Beer glorious beer at the Galway Bay Beer Festival

Thu, May 03, 2012

This Bank Holiday weekend sees the Oslo Bar and Microbrewery hosting the Brewers on the Bay Beer Festival from 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. It promises to be a celebration of craft brews and all things beer related.

Street Feast launches in Galway this Sunday

Thu, May 03, 2012

This Sunday Street Feast launches it national campaign to bring communities together in the spirit of fun and good food.

On the wine shelf

Thu, Apr 19, 2012

Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2010
(Tesco, €5.49)

Blazers Bar and Bistro at The Ardilaun – the perfect stop with lunch for less

Thu, Apr 19, 2012

Blazers Bar and Bistro offers good value in a casual dining setting with personalised service by the team at The Ardilaun, with free parking. Lunches and dinners are now in full swing for the busy tourist season ahead with popular hot dishes of the day available for lunch from just €9.75 seven days a week, along with two and three course value menus from €24 in the evenings. The Ardilaun Bistro is also very child friendly with children’s menus attracting many families.

Value all day at Cafe Zealous

Thu, Apr 19, 2012

Cafe Zealous offers homecooked meals at affordable prices, with breakfast starting at €3.95 and ranging to €7.50 for an all day full Irish breakfast including free tea or coffee. Other breakfast choices include scrambled, poached, or boiled eggs, French toast, and omelettes with your choice of fillings.

The menu also provides daily lunch specials such as the homemade burger, lasagne, chicken curry, and many more, all served with side salad and a choice of baked potato, chips, or homemade wedges for an incredible €7.50. Also on offer is an extensive salad menu at just €7.95 including Caesar, Moroccan chicken, and warm goat’s cheese salads. The homemade soups, which are dairy and gluten free, come served with a selection of bread at €4.50.

Peppino’s Italian restaurant, Spiddal

Thu, Apr 19, 2012

I mentioned in a previous article that it I am amazed that during such recessionary times we see so many new restaurants opening, and fair play to all who do so. Peppino’s is one such venture, and it has risen from the ashes of the very well known Bol Uisce in Spiddal’s main street. The new owners are experienced in the business of providing Italian food at Il Foletta in Quay Street. Now they have two restaurants to run and while both are Italian the new Peppino’s offers a more varied menu. Maybe it is because better rents can be negotiated, but whatever the reason you have to admire and congratulate all who open a new restaurant. It brings money to an area in all manner of ways, jobs for chefs, kitchen porters, waiting staff, someone will get paid to do a website, painters, electricians, plumbers, gas engineers, waste companies, oil, etc, etc. So when you see a new venture in your area be sure to support it.

The Lobster Pot at Galway Bay Hotel

Thu, Apr 12, 2012

There was a time when it would be normal to eat dinner at the local hotel or if staying there, to eat-in each night. In fact for many towns in Ireland the only place to eat was the local hotel. All that changed in the seventies and eighties with the growth of cafes, restaurants and the new kid on the block - bar food. The change in attitude to hotel food is something that hotel owners must struggle with daily as they try to get the seats filled in the dining room. There are of course many exceptions to this and one I really recommend that you try at the earliest opportunity is The Lobster Pot restaurant in the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill.

Traditional Indian cooking at Kashmir

Thu, Apr 12, 2012

Kashmir restaurant is Galway’s oldest Indian restaurant. It was established in 1994 by the Bhan family who named in after their homeland, the beautiful Valley of Kashmir, described by one of the mogul emperors as “paradise on earth”.

Quick recipes from Mary E Coen

Thu, Apr 12, 2012

When the aroma of fresh baking hits you at the door, there’s nothing like a fruit scone straight from the oven piping hot. They’re delicious served for afternoon tea with fresh butter and jam.

Eastern Tandoori, Spanish Parade

Thu, Apr 05, 2012

Many people think that all Indian food is spicy/hot and full of calories. This can of course be true, but many dishes do not have any chillies whatsoever and those that do can be ordered without them. So never be afraid to try Indian food just because you do not like fiery tastes, talk to the waiter and you will be surprised by the choice available. In fact the dishes I will be mentioning later are all extra mild. With regards to the calories it is true that some dishes are well endowed but there many, such as tandoori dishes, that are cooked without any oil being added. Again talk to the waiter if you are watching the calories and ask for recommendations. If you are a vegetarian you will be well catered for. In fact in India it is more normal to eat vegetable based dishes and I think the menus that you see here in Ireland and the UK were designed to keep us meat eaters happy.

