Eat in or out with the Gourmet Tart Company

Thu, Sep 27, 2012

The Gourmet Tart Company is one of Galway's biggest success stories, as far as food is concerned. The business started out selling cakes from an ironing board in Limerick's Milk Market and now boasts four bakery/delicatessens and a restaurant. What began in 2001 as a small French-style bakery has become a thriving business with very loyal customers. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week and has both sweet and savoury ranges and quality take-home meals. The shops are bright and white, sleek and efficient. Look for the pink and white sign above the door and the trademark grapefruit-sized meringues streaked with raspberry in the windows.

The counters display a large variety of baked treats... tartlets of apple crumble, chocolate, raspberry, almond, and pear; eclairs; Danish pastries, and whole chocolate fudge cakes. Individual quiches, with a variety of fillings including roasted vegetables or bacon with spring onion, make for a quick take-home supper dish. Choose from the salad bar, have a sandwich made to order, or pick up a pre-packed one for convenience.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Sep 13, 2012

Romanico Bodega Teso la Monja Toro 2010 (Independents, €12.99)

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Sep 13, 2012

Zonte’s Footstep Langhorne Creek 2011 (Independents, €14.99)

On the cookery book shelf

Thu, Sep 13, 2012

Weber’s Barbecue Anytime
Over 190 Inspirational Recipes to Help You Get the Most Out of your Barbecue

Twelve out of ten for West

Thu, Sep 13, 2012

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 many consider 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 its extensive wine list. Here seasonal and local ingredients shine to deliver a superb fine dining experience.

Green Earth Organics to hold open day during National Organic Week

Thu, Sep 13, 2012

National Organic Week celebrates the work being done by thousands of food producers all over Ireland who are committed to farming organically. Throughout the week, organic producers, retailers, and farmers’ markets nationwide will host events including organic farm walks, cookery demonstrations, barbecues, harvest feasts, complimentary in-store tastings, and talks.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Aug 30, 2012

Main À Main Syrah Sud de France Pay d’OC IGP 2011 (Market 57, €10)

Dunnes French wine sale

Thu, Aug 30, 2012

Dunnes Stores begins its French wine sale next Wednesday (September 5) running until September 25. With numerous reductions and a noticeable movement into wines from Saint-Émilion, those that catch the eye include Arthur Metz Riesling 2010 (€8), Domaine des Grosses Pierres Sancerre 2011 (€10), La Grand Bouffe Chardonnay 2011 (€7), Château de l'Estagnol Côtes du Rhone 2011 (€7), and Les Saules Vacqueyras 2011 (€10).

Pocket friendly dining in the city centre

Thu, Aug 30, 2012

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing and, with September being a time to welcome the students back, I found myself revisiting the places we used to go when we were the young kids on the block. Students are always notoriously hard up, so here are three of the longest serving and best value eateries in the city, as good today as the day they opened. Certainly you could make some extra money to afford a meal in one of the fancier restaurants, maybe by working part-time or starting your own religion online and asking for donations to build your place of worship. Otherwise just go to one of these places when you realise that plain pasta does not constitute a complete meal. For all of you new to Galway, start off in any one of these and you will not go wrong.

Great response to new sliding wardrobe range at Top Drawer Max

Thu, Aug 30, 2012

Top Drawer Max has had a massive response to the launch of its range of Komandor sliding and walk-in wardrobes.

Age old craftsmanship and timeless design at Kreations Kitchens and Bedrooms

Thu, Aug 30, 2012

Kreations Kitchens and Bedrooms was established by Peter Murphy and Tom Callanan, who have 40 years of combined experience in the design, manufacture, and installation of bespoke kitchens and bedrooms.

Kreations Kitchens is aware that people want quality, functional, kitchens with creative design at competitive price delivered and installed on time. Expect the unexpected at Kreations — the company’s craftsmanship and skills have come to the forefront in its state of the art showroom in Athenry, where you can talk to the design team and see your dream kitchen become a reality.

Aniar Restaurant is named best in Connacht

Thu, Aug 23, 2012

Aniar has been named Best Restaurant in Connacht at the Food & Wine Louis Latour 2012 Awards. The restaurant, located in Dominick Street, Galway, scooped the award at a ceremony held in Dublin’s Convention Centre which was attended by the stars of Ireland’s culinary world.

On the Wine Shelf...

Thu, Aug 23, 2012

Main À Main Syrah Sud de France Pay d’OC IGP 2011 (Market 57, €10)

The kitchen

Thu, Aug 23, 2012

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 its finest.

Starting life as a cafe, The Kitchen at the Galway Museum opened its doors over a year ago. It is 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 the glass wall. The outside seating area is very popular when the sun shines, offering a 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 colourful 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. It is popular as well with Galwegian parents, with ample room to park a buggy.

The kitchen

Thu, Aug 23, 2012

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 its finest.

Ard Bia Cookbook now available

Thu, Aug 23, 2012

I had heard a while back there was an Ard Bia cookbook in the pipeline. I had even debated it with a restaurateur 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 is not too expensive, it is worth every penny and more.

Great dining in the Square

Thu, Aug 16, 2012

Cafe Express is situated in a prime bit of Galway retail space, in Abrakebabra's old location on Eyre Square. The previous menu of doner kebab, chip butty, 'special' pink sauce, and the ever popular taco fries (imagine an Irish version of the French Canadian 'poutine') has been pushed aside for something completely different. While Abrakebabra surely has its fans, Cafe Express, it has to be said, is a vast improvement and a welcome addition to Eyre Square. On the corner, this is fast becoming the coffee destination for city centre workers commuting from the outskirts and tourists on sightseeing excursions. With the trains, buses and taxis all feeding into the square, the Lavazza sign over this door acts like a beacon that draws coffee lovers like moths to a flame, and it's certainly hard to fault their real Italian-style coffee.

The tables upstairs are one of the best kept secrets in Galway, nab one by a window and you are guaranteed reasonably priced, tasty, food with one of the best views of the city. It is a people-watching paradise. Aside from the growing popularity of the coffee and good WiFi, the menu is not over complicated in an Italian-meets-Irish way. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a few things in between.

Quality and value at Rouge

Thu, Aug 09, 2012

Open over a year now and a firm favourite 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.

Le Petit Rouge opens in ‘the dining district’

Thu, Aug 09, 2012

Le Petit Rouge, directly across the street from its ‘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 Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, since Sheridan’s on the Docks was so cruelly taken from us before its time.

Foods of Athenry scoops seven Great Taste awards

Thu, Aug 09, 2012

Local bakery company the Foods of Athenry has been awarded seven Great Taste awards by the UK Guild of Fine Foods. These prestigious awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, are recognised as a leading benchmark for speciality foods.

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