The Irish Food Report #2
Merrion Square Market, Dublin
Blackrock Cottage, Salthill, Galway
Kirwan’s, City Centre, Galway
Welcome back and thank you for opening my second report. This week I visited the Merrion Square Market in Dublin for lunch, Blackrock Cottage in Salthil, Galway for brunch by the sea, and Kirwan’s in Galway for the best seafood fine-dining in the city.
Merrion Square Market - lunch time food trucks in the city centre
https://merrionsquaremarket.wixsite.com/merrion-square-marke
Food 9/10
Vibe 10/10
Value 10/10
Every Thursday at lunch time, the normally quiet Merrion Square hosts a mix of food trucks. The spread of world cuisine on offer is big and the great smells filling the walkways make it hard to choose. Vendors are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. With the better weather upon us, there’s no nicer way to spend a lunch break away from your office.
I work nearby and make a weekly visit here, doing my best to try somewhere new each time. A standout for me, and one I go back to often, is The Good Life Food Co. They serve slow roasted meats in a bap, or else in a box with fried potatoes, fried onions, stuffing, gravy and more. The beef brisket box is my favourite.
https://www.instagram.com/justgoodefoodco/
There’s also coffee trucks, desserts, pizza, falafel, Indian, dumplings - pretty much anything you can imagine. This market is very welcome in Dublin.
Blackrock Cottage - brunch on the beach in Galway
https://www.blackrockcottage.ie/
Food 8/10
Vibe 9/10
Value 9/10
Directly beside Blackrock beach in Salthill, opposite the iconic diving towers, you will find the perfectly located Blackrock Cottage. You enter through a small doorway that was once the entrance to a famine-era cottage - hence the name - but the space is large and modern inside, and extends way out the back to accomodate for plenty of tables.
After a very cold plunge in the sea, on a bright Spring morning, my friend and I joined the queue at the entrance for a table. We were quickly seated by the friendly host and enjoyed hot coffees and warm chocolate croissants to start. My Americano was delicious, but the octopus artwork on my friend’s latté was particularly great, as was the coffee itself.
We both had potato rosti with wild garlic pesto, “Macroom buffaloumi” and poached eggs. The buffaloumi (I’m assuming obviously a mix of halloumi and mozzarella) was good but the fried potato rosti and the pesto were excellent, topped with perfectly poached eggs.
Blackrock Cottage also serves a dinner menu and won ‘Best Restaurant in Galway' at the 2024 Irish Restaurant awards.
Kirwan’s - Irish seafood at it’s best in a premium setting
Food 10/10
Vibe 9/10
Value 9/10
Just metres from Galway’s infamously busy streets where college students and tourists heave in and out of pubs blaring live music, you’ll find Kirwan’s tucked down a quiet and charming laneway. A visit to Kirwan’s is a real treat. It is arguably the best seafood restaurant in the city, and Galway has some incredible seafood restaurants.
If you’re eating in Kirwan’s you’ll probably need a booking. Luckily for us, we arrived without one - absolutely winging it - just as the hostess was taking a cancellation over the phone. She was very happy to let us have the table instead. What’s seldom is wonderful.
The prices in Kirwan’s are on the more expensive side but the food quality and flavours absolutely make up for it. The menu was a great mix of classic seafood dishes but there was a whole other menu dedicated to daily specials too. After placing our order we had fresh brown bread and a tomato focaccia with soft butter. A great start.
The meal itself was a highlight of the last few months of eating out. We had pan-seared prawns on garlic toast, and lobster risotto, to start. For mains, we all scallops risotto and pan fried seabass. I’m not a drinker, but my friends had a delicious reisling and a rioja which I sampled and really enjoyed.
I can’t remember the last time I ate fresh Irish seafood done so well. Sitting back in the comfortable chairs, surrounded by the beautiful decor, with a two-piece jazz band playing mellow tunes on the bass and piano, you can see why Kirwan’s is one of Galway’s best.
Thank you for reading my second report, I hope you enjoyed it. I send my reports out once a week on a Monday. To receive and read my next one, make sure you’ve joined the mailing list. Happy eating!
