GMIT Hotel School to host Titanic commemorative dinner

Thu, Feb 16, 2012

The Hotel School at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology is holding what the school says will be one of the best Titanic commemorative events this year, an 11-course black tie dinner replicating the meal served to guests in the first class dining room on the RMS Titanic. Tickets are already sold out for the event, which takes place on Wednesday 21 March in aid of the Galway RNLI Lifeboat.

Slender rounds up couch potatoes in Ballina

Thu, Feb 16, 2012

Leading natural slimming supplement Slender attracted couch potatoes from all over Co Mayo last week and put the spotlight on stress snacking at an event in Molloy’s Pharmacy in Bunree, Ballina, Co Mayo.

The Slender spotlight on stress snacking event saw people coming together to learn more about Ireland’s growing trend for stress snacking, something 61 per cent of Irish women admit to. A Molloy’s Pharmacy health expert provided support to help women overcome the challenges of stress and the impact of emotional overeating, with one lucky attendee winning a Slender hamper. Life size potatoes were in attendance to highlight how we have becoming a nation of emotional eating slouch potatoes.

Breads, cakes, and buns at Alan’s Bakery

Thu, Feb 16, 2012

The smell of freshly baked bread wafting from a bakery is one of the most universally liked aromas. It is especially nostalgic for me, as when I was about 14 years old I worked for two summers in Toohey’s bakery in Loughrea. As it was located at the bottom of our garden I had always loved the smell when I called in on the way home from school. John Toohey was a gentleman and while I was expected to do my bit in about 100 degrees heat I was well looked after. One of the ovens was a coal/coke fired monstrosity with a huge sliding heavy metal tray that cooked 144 loaves at a time. When it was pulled out all the bread had to be taken off by hand, and I quickly developed hands that could tolerate hot tins and bread. And of course that smell, fantastic, and many a time we would pull open a hot loaf and lash on the fresh butter.

Basilico, Oranmore

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

This week I visited Basilico Oranmore for the launch of the new daily special offers menu. I think the early bird special is now becoming old hat and many restaurants are doing special deals every day and not just up to 7pm. In fact I think that many people now are not interested in the traditional menu, they just ask what is on special today. In addition to this many restaurants have used the Groupon method to gain extra customers. Sites like Grabone, Livingsocial, and boardsdeals are mushrooming like never before and while they do attract 100 or 200 customers the poor restaurant gets practically nothing. I may stand corrected, but the way I believe they work is the company asks that you cut your normal price by half for the offer, then it takes 50 or 60 per cent of that smaller figure as its charge, leaving the restaurant with maybe 20 or 25 per cent of the normal full price. My last word on these sites is that if you are a regular user, you may like to know about a site that has been created, it is called www.mydealpages.ie, if you log on you will immediately see every deal on every groupon site in Ireland at that point in time.

Aniar’s top chef is Chef of the Year

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

Head Chef, Enda McEvoy of Aniar Restaurant on Dominick Street was recently announced as Chef of the Year by the prestigious Bridgestone Guides.

Eat at Massimo join prestigious Euro Toques

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

Eat at Massimo, the gastropub located on William Street in Galway has been accepted to the prestigious Euro Toques group of restaurants and has also received a Georgina Campbell recommendation. It is relatively rare for a gastropub to be permitted to join the renowned European Community of cooks and chefs.

Enjoy Sunday lunch at Kylemore Abbey

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden in the heart of Connemara is the ideal destination for a day out with something for all the family to enjoy. Get outdoors and enjoy woodland walks or explore the Victorian gardens, all just an hour from Galway.

Change your lifestyle and health for the better at Orsmond Clinics

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

Attitudes towards health and its links with weight gain have been changing at an extraordinary rate in recent years, with many campaigns and health professionals encouraging the nation to change their lifestyles for the better by shedding excess weight, a change that make all the difference with conditions such as diabetes.

Pick up a ‘pincho’ at Cava this month

Thu, Feb 02, 2012

To celebrate the annual Seville Tapas Fair, Cava Spanish restaurant and tapas bar has launched a special pincho menu which will be available each day throughout February. Popular in Spain, pinchos are small Spanish canapés which can be eaten in one or two mouthfuls and are usually eaten in bars or taverns as a small snack while socialising with friends. As part of the celebrations, Cava will also host a free sherry tasting evening each week throughout February on Thursdays between 6pm and 7pm.

Early bird menus are old hat, says AA Ireland

Thu, Feb 02, 2012

Early bird menus on offer in restauarants are being replaced by offers that run for longer periods, according to the AA which has announced that an impressive 17 Irish restaurants were newly awarded AA Rosette Awards during the 2011 inspection season in celebration of culinary excellence.

Of further triumph for the industry and a barometer of the quality of restaurants available in Ireland today, this figure represents a 50 per cent increase on the 2010 season when just 11 of the highly esteemed awards were newly attained.

