A taste of the west at the g Hotel

Thu, Jan 31, 2013

The five-star g Hotel has launched a new menu in the award-winning Restaurant gigi’s, inspired by and using the best produce from the west of Ireland. A five course tasting menu, A Taste of gigi’s, will include fresh and seasonal ingredients from producers including Stefan Gannett fishmonger and Burke’s Fruit and Veg Galway. Prepared by head chef Pauline Reilly and her team, the menu is exclusively available until the end of February, at a cost of €40 per person.

The five-course tasting menu uses the best ingredients to create innovative seasonal and traditional dishes bursting with flavour. Enjoy a delicious mouthwatering five-course meal followed by petit fours and tea or coffee. Guests can also choose to upgrade to a wine pairing menu for an additional €20 per person.

the Galway Appetiser

Thu, Jan 31, 2013

New research from Bord Bia has revealed that supporting local businesses is a key consideration for members of the public when eating out, which may go part of the way to explaining why there is nearly always something of a queue up the stairs for a coveted seat in this small, but perfectly formed, cafe on Spencer Street in Castlebar. With the same research showing that over two thirds of the population rated the use of Irish and local produce as important when eating out for a meal, if you venture over the border to Mayo, Rua's impeccable pedigree of the origin of all elements on the plates delivers. And then some.

Lunch is for sharing at Lunares

Thu, Jan 03, 2013

It was the end of December with but one day to go till the start of the new year. The house had been hit by a veritable hurricane of small, pink, clothing. The combined forces of Santa and a little girl's December birthday had filled the house with tons of plastic. A previously unknown horror had entered my life, the truly vile invention that is Moon Sand, a force so insidious and evil that I could see no way to defeat it. The children had begun to make the relatively short word 'Mum' into a five to six syllable long whine that was slowly working on my already questionable sanity. And there was another week of this to go before the holidays were over.

I was hungry, but the aprés Christmas food fatigue had set in and I could think of more things that I definitely didn't want to eat than anything I did want. One thing was sure, I was not making anything myself. I packed up the family and we headed of to Lunares. Myself and the children were deposited at the foot of the colourfully-painted stairs next to Barr an Caladh in Woodquay, while my current husband went off to park the car in lashing rain that could only be described as biblical.

Win a Christmas turkey and ham with Eat Galway

Thu, Dec 13, 2012

To celebrate the run-up to Christmas we have a fantastic prize of an Irish turkey and ham for one lucky reader.

Taxing times, mistletoe and wine...

Thu, Dec 13, 2012

I think it is fair to say that the developing Irish wine market has hit something of a snag. Thanks to the unbalanced and, quite frankly, bizarre new tax on wine, all of our small retailers will have to increase the cost of wine in their shops at various stages between now and the New Year as their duty-paid stock runs out. This means that their customers will see various price increases per bottle, as many of the big supermarkets may very well hold their price, either by losing margin or by negotiating better deals with the big wholesalers. That some wine shops will close is certain, as the difference between what they can offer their customers and the below-cost selling of the supermarkets widens even further.

It is this below cost selling by the multiples that has been blamed as the cause of many of the social problems associated with alcohol. They unfairly use alcohol as a loss leader to build market share in the grocery sector. Yet the loophole still exists that when alcohol is sold below cost price, the retailer is entitled to a refund of the VAT differential, meaning in effect that the Government and taxpayers (that's you and me, folks) are subsidising any large retailers who can afford to sell alcohol below cost price. This is not by any means a fair or level playing field. In the absence of any coherent, balanced, national retail strategy, it is up to us as local people to buy from local businesses who wish to make an honest living by selling quality products to us.

Connemara Coast Hotel, Furbo announces new bilingual menu

Thu, Dec 13, 2012

An bhfuil ocras ort? Fancy something tasty for lunch like steig chaoldroma, or perhaps a trinsuir de bhia mara, fresh from Galway Bay?

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Dec 06, 2012

Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Independents €14.99)

On the Cookery Book Shelf …

Thu, Dec 06, 2012

Over the last number of years, Paula Wolfert has made a name for herself as an author with a penchant for Mediterranean cuisine and this publication will only enhance that growing reputation.

Clearly written with a modicum of fuss, The Food of Morocco (Bloomsbury, €35) is a lavish overview of a cuisine that’s becoming increasingly popular with lots of insightful tips and personal anecdotes. From the start Wolfert sets out her take on Morocco with the help of a map illustrating the essentials of Moroccan cooking before going on to lay out her views on tagines, preserved lemons, olives, argan oil and amlou, spices, herbs and aromatics, honey and fragrant waters and ten tips for preparing Moroccan food, among other basics. The other chapters are divided into those on salads, breads and pastries; eggs, butter, buttermilk and cheese; soups; couscous; fish; poultry; meats; bean and vegetable dishes; desserts; and drinks. The best of the recipes include those for fresh tomato and caper salad; orange and grated radish salad with orange-flower water; aubergine zaalouk; Marrakech flat bread stuffed with meat; bastila with seafood, spinach and noodles; Tangier street bread; goats’ cheese with honey filling; couscous with lamb, pumpkins; carrots chickpeas and raisins; tagra of fresh sardines with pepper oil charmoula; sautéed prawns casa pepe; chicken with caramelised quinces and toasted walnuts; lamb tagine with baby spinach with lemon and olives; tangia; potato pancakes; dessert couscous with pomegranates; and ‘the snake’ (M’Hanncha). Overall, this is a beautifully photographed big blockbuster of a cookery book with lots of ideas for entertaining anyone interested in North African cuisine in the run-up to Christmas, or as an antidote to turkey and ham in the weeks after the festivities.

