oven on but is pretty low maintenance as well. I often make the roasted garlic one with oven roasted potatoes to cut back on the deep frying thing and it is a lovely lunch on a winter day. The roasted garlic version also freezes very well which makes it a great standby. Happy holidays everybody!

Salsa Brava
400g crushed or pureed tomatoes
2 tbsp roasted garlic puree
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sweet Spanish pimentón
1/2 tbsp hot Spanish pimentón (or a little more)

Roasted Garlic Puree
Preheat the oven to 150ºC and wrap 2 garlic heads in aluminum foil and put them into the oven when it's hot. Cook for one hour. When done, you'll find the garlic cloves have turned into a soft, fragrant and caramelized mass, that can be easily squeezed out of the clove - just open one end of the peel and squeeze the flesh out. Empty all the garlic flesh into a bowl, then mash it with a fork to make the puree.

Patatas Bravas
Ingredients (Bravas Sauce)
400ml mayonnaise
150ml tomato sauce
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp hot paprika

Method
Blend all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor. Rest and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Wash and chop potatoes into cubes (no need to peel). Fry cubed potatoes at 135˚ in a deep fat fryer until a cocktail stick can pass easily through the potato cube.

Season potatoes in a bowl with sea salt and smoked paprika. Allow potatoes to rest for 5 min.
Turn fryer up to 175˚ and fry potatoes until golden brown.

Season potatoes with hot paprika and some more salt.
Serve hot with a generous amount of Bravas Sauce or Salsa Brava

Rouge & Le Petit Rouge, Galway

Open over a year now and a firm favorite with many a Galwegian, Rouge is the hottest ticket in town at the moment, and understandably so. The '€15 for two courses' price tag alone would be enough to get people in the door, but the fact that the food is fantastic has something to do with it as well. A small menu is usually a promise of good things to come in my eyes, a few things done right is far better than a long list of potential disappointments and Rouge has the shortest and sweetest menu of them all. I went at the weekend with some old ex-Galway friends (who must now regret leaving!) and we had a very lovely evening there.

My very capable friend Joan had booked it a couple of weeks in advance on my recommendation, I can't be relied on to book anything and she is super organised, but had she not booked there was no way we would have gotten in. It's a very busy spot and, while you can be lucky, you do need to book ahead to be guaranteed a seat. Their simple but excellent offering is a selection of just three main dishes, steak, fish or vegetarian all very delicious, cooked perfectly and very few complaints.

After you have given your main course order, your starter platter arrives, a collection of bite-sized appetisers served on slates to share. We had a bowl of French onion soup, very under seasoned and over sweet, a result of the onions not being caramelized for long enough. A sublime quiche, some garlic mushrooms which divided the opinion of the group, too much garlic some said, no such thing as too much garlic I replied. A goat cheese and walnut brochette completed the platter, which helped to make the underwhelming onion soup much more delightful acting as a very delicious giant crouton. The starters platters change constantly.

Then onto the three main courses - steak, fish of the day or the vegetarian dish. The steak is the only constant here, it is striploin, cooked to your liking and served in slices on a heated metal platter. A companion sauce had to be decided for the two of us at the table who had ordered the steak. We tried the wild mushroom and the peppercorn sauces, both very nice. All the mains come with a well-made variety of sides, fries, gratin, dauphinois, steamed potatoes, Chef's potatoes or side salad. A ratatouille was especially good and everyone raved about the potato dauphinois which were elevated from the mundane with more than the usual suspicion of nutmeg.

The fish and vegetarian dish can change daily depending on the catch and whatever's in season. The fish was expertly and simply pan fried and, unusually, came in a red wine cream sauce. The vegetarian dish was a delicious vegetable bake topped with a strong French cheese. Desserts and excellent coffees are extra, choose from pear and almond tarte, creme caramel, profiteroles or a Poire Belle Helene, or go for the dessert sampler at €11.80 if you have someone to share with. 

The service here is in the Gallic style too, staff are professional and efficient, not overly friendly and chatty - just the way I like it. Their very knowledgeable sommelier is on hand to recommend a tipple if your knowledge of French wines is less than encyclopedic - but the list is excellent. Not much under the €20 mark but what is there is stellar. My advice to anyone taken aback at the prices of the wines, or if you are on a budget, is to try a glass of their very palatable Sauvignon with your meal. At €15 for the set menu and €3.80 for the glass of wine - you'll still have enough for a bottle on the way home. Don't forget to leave a tip, mind!

The room and style of dining lends itself particularly well to groups with a few large family-style tables, all named after Parisian streets. A bustling, charming restaurant with stone walls, old 19th century posters and a grand piano, Rouge is entirely deserving of its popularity. Bon Appétit.

Le Petit Rouge, directly across the street from it's 'Maman' restaurant 'Rouge', has just opened, bringing yet another option to the West End's thriving 'Dining District'. This is a more than welcome addition, as currently there are few places for the 'thirsty and peckish' to go. This style and standard of wine, cheese and charcuterie is really only available upstairs at Sheridans Cheesemongers, since 'Sheridans on the Docks' was so cruelly taken from us before its time. 

Intimate and rustic, Le Petit Rouge is a small but perfect wine bar with a strong personality. The long, narrow space here is pure theatre, carefully considered lighting highlighting areas of a room that just stops short of being a stage set, with balconied shuttered windows and vintage posters adorning the exposed brick walls around their centerpiece, a gleaming cherrywood bar.

The wine list carries a number of French labels best known for their traditional and organic approach to winemaking. There are some well chosen cheese and meat platters, small or large to share over a chilled bottle of white; or terrines and pates - perfect with a nice glass of red. Staff are prompt and informative and there are even a couple of small desserts for the sweet toothed.

Le Petit Rouge is a little bit of la belle France, right here in Galway.