A bit of this and a bit of that

Thu, Feb 02, 2012

This week I have a few different items that may be of interest to food lovers, hence the fairly non-specific title. There are two types of ‘pop-ups’ that have entered our vocabulary over the past few years, the first is a nuisance and it describes those usually unwanted ads which pop up when you are opening websites. The other is somewhat more interesting; it is used to describe a venue for a restaurant or perhaps a retail outlet that will open for one or maybe a few days or nights only. The retail element is the more recent and is perhaps a result of so many shops being vacant and landlords being happy to rent for a few days.

The original of the species started in Paris and New York with homeowners opening their dining rooms for a meal “for one night only”. It was advertised through foodie blogs and social media sites and, of course, word of mouth. When the dinner was over you made a ‘donation’ to the host/hostess, thus overcoming the possibility that the money could be described as income. This idea has moved on to charity events and can be a great way to raise money.

Enjoy Sunday lunch at Kylemore Abbey

Thu, Feb 02, 2012

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden in the heart of Connemara is the ideal destination for a day out with something for all the family to enjoy. Get outdoors and enjoy woodland walks or explore the Victorian gardens, all just an hour from Galway.

Il Vicolo

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

I noticed another new sign over the door at the corner of Buttermilk Walk and decided to see what brave soul has started a new venture in the foodie world. Once inside I recognised Gerry McMahon, who worked for many years with his brother JP in Cava. As the name suggests Il Vicolo is mainly Italian; the chef, I discovered, is a native of Naples and a third generation keeping up this tradition in his family. The feeling you get is of a small New York café and it has been redecorated very carefully to create a nice atmosphere. This is one very difficult part of designing a new interior and he seems to have pulled it off. The background music was nice jazz which helps to create a comfy feeling when you enter.

Award-winning chefs to star at GMIT national foodie forum

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

An impressive line up of award-winning chefs is set to present a series of culinary masterclasses at the first national Foodie Forum, to be hosted by the Hotel School in GMIT, on February 2. Visitors to the event can expect food demonstrations from Bridgestone Chef of the Year 2011 Enda McEvoy of Aniar restaurant, RAI Chef of the Year Mickael Vilijanen of Gregans Castle, Stefan Matz of Ashford Castle, and many more high profile chefs.

Success again for Oscars Seafood Bistro

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

Oscars Seafood Bistro has made the Bridgestone Guide Top 100 Restaurants in Ireland for the sixth year running in addition to joining the prestigious BIM seafood circle.

On the cookery book shelf...

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

Balancing the glory of a great dessert against the January need to possibly cut back on the December excesses, Bee has come up with a conceptual selection that does not necessarily take the quality and enjoyment out of a good fruitcake, gateau, or muffin. What you do get, however, is such offerings as pistachio and low-fat yogurt cake; mint, caraway, and lemon roulade with half the fat; a butter-free almond and hazelnut gateau; a health conscious beetroot and chocolate cake; fat-free strawberry sponge; and low-fat almond macaroons.

In the kitchen...

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

An Italian staple, vibrantly rich on the eye and wholesome to boot, with crusty bread to mop up.

Interesting projects at Young Scientist Exhibition

Thu, Jan 19, 2012

I visited the 2012 Young Scientist Exhibition last week and came across a couple of interesting projects which demonstrate that there are teenagers out there putting their brains to work in the food sector. It is only when you see that many enthusiastic kids under one roof you think, yes, perhaps we can create a bright future, but not if we lose them to foreign climes permanently.

Connacht folk are obsessed with the weather

Thu, Jan 19, 2012

A recent survey by Yakult has revealed that almost two thirds of Connacht people are absorbed with the weather, a subject on most people’s minds and lips, ahead of food, fashion, social media, and all-important health. Yakult’s survey found that while 75 per cent of those living in Connacht regard health as their number one priority in terms of happiness, ahead of friends, money and careers, overall wellbeing is not something they give much thought to on a daily basis. Yakult conducted its mindfulness survey to find out what was consuming Irish minds on a daily basis and to show how focusing on the important things in life can help us realise our New Year wishes of health and happiness in 2012.

Mindfulness can be applied to all areas of our lives, from the way we experience, right down to the way we eat, adds Olena Polyakova, nutritionist and fitness expert. According to Polyakova, it is the little, mindful steps that can make a big difference. “Set aside time to eat and eat at the table. Spend time over your meal and be aware of what you are eating. Meals in front of the TV lead to us gobbling down more than we need or want without allowing food to digest properly. Overeating and overindulging puts a strain on our digestive systems as well as our waistbands, which in turn affects our overall health and immune system.”

CHI brings East to West for Chinese New Year

Thu, Jan 19, 2012

The Chinese New Year takes place next Monday January 23 with the long awaited arrival of the Year of the Dragon. Coinciding with the Dragon’s arrival Catherine O’Brien of Galway’s Da Tang Noodle House will launch a sister-company CHI Asian Take-Away to offer the delights of the East to the west side of the city.

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