Time for another Restaurant thread!

beardybrewer

So it was our anniversary yesterday and for only the third time we headed to Rouge. I'm not posting to disparage Rouge, but I think it is fair to say their standards and attention to detail have slipped since their heyday. I don't think we'll be back.

So what's the latest and greatest opinion for non-Boojum restaurants in Galway? Anywhere with similar value and excellent food?

Mrs OBumble

Based on their previous reputation, the new Cava Bodega in Middle St should be good. Haven't tried it yet, though.

I'm rather fond of Café Venice in Abbeygate St.

ben.schlomo

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Based on their previous reputation, the new Cava Bodega in Middle St should be good. Haven't tried it yet, though.

I'm rather fond of Café Venice in Augustine St.

Abbeygate St.

swe_fi

I go out to eat quite a lot lately and usually have to entertain visitors, so i tend to go back to the same places where i know it is good. I do take the odd chance when I am on my own, and if the place is good, it goes on my own "approved places" list. Mostly casual dining lately, actually looking for suggestions for 8 people on Saturday if anyone has any good ideas.

Maxwells - Was here recently - food was pretty good, service was excellent, atmosphere was relaxed (well it was pretty empty) - Burger and Fish Ordered, was ok+ and some mushroom soup which was actually fantastic.

Museum Cafe - This is my go-to place for lunch / late lunch, very fresh and healthy food, reasonably priced and friendly staff.

Ard Bia - Across the road, really like this place, quirky little place with well cooked food and good service. I think they are going to start doing cocktails as well.

Massimos - Burger, Pizza, salads and really nice desserts. Been consistently good for me for a long time, even if it feels a bit odd to sit there and just eat lol

In terms of restaurants The Malt House is my fall-back option as it has always been consistently good from my experience. Buskers (the restaurant part) is also pretty good if not spectacular but good value. Also like Martines, have not been there for some time. I also frequent The Twelve in Barna quite a lot lately, both the Bar part and the upstairs restaurant and they are both very good, a bit far out but well worth the trip. Out Salthill side I would go to Gourmet Tart or Da Robertas, they have yet to let me down.

Anyone been in Vina Mara or KC Blakes lately? I've been to both but its been a while now.

Just out of curiosity i just checked Tripadvisor and it lists Quay Street Kitchen on 1st spot, huh? Maybe i'll give that a try and see if the public vote is to be trusted.

biko

My weekend place is High Cafe on Shop Street. Lot's of "healthy" options but I usually go for the pizza.

Ruben Remus

I generally look for places where quality and value meet. Thankfully there are several which tick that box in Galway, such as Vina Mara (€10 main courses Monday-Wednesday), Boojum, Oscar's (great early bird) and the Galleon.

I'm also interested in feedback on the 'new' Cava if anyone's been yet?

Mrs OBumble

swe_fi wrote: »

Anyone been in ... KC Blakes lately? I've been to both but its been a while now.

Closed. There's a bit about it in the businesses-opening-and-closing thread, premises is apparently turning into a Costa Coffee (Assuming they get planning).

seosamh1980

swe_fi wrote: »

Museum Cafe - This is my go-to place for lunch / late lunch, very fresh and healthy food, reasonably priced and friendly staff.

Ard Bia - Across the road, really like this place, quirky little place with well cooked food and good service. I think they are going to start doing cocktails as well.

Massimos - Burger, Pizza, salads and really nice desserts. Been consistently good for me for a long time, even if it feels a bit odd to sit there and just eat lol

Agree with almost everything you've mentioned there, except for one thing that bugs me about Massimos, their desserts are ridiculously expensive. €7-8 for a one person portion, in a bar? They're nice, but not that nice. I think the burgers and everything else is quite well priced in there, the desserts need to come down to €5-6.50 IMO.

Vina Mara is another favourite spot of mine, such great value. Is it The Kitchen in the Museum that you're referring to yeah? Just to be clear for anyone looking for it, took me a while to figure out where it was when I first heard of it. Great food there, at great prices, love the place.

dropping_bombs

Would people recommend Rouge or the new Cava?

missnemo

We are coming down from Sligo for the weekend...could anyone recommend any restaurants in the city that are really romantic and intimate?...its our first weekend away as a couple and i want it to feel quite special.

Galwayps

La Fine Bouche - Not sure of spelling but great for lunch if but can sell out of certain dishes quickly. Have not tried dinner but a little steep for me

Musuem cafe- excellent all round with really nice specials.

37 West- A new favourite. Breads served on salads especially good but all over excellent. service times vary hugely though

Quay Street kitchen- really good and I like their service. call you when a table is ready while you have a pint around Quay street. veggie "fish fingers" go down very well with vegetarian other half. Tripadvisor ratings seem nearly evangelical?