Christmassy lunch

Thu, Dec 06, 2012

If you are looking for somewhere to have a Christmassy lunch with family or colleagues, there is a little place in Galway that I can recommend to you, Blazers Bar & Bistro. It is set apart from the hustle and bustle of the city, part of The Ardilaun hotel and yet but a stroll from either Salthill or the city centre. This tranquil setting, with beautifully landscaped gardens is a little a gem.

The Ardilaun is, understandably, renowned for great service which is probably a side effect of being a popular wedding choice. It is uniquely placed as a quiet, leafy, 'old fashioned' country hotel, but still no journey at all from the city. I lived on Taylors Hill for many years, before I moved to my present country pile, and had been in the Ardilaun for many functions but still had only a two minute walk back home. So, while I cannot tell you what the rooms are like, or the breakfast, or the leisure centre, I can tell you about lunch in the bistro.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Nov 08, 2012

Hugel Gewurztraminer 2010 (Independents, €15.99)

on The Book Shelf...

Thu, Nov 08, 2012

Eat Like an Italian
Recipes for the Good Life

Celebrate Irish seafood and Spanish cava this month

Thu, Nov 08, 2012

Cava Spanish Restaurant on Dominick Street is among 10 restaurants around the country taking part in a nationwide initiative by the Spanish Embassy to promote November as the month for enjoying Irish seafood and Spanish cava.

A 'happy meal' in gorgeous Gort

Thu, Nov 08, 2012

Have you ever really thought about what goes into the plate of food that is brought to your table in a restaurant? If you think about it, a large proportion of it comes down to the chef. It all starts at the back door of the restaurant, where products are unloaded every morning. Depending on the time of the year, chefs experiment, create, and make menus that are fresh, exciting, and appealing to customers all year round. Strawberries and fresh salad greens have come and gone, game and autumnal fruits are featuring now. If you do not have a good chef, then you do not have a good restaurant.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

Tim Adams Shiraz Clare Valley 2009 (Tesco, €16.95)

Christmas décor at the Kilkenny store

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

Transform your home into a winter wonderland this Christmas with a little help from the Kilkenny store, home to Ireland’s largest collection of Irish designers. With a vast range of exquisite decorations available in Kilkenny stores nationwide and from Kilkenny’s convenient online store, www.kilkennyshop.com, bringing the festive spirit to your home could not be easier.

Savour the Festive Food Feast at the g for Console

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

As the festive season approaches it is time to eat, drink, and be merry. That is exactly what the five star g Hotel has planned for its inaugural Foodie Feast, taking place on Sunday November 18 in aid of Console, a dedicated suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention service, set up in 2002 by Paul Kelly after losing his sister Sharon to suicide.

The Book Shelf...

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

Domini Kemp, who writes a regular column in The Irish Times, has now produced this her third cookery book, following Real Food Real Fast and It’s a Cookbook. This particular offering provides recipes from the off on such eclectic subjects as ‘fancy casual’, ‘getting it into them – family favourites’, ‘salads, sides, soups and starters’, ‘vegetarian’, ‘main courses: suppers, dinners, lunches’ and ‘sweet treats’. The best of the recipes include: gourmet fancy pants burgers, ultimate oven fries, spicy tomato and horseradish ketchup; posh chicken Kiev; lime, chilli and ginger prawns; roast pork with prune, pine nut, and spinach stuffing; trout and leek pies; fried aubergine with mint and vinegar; lazy veg lasagne; black bean tortillas; ‘cheffy’ shepherd’s pie; chickpea soup with curry prawns; courgette fritters with tzatziki; caramelised garlic tart with goat’s cheese; puy lentils with sundried tomatoes and Cashel blue cheese; winter egg supper; pork schnitzel; banana puddings with toffee sauce; key lime pie; and chocolate, hazelnut and muscovado tart. Overall, an attractive cookery book that is easy to follow with Kemp providing a short personal back-story to go with most recipes.

The breakfast roll gets a modern makeover

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

Whether you love to cook, or just love to eat, there are plenty of great foodies on Twitter that you can follow. From celebrity types you would recognise from the television to professional chefs, bloggers, and restaurant critics, many food lovers are tapping into Twitter’s real-time network to offer up recipes, promote products, and recommend restaurants or otherwise. You can get an inside look at life in the kitchen, or just feast your eyes on other people’s lunches. Most of the food community in Ireland have embraced Twitter also. And yes, I myself engage in the occasional tweet (I know you are not supposed to talk to strangers on the internet, but this is different. Honest!) as do a lot of other Irish food bloggers — there are about 600 of us, believe it or not

Enjoy Sunday brunch at Maxwells

Thu, Nov 01, 2012

The term ‘brunch’ is of course a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch and is thought to have originated in England in the late 19th century as a student slang term. It became popular in the late 1930s because movie stars and celebrities and the wealthy taking transcontinental train rides in America stopped off in Chicago for a late morning meal.

More recently it is a favourite of those who may have partied on Saturday night, like to sleep in on a Sunday morning, read the newspapers, and take a walk to a local restaurant for some casual food.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Oct 25, 2012

Errázuriz, Wild Ferment Chardonnay Casablanca Valley 2009 (Independents €19.99)

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.