Fish restaurant places like this just make me sing. Aside from great food here this restaurant is a lesson to anyone who wants to go into the hospitality industry to easily learn how to get it right.
Start, as they have, with top notch, fresh ingredients. Next cook the very best ingredients simply, and with passion. I could see the other happy diners receive their dishes and the food just looked so delicious.
Be sure you complement the key ingredients on the plate with the supporting cast for instance I had Dublin bay prawns pil pil (€11).
These are the best cold water prawns and they are just top notch; as warm water prawns don't ever come close in taste. This place served them up with finely sliced fresh red chilli (green chilli wouldn't pair as well) and a garlicky oil that delivered a delicious spice kick with a tangy after-burn mouth feel.
The spicy balance was just right and what I really liked here too was their judicious use of garlic oil. I've had prawns pil pil in places where the prawns were over-cooked to dry, hard lumps swimming in copious vivid bright red pimento peppery oil.
Here they served me up two types of bread - one seeded & lightly toasted that I used to dip into the chilli garlic oil so giving me a bit of crunch and light, wonderful wheaten bread that I heavily buttered with salted butter and a side salad.
My wife opted for their seafood chowder which was crammed with fish and delicious. She also got the delightful wheaten bread. We are so used to 'white' potato based chowder - it was tomato based here so viva la difference.
We also had very good cappuccinos (€3) and these came with a little home-made shortbread on the side and this too was a really nice touch.
Service was friendly but not overbearing. I've two observations; the raw sliced red onion with the salad on my plate was acrid and as a result it clashed with the other tastes.
This is easily resolved though - just soak the fresh sliced onion in cold water (or vinegar) for 10 minutes - or if you want to be posh instead soak them in lime or lemon juice for 10 minutes.
The second observation: I didn't notice sea salt on the table, but perhaps it was there and I we were too engaged in my dining experience.
In short this place is wonderful and well worth finding even if you are only passing by this town. read more