Masssimo- some dishes great but some overpriced imo

biko

missnemo wrote: »

We are coming down from Sligo for the weekend...could anyone recommend any restaurants in the city that are really romantic and intimate?...its our first weekend away as a couple and i want it to feel quite special.

Have a look through this thread with suggestions.

ValerieR

I second "La Fine Bouche" on Sea Road. Ate there twice in the evening and can only recommend it.
They only open Fri/Sat night (open for lunch on weekdays) - I would advise booking beforehand.
V

El_Dangeroso

I third La Fine Bouche, though they are in the process of trying out a new chef so last time I went wasn't great.

However when they are on form they are simply the best in Galway at the moment and cheap enough at about 15 euro a main course, steak of course is dearer.

If you are really pushing the boat out, the tasting menu in Aniar with accompanying wine was just incomparable to everything else, and by Michelin starred restaurant standards very reasonable.

Oscars seems consistently good also.

Rouge is still brilliant midweek, on weekends I think the kitchen gets a little overwhelmed and standards slip.

FouxDaFaFa

Another plug for the High Café here, very underrated.

I think because it's so easy to walk past without noticing the entrance.

Good falafel and tagines and italian stuff too.

carmex21

Kai.
Oscars.
Massimos.
Boojums.
Monroes - Pizza!
The Cottage.

Mixed selection but all nice depending on how casual you are feeling:)

Edgedinblue

I'm all for Creole

McTigs

Kai
Raw
Black Cat
Anair
Ard Bia
Milano
Il Vicollo

Rouge is a nice room and a nice atmosphere and a good place to have dinner with friends but you're not really going for a food experience.

I'm hearing great things about Dela but i haven't been yet

The Cottage for pub food

inisboffin

I still think the food is good in Rouge but would agree it is probably best midweek when it's less messy in there and more about the dining than the wining.

swe_fi

McTigs wrote: »

Kai
Raw
Black Cat
Anair
Ard Bia
Milano
Il Vicollo

Rouge is a nice room and a nice atmosphere and a good place to have dinner with friends but you're not really going for a food experience.

I'm hearing great things about Dela but i haven't been yet

The Cottage for pub food

Where is this Raw place? I know i can google it, but maybe for the benefit of others :-) and also can you tell me what Black Cat is like, curious about that one? Thank you for mention the mention of Il Vicollo, i forgot one of my favorite places!

I actually booked Dela for Saturday, be interesting to see what it is like, i'll let you(s) know. Dela people if you are reading this I want my friends to be impressed ok?? :pac:

McTigs

swe_fi wrote: »

Where is this Raw place?

in the Raddisson. Top sushi!

The Artisan is always a winner for me, rarely see it mentioned in these types of threads which always surprises me.

geekychick

^^ Yup, +1 for Artisan, excellent food and service.

Ard Bia, lovely too.

Vina Mara: of course!

I like Asian Tea House for their Mango Chicken. I get it every single time!

Having said all that, my special choice would be Lunares on Woodquay. It's authentic Spanish cuisine, so if you love tapas like me, you'll be in heaven. Not to mention, cheap as chips compared to the others, and the old Cava especially (haven't been to the new Cava).

I would heartily recommend almost anything on the menu, but the winner so far is a big plate of lamb in a juicy, fruity sauce on top of spuds. E 12! Luckily I had company because I couldn't possibly finish it on my own.

Friendly service, cosy ambiance, lots of Spanish flying around (as in language! ).

(The only gripe I have with them is the desserts tend to be comparatively steeply priced [E 6 +] for some reason, quite incongruously with the rest of the menu. So I usually just skip the dessert; what's a loss to my palate is of benefit to my waistline! :pac:)

El_Dangeroso

jh79 wrote: »

The Artisan is always a winner for me, rarely see it mentioned in these types of threads which always surprises me.

I like artisan but they charge 3 euro extra for potatoes! Every other restaurant in Ireland has them included in the price.

Unrealistic

McTigs wrote: »

I'm hearing great things about Dela but i haven't been yet

Went to Dela last week and was very impressed. The food was wonderful, especially the scallops with black pudding. The also have a decent craft beer selection but all at around the €6 per bottle mark so that bumped up the bill quite a bit by the end of the evening.

beardybrewer

McTigs wrote: »

in the Raddisson. Top sushi!

Uhhh, no offense but do you know your sushi at snobish levels? Take a look at my review. Has there been a big improvement? I tried them again a few months ago and wasn't that impressed. They still aren't a tap on yamamori or sushi abroad.

Ludikrus

Anyone tried the Pullman Restaurant at Glenlo Abbey Hotel recently? An oldie, I know, but I've never tried it. A friend of mine is always singing its praises and their recommendations are usually good. Anyone been?

swe_fi

newkie wrote: »

Uhhh, no offense but do you know your sushi at snobish levels? Take a look at my review. Has there been a big improvement? I tried them again a few months ago and wasn't that impressed. They still aren't a tap on yamamori or sushi abroad.