I noticed a while ago that this restaurant was closed for a short while but now it has re-opened under new management with a new coat of paint outside. There are several Eastern tandoori restaurants in Ireland but most are now run by different owners. They all have a similar look inside, and it is one that I like, it is a bit dated but still has a nice warm feel to it. When I lived in Dublin I ate in the Eastern Tandoori at least once a week for many years and never had a bad meal.

Easter fun at Loughwell Farm Park

Thu, Apr 05, 2012

Join the Easter Bunny at Loughwell Farm Park in Moycullen on Easter Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a great day of family fun.

Healthy breakfast tips and recipes

Thu, Apr 05, 2012

Sixty per cent of Irish people agree that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, however one in four people say that they do not eat breakfast regularly. To celebrate the brighter mornings, Kellie O’Connor, nutritionist with Danone Ireland, has developed some delicious healthy breakfast options to get you off to the right start and to coincide with the launch of Danone’s in-store daily hamper competitions, recipe leaflets, and product tastings which are happening in a number of Dunnes Stores branches across the country.

Mulberry’s named best casual dining restaurant in Galway

Thu, Apr 05, 2012

Mulberry’s restaurant in Barna has been named the best casual dining restaurant in Galway at the regional finals of the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Life magazine Irish Restaurant Awards. This category recognises the dining experience which best offers outstanding value, excellent food, appropriate service, genuine hospitality, and an appropriate overall experience.

Dinner or lunch at the Western Hotel, and details of the upcoming Galway Food Festival

Thu, Mar 29, 2012

The Western Hotel is in Prospect Hill, pretty close to County Hall and TK Maxx. It is a place favoured by locals but I would reckon that many of you have never eaten there. I called in for dinner one evening and was quite surprised at both the price and the quality. I also asked if they did any special deals at lunch time and was told that they have a loyalty card scheme which entitles you to what must be the very best value main course in the city. The normal main course costs €7.50 or €8.50; however if you have a loyalty card you will get a €2 discount off one special each day. That means you can have something like chicken kiev or a roast of the day for €5.50, surely this is as low as you are ever going to see in Galway? If it is half as good as the dinner I had it is worth seeking out, especially if you work in the area.

The Galway Food Festival

Thu, Mar 29, 2012

This will be celebrated over the Easter weekend, April 6 to 9. It is a pretty ambitious project and involves cooking demos in the festival tent, foodie talks at the Galway City Museum, and food tastings all over town. Even if you have only the tiniest interest in food you really need to visit www.galwayfoodfestival.com

Artisan named best restaurant in Galway

Thu, Mar 29, 2012

Artisan Restaurant on Quay Street has been awarded the ‘Best Restaurant in Galway’ at the regional finals of the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Life magazine Irish Restaurant Awards, which took place in Galway last week.

Something for everyone at Kinvara Farmers’ Market

Thu, Mar 29, 2012

Kinvara Farmers’ Market will reopen its gates on Friday April 6 in the charming walled garden behind Johnston's Hall on the main street of the village.

Cool Pizza Dozzina at the Twelve Bearna

Thu, Mar 22, 2012

When Fergus at the Twelve does anything he tends to go all out and go one better than everybody else, especially if it is something that he really likes, and I reckon he is a secret pizza addict. Most people who want to add a pizza section to an already established restaurant would simply ring up the catering equipment suppliers and get three or four quotes, call the sparks, and job done. Not Fergus, he headed off to Napoli in Italy and met the manufacturers of several pizza ovens. You might wonder how the oven could make a big difference, well in the world of cooking things perfectly, authenticity is everything, from the ingredients to the tools of the trade. This oven is made from material that came from Mount Vesuvius and can be fired by either gas or timber. That makes it pretty authentic in my book.

Delicious new developments in catering from Green Olive

Thu, Mar 22, 2012

It is often said that when one door closes, another one opens, and this certainly rings true for Jacinta and Val Lynam. After the couple were both made redundant by their former employer, they decided it was time to make the leap and start their own business. With Jacinta Lynam’s years of experience in the catering and hospitality industry as a general manager and Val’s passion and enthusiasm for food as a renowned head chef, they decided to merge their business and creative talents and launch an event catering company.

New fitness classes at The Coast Club

Thu, Mar 22, 2012

There is no better time to get active with The Coast Club’s exciting new fitness classes and attractive new rates. If the gym is not for you and you find it hard to motivate yourself on your own then signing up for one of these fitness classes is a super way to have fun, get fit and feel fantastic.

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