Bread and Butter

Here is bread, 

which strengthens man's heart,

and therefore called the staff of life.

~ Matthew Henry

Irish food continues to get better and better. How can they go wrong with fresh seafood and vegetables, grass-fed beef, brown bread and butter, and, perhaps, a Guinness stew or Guinness cake?

We tried a variety of fare during the trip, but were happiest when we found* the Gallery Cafe in Gort, County Galway, at the end of our trip. We ate there every day. This post will share some other special meals we had, but I fear it is mostly a love note to Evelyn at the Gallery.

Okay. Here we go.

Always eat a Full Irish Breakfast on your first morning in Ireland. If you have never had one, you need the experience. If you have eaten "full Irish" before, it will help you realize you are actually there!

After that, order what you would like, if you can. Most hosts are flexible and glad to accommodate and we generally find it easy to order a different breakfast. We only stayed in one spot where we couldn't. They also didn't have porridge (oatmeal) and they only served fried eggs (how hard is it to scramble an egg?). Since DH eats oatmeal every day, he was not amused.

So, what is on the full Irish plate? Follow along with the photo below. Eggs are generally fried, but one can have poached or scrambled. The two little round things are white and black pudding. They are a sausage made with oats and pork (and blood, in the case of black pudding and things I don't want to know about in the case of white pudding). I love blood pudding. It is deliciously salty with a taste of iron. That's all I am going to say about that. The ham looking items are called Irish bacon, but it's ham (or bacon from the end of the pig instead of the belly - see, ham).  The sausages (called "bangers" everywhere else, but Ireland) are different from what you expect in breakfast sausage, but eat them. They are delicious.** Do NOT waste calories on regular toast. Eat the brown bread and butter.

Full Irish. Of course, that could also mean two eggs, porridge or corn flakes, and baked beans in addition to what you see here. Oh, don't forget the toast and brown bread AND BUTTER.

Brown bread.

Irish soda bread or brown bread is a course-grained bread that is amazing. Also called "soda bread" because baking soda is used instead of yeast, it can signal if homemade by the consistency of the slicing. The best I have eaten in Ireland is from The Gallery Cafe in Gort (of course) and McGann's in Doolin. I am sure there is a great deal of good bread to be had in other places. I'm simply sharing the locations of bread I still dream about.

Brown bread is also the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup. Soup and bread is a meal and many opt for that, as did we.

Here are some other meals I photographed. Be patient. I'm saving the best for last.

Irish version of a "meat-lover's" pizza. DH loved it. Clonmel

We were eating in a tiny storefront restaurant in Clonmel. I had the Hake. It was all fine, but I should have ordered the Cod for a more traditional fish and chips.

DH had a killer burger in Roundstone, County Galway. 

I should have asked what they meant by "scampi." We were eating in a hotel in Roundstone whose staff was lovely. This was an interesting dish, but not what I had in mind. Still, I never say no to shrimp.

Inis Oirr, Aran Islands - Fabulous restaurant on the island. I will update with the name.  I think it  was Teach an Tae. All fresh ingredients, beautiful view, wonderful staff.

The Gallery Cafe was the find of the trip. This small restaurant served the most innovative and consistently good (No, not good. It was wonderful!) food we ate in Ireland. We tried a good number of items (we ate there 5 times in as many days). The staff was lovely - friendly and efficient. We had a chance to visit with Evelyn, the proprietor, and her daughter and discovered the secret to the success of the place - the cooks (according to Evelyn, they come up with great ideas for new dishes all the time). We want her to bottle the salad dressing - really. While we understand that folks drive from as far away as Limerick and Galway and one should have a reservation for an evening meal, we never had to wait for a table. They always managed to squeeze us in.

And, once again, we learned what a small place Ireland really is. Our landlady in Kilmacduagh and Evelyn are married to brothers. We laughed upon discovering this bit of news. So I asked about the young busker I had met in Clifden, "Do you know Eoin Swiney?"  Evelyn answered in the negative, but was interrupted by her daughter, "Of course you know him! He and I were in school together." And then there was laughter and a short discussion of the musical talents of Mr. Swiney.

It's just part of that Irish magic you can find, but you have to open the door.

If you are anywhere near Gort, make an effort to stop by the Gallery Cafe for tea or lunch or dinner. Just don't stop on Monday or Tuesday because they will be closed.

You will know the place by the woman on a bicycle on the second floor. It is just at the city center across from the historic weighing station, currently the tourist office.

Crab cakes starter for DH. He was in heaven. More importantly, he ate his salad - every bite. (sorry, it was more composed than this, but I couldn't catch him before he started.

Hummus and flatbread starter with olive strewn salad. Oh my! It was enough for a meal, but we had ordered more!

We also had their pizza. My side had tiger prawns, his pepperoni. Yum.

This is the tiger prawn salad.

We were usually too full for dessert, but this was "coffee" cake and we split it.

We couldn't finish it all, but we tried. [I did have a brownie one day. It was so good.]

This is the view out the front window. There are a couple of places to sit on the patio.

There is a huge selection of wine and other drinks.

Fish and chips, Gallery style. Apologies again - the plate was neater than this to start. That's a quiche bite shared by DH.

Sorry, DH had already started. This was a quiche with Parma ham, perhaps.

While I don't usually photograph empty plates, this was to prove DH had eaten his veggies. And notice this lovely plate! Many of our meals were served on pottery made by the local potter, Michael Kennedy.** His showroom is just around the corner.

While the Gallery Cafe was our favorite, we also had beautiful meals at MacDermott's Pub, at McGann's and at Chervil Restaurant, all in Doolin. The wait staff in each was wonderful and responsive and the food always excellent.

Though we started with the Irish breakfast, we will end back in the breakfast room. This is a little peek into the breakfast room at one of our favorite B&Bs, Bunratty Heights on the Lower Road in Bunratty.

Word of advice - if you are traveling alone, try to sit with others. If you are an introvert, force yourself! I have always found great connections and good advice by sharing breakfast with other travelers. What do you have to lose?

Tables can be set for two...

...or more. Sharing the breakfast table with other travelers is a great way to share information and make new friends.

Post Script:

Oops! We have to end with this beautiful dessert served in Clifden, County Galway at the Alcock and Brown Hotel.

Have you ever?

Dessert

NOTES: 

* We did not find the Gallery Cafe by ourselves. Our guide and friend, John, from the music tour gave us a list of places and things in the Gort area to see and do. When a local talks, listen to him/her!

** If you have a chance to eat "Bangers and Mash" at a meal, DO IT! That would be sausages and mashed potatoes. 

*** https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Kennedy-Ceramics-237070196443193/

For more about our favorites:

Gallery Cafe: http://www.thegallerycafegort.com/

MacDermott's Pub: http://mcdermottspub.com/

McGann's Pub: http://www.mcgannspubdoolin.com/

Chervil Restaurant: https://www.doolin.ie/dine/chevril-restaurant/

FINAL NOTE: 

I should at least give a mention to the best potato chips ("crisps" in Ireland) we have eaten out of a bag - Keogh. There is a spot on the bag where they tell you the variety of potato used and the field they were harvested from. They include the name of the person who fried them. Really. I am not kidding. Amazing!

Here is bread, which strengthens man's heart, and therefore is called the staff of Life. Matthew Henry
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/bread.html

Here is bread, which strengthens man's heart, and therefore is called the staff of Life. Matthew Henry
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/bread.html