Best Food Pub
Sponsored by Musgrave Marketplace, mouth-watering dishes made with local ingredients characterise these pubs
Pubs in Ireland are becoming increasingly versatile and focused on satisfying customer demand for fast, casual and memorable dining experiences, according to Damien Smyth, foodservice sales manager at Musgrave Marketplace.
“Casual dining is on the rise in Ireland but this doesn’t mean that diners want to compromise on quality. There is an expectation that ingredients will be fresh, high quality and locally sourced where possible,” he says. “Presentation of dishes is more important now than ever thanks to social media.”
Musgrave Marketplace conducted consumer research recently which has thrown up a number of interesting findings for publicans.
“There is a surge in demand for skilled cooking from scratch in kitchens and the presentation of smaller menus,” says Smyth. “Our research shows that publicans with more concise food offerings, who tend to concentrate on perfecting signature dishes, often see their bars becoming renowned for that specific menu item.”
The growing demand from consumers for more alternative options such as gluten-free and lactose-free is a trend that publicans shouldn’t ignore. In the past three years, Musgrave Marketplace has added over 200 ‘free from’ products to its range and sales in this category have grown by over 80% during that time. It is anticipated that this figure will increase further in 2018.
With regard to drinks, Musgrave Marketplace is seeing a growing desire among publicans to offer premium spirits and craft beers. Cocktails also remain a key trend and an increasing number of pubs are starting to offer their own cocktail menus.
Publicans have the option of working with Musgrave Marketplace product specialists to help them to develop their food and drink menus. These product specialists represent areas including alcohol, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and non-food.
“With a range of over 18,000 products to choose from and new innovative lines introduced on a weekly basis, we do our very best to ensure we consistently meet the needs of publicans and their customers,” says Smyth.
Another way Musgrave Marketplace supports publicans is by holding events throughout the year which feature industry experts and allow its customers to network while exploring new trends.
“These events are designed to give our customers inspiration for their own food and drink offerings and to keep them abreast of the changing trends in the industry,” explains Smyth. “Key trends we have seen recently include premiumisation of the food offering and an increased emphasis on service, expertise and customer experience.”
“There is an expectation that ingredients will be fresh, high quality and locally sourced where possible”
John Keogh’s – The Lock Keeper, Upper Dominick Street, Galway Regional winner Connaught
To celebrate its first birthday last summer, John Keogh’s – The Lock Keeper introduced a number of new dishes to its gastro-themed menu designed by head chef Joe Flaherty, who is from Renvyle in Connemara.
The new dishes include steamed Renvyle mussels with Dan Kelly’s cider, garlic and cream and Galway Bay oysters with a Guinness shot, lemon and seaweed flakes. There is also nut-crusted ham hock with a green pea and curry pineapple sauce and hot and cold goat cheese with roast beetroot and Corrib honey.
“The food here is a celebration of life on the west coast and the close association with the land. We aim to provide high-end, restaurant standard food at prices not far off what you would expect in a pub,” says owner Matt Hall. “Locally sourced ingredients are important and we make everything ourselves each day, including all of our desserts which are created by our in-house pastry chef.”
The desserts include a peanut butter parfait with chocolate ice-cream and honey comb and a fresh raspberry tartlet, served with mascarpone cheese, orange puree and walnut ice cream.
All of John Keogh’s – The Lock Keeper’s 25 staff know the menu inside out, notes Wall. “They see how each dish is made and know where the ingredients come from and why dishes are cooked in different ways.”
Murph’s Bistro, Derrygarra, Co Cavan Regional winner North East
Owner of Murph’s Bistro Fergus Murphy has 32 years’ experience as a chef, having worked in some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Switzerland. As a member of the European community of cooks and chefs Euro Toques, he believes in adhering to its values.
“My approach is simple food done really well with two or three flavours on a plate. When people come into Murph’s Bistro, they don’t see beer mats, they see cutlery on the tables,” he says.
The menu at Murph’s Bistro is a mixture of casual and fine dining dishes with every element freshly prepared on the day. The casual dining dishes include an Angus burger and chips and fish and chips. The fine dining menu changes quite often and favourites include whole Dover sole on the bone and saddle of rabbit, stuffed with O’Doherty’s black pudding wrapped in Bayonne ham.
Murphy has designed a state-of-the-art kitchen for his team of six full-time chefs. Apart from a continuous focus on delivering quality food, the kitchen’s mission statement is to achieve consistency, have a hunger to better the dishes, to change the menu seasonally and work closely with suppliers.
Wedding parties are commonplace at Murph’s Bistro as the church nearby is a very popular choice for weddings in Ireland, Murphy notes.
The Uluru Outback Bar, Dunmore Road, Waterford Regional winner South East
John Brennan came up with the concept of introducing an Australian-themed pub to the South East in 1998 following ten years spent in Australia. The inspiration for its name came from Ayres Rock due to its uniquely red tiled roof.
From breakfast to dinner, all food is prepared on-site and the produce is sourced locally to create a blend of Irish and Australian themed menus. “We peel and chip our potatoes supplied by Eddie Doyle in Mooncoin and our speciality seafood chowder is made from fresh fish from Kilmore Quay,” says Brennan. “Lamb from Slaney Valley is used in our roast lamb carvery and spicy lamb curry.”
Classic Aussie dishes on the menu include ‘Outback Blooming Onion’ – a large carved Spanish onion, coated in Uluru’s secret recipe and served with Cajun dipping sauce – and ‘Darwin Sizzlers’, stir-fried peppers and onions in a garlic butter, white wine, sweet chilli and cream sauce, served on a sizzling platter with steamed rice and homemade fries.
To complement the menu, The Uluru Outback Bar offers an extensive range of Australian wines, as well as Australian whiskeys and rums. Its exclusive gin range includes Thin Gin from Co Waterford.
There is a big emphasis on staff training to maintain high standards. For example, offsite coffee training is provided on a regular basis to ensure a high quality of service for the coffee and speciality teas supplied by Java Republic.
The Bodega, Cornmarket Street, Cork Regional winner Cork
Seeing the success of his brother Benny McCabe’s brewery across the street, The Rising Sons, Leo McCabe and head chef at The Bodega Vincent Ryan spotted an opportunity for the bar.
“The Rising Sons won five gold medals at the World Beer Awards 2017, which showed the value of being loyal to traditions. We decided to reimagine the food with a similar emphasis on quality,” says co-owner Leo McCabe. “We found a niche in the market in Cork for pairing quality artisan food with craft beer.”
All of The Bodega’s beef is sourced from organic butcher Michael Twomey of Macroom and its fish is purchased daily from K O’Connell fishmongers in the English Market. It sources its duck fresh from Skeaghanore West Cork Duck in Ballydehob. The homemade beer batter for its fish is made with Rising Sons Sunbeam Pilsner.
“Once we adjusted the menu, we saw an immediate interest in providence from our customers. Everything is made from scratch. Our staff enjoy having a story to tell the customers about where the food came from.”
The Bodega has the largest selection of whiskeys in Cork, with 600 different bottles from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Wales, America, Japan and The Netherlands. Packages for tourists now include a tour of The Rising Sons, whiskey tasting in the bar followed by a steak.
“We took a gamble as whether people would pay more for a high quality food offering, but lo and behold they did and we haven’t looked back,” says McCabe.
Mickey Finn’s Pub, Redcross, Co Wicklow Regional winner East
The food offering at Mickey Finn’s Pub is unusual in that beer is either used in the recipe or staff will recommend a