Excellent detailed review you wrote there, you seem to be a very patient person (compared to me at least) , also great that you cut some slack because they have just opened. My review of the same experience would not be as eloquent shall we say :-)

McTigs

newkie wrote: »

Uhhh, no offense but do you know your sushi at snobish levels? Take a look at my review. Has there been a big improvement? I tried them again a few months ago and wasn't that impressed. They still aren't a tap on yamamori or sushi abroad.

It was just a few months ago i was there with my wife and mother in law (west coast americans very familiar with sushi) and we found it excelent so maybe they have improved in the time since you visited. Admitedly there wasn't huge imagination in the dishes but what we got was was very fresh, well prepared and nicely presented and we chose from all over the menu. It was a quiet enough night in there, a wednesday maybe.

I've eaten sushi abroad too and i'm pretty aware of the standard, and while RAW didn't blow me away it's still pretty good.

inisboffin

Best sushi in Ireland. Hands down. And tied first worldwide! High praise from me! Michie. I pray someday they will wander West...

beardybrewer

inisboffin wrote: »

Best sushi in Ireland. Hands down. And tied first worldwide! High praise from me! Michie. I pray someday they will wander West...

Some lovely maki combos there. Pricey but I'm guessing you'd argue it's worth it. Maybe next time we're in Dublin we'll try them over Yamamori.

We used to order from these guys every friday (on speed dial): http://mobosushirestaurant.com/menu/mobo-maki-maki/

Pretty much the only thing I miss from the states.

Interesting, quality sushi just down the road is the biggest thing I miss from the states.

inisboffin

newkie wrote: »

Some lovely maki combos there. Pricey but I'm guessing you'd argue it's worth it. Maybe next time we're in Dublin we'll try them over Yamamori.

We used to order from these guys every friday (on speed dial): http://mobosushirestaurant.com/menu/mobo-maki-maki/

Pretty much the only thing I miss from the states.

They do catering/party plates that you can order to share and they work out really reasonably. I do like Yamamori too (slight preference for the one on the Quays) but yes, the Michie lads are worth it.

swe_fi

Ok so went to Dela over the weekend

The restaurant is pretty nice, nice decor, chilled and good atmosphere.

The menu is a good balance, not too little and not too many options, about right. I think it could be a little more adventurous if I could say anything about it.

Starters
Were nice, we ordered some platters with Cheese alt Seafood in different sizes to share, they were bare in a few mins so that kind of speaks for itself - nicely done and good selection.

Mains
Striploin Steak - Cooked as requested for all, not the best quality meat, bit bland dish overall needs a bit of flair / zest added in my opinion. I would be happy to pay more for better quality. Came with Dauphine potatoes with great firm texture
Pork Belly - pretty good if you like Pork Belly, I don't so cant comment but it was nicely done and presented and as it should be
Sea Bass - Was great apparently, I did not taste
Vegetarian Filo Parcel - Wow...this was excellent, I am not veggo but I would eat this any day. Perfectly cooked Filo with vegetables and Cheese

Dessert
They have special desserts every night i believe and one option was a platter with a selection of Brownie, Ice Cream, Pudding and something else. Was pretty good. The desserts were not the highlight but they were ok

Drinks
Good selection of wine and more importantly, beer! It annoys me when Arty type places have one like 1 or 2 types of ethical / organic beer (i don't care if it is flown in by corn-fed pigeon brewed by monks in zero gravity if it tastes like soaked fizzy ryvita) Beers were like 5/6 euro which is fine by me.

Service
Ok, this was a bit of a let down, a few mistakes were made and i think a bit more enthusiasm, attentiveness (a word?) and attention to detail would have been nice...but I have to say it did not really take a away from the experience, but I do adjust the tip accordingly.

Overall
This was a positive experience. I personally would like a bit more flair / edginess / daring and some improvement in the service but this is a good reasonable option that I think many people will enjoy. It is also a place that is good to bring Customers/Business Visitors as it is not too outlandish (always play it safe with my professional relations)

ben.schlomo

Havent seen The Cottage mentioned so I will, we went lastnight and had the 2 course for €14 option, great value, food was lovely, service was friendly and speedy enough. The lamb shank/neck fillet main was superb and dessert and starters were very good too, definitely heading back soon.

swe_fi

Out again tonight

Went to the "old reliable" Malt House. They do specials during the week, 25 Euro for 2 courses (certain dishes excluded). As a side note, walked by Vina Mara on the way there and they did 10 Euro mains today (Why bother cooking at home when Vina Mara can do it cheaper?)

Anyway, Malt House was as always very inviting, not that busy and still a nice atmosphere. This is no mean feat, as some places when half full feel empty. It feels "right", for want of a better description, like your favorite leather jacket that you paid that bit extra for, 7 years ago, that you still wear, has aged gracefully and still has that leathery smell and timeless style...sort of way. So...the food.

Starters
Had some jumped up salad which was good and fresh. Way to much celery if you ask me, but celery is my vegetable nemesis so I am not the best judge here.
We also had ribs, did not taste them but they went down a treat and looked proper nice.

Mains
Steaks almost all around, cooked as ordered and served on piping plates and smelling of grilled steak. Strip-loin meat of great quality, some might say it is a bit small, but they would be wrong. Came with nice fries and a coriander and something butter type "sauce" I guess. Got some extra pepper sauce as a precaution which we received without quibble.
They had a special on which was Rabbit tasting plate - i had to read that board twice because it sounds funny to me, maybe it is normal but anyway one person in our party ordered this in. It looked pretty funky when it came in and apparently it was delicious. I felt a bit bad for the rabbit for some reason.

Dessert
Baileys Cheesecake which was good but it had no base, you get a cake which you are supposed to treat as a base, which i did not figure until I had eaten 75% of it.
Chocolate fondant was also ordered, it looked and tasted very nice.

Service
Service was great, very pleasant and unobtrusive. I'll be honest, I sometimes feel a bit bad when i get too good service (as defined above) as these people are just there silently removing my plate, scribbling down my order...I'm going a bit soft maybe. It is funny, people (as customers) have different preferences in service style. In contrast to this experience what is extremely painful for me is being over-serviced where the waiter is "the star of the show" or cracking jokes all the time. Some people like this, I don't.

Overall
Malt House is as good as always, i'll be back for sure. You have to admire these guys for pulling themselves together on a Monday night with the Kings Head just next door. I don't know if this relevant but i really like their cutlery, just putting it here as I don't know where else to add this.

seosamh1980

Vina Mara often do that €10 mains thing, at least once a week I think. We went there when they just started offering that and four of us ordered steaks (not sure if the steaks are still part of that offer), we got 4 mains for €40 when they should've been €100, legend! Clearly not a money maker for them but it was so awesome.

biko

I'm actually bringing some folks to Vina Mara tonight. Will try to do a short review after.

seosamh1980

Vina Mara's desserts are some of the best in the city IMO, and I don't say things like that lightly! Very interesting combinations and beautifully done.

Ruben Remus

seosamh1980 wrote: »

Vina Mara often do that €10 mains thing, at least once a week I think

I believe it's Monday-Wednesday, inclusive, each week. As you indicated there are no surcharges either, not even on steaks. Great deal.

beardybrewer

That's quite the deal alright. For completeness:

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday: ALL MAIN MEALS, ALL EVENING €10
Thursday/Friday (All Evening) - Saturday (Until 7pm):
2 Courses - €20
3 Courses - €24
2 x 3 Course Meals and Bottle House Wine - €60
Applies to all dishes on our Menu (supplements apply)

http://www.vinamara.com/menus/dinner-menu

biko

Ok so went to Vina Mara with some peeps over from UK.
We had the salmon and the steak. No desserts as we got full from just the main course.
According to them the salmon was excellent.
I had the steak and it was good, not the best I ever had but on par with Rouge for sure.

Conclusion, for 10 euro it's really really good value. We'll certainly avail of that offer again.
We were five people and had two salmons, two steaks, one chicken, three glasses of wine and two minerals. It all came to about 70 euro.

seosamh1980

biko wrote: »

Ok so went to Vina Mara with some peeps over from UK.
We had the salmon and the steak. No desserts as we got full from just the main course.

That's just bad planning right there! You need to grow a dessert stomach

Seaneh

seosamh1980 wrote: »

That's just bad planning right there! You need to grow a dessert stomach

Or just have ice cream.
Because no matter how full you are, there's always room for ice cream.

dropping_bombs

Haas anyone been to Creole? Could you give a quick review or comment about it?

El_Dangeroso

Some people in another thread said they liked it. I thought it was overpriced stodge personally, and judging from a lot of the empty seats I see in there lately, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

jwalsh1980

Can anyone tell me what Lime is like down the Spanish arch? Really like the look of the menu and fancy a change from Asian Tea House.

jwalsh1980

Had a nice meal in Creole a couple of months back. The only negative was the toilets. Worst ever.

jwalsh1980

Can anyone tell me what Park House is like for lunch these days? It was always considered one of the best places in town for food.

Redhairedguy

jwalsh1980 wrote: »

Had a nice meal in Creole a couple of months back. The only negative was the toilets. Worst ever.

Did you mention this to a member of the staff?

jwalsh1980

I did not mention it. The staff were very friendly and I just decided to keep quiet.

Redhairedguy

Your politeness is respectable, but I think it's always worth mentioning, even casually, if something is slightly amiss. Even something as small as no toilet paper in the bathroom. Most often, the staff aren't actually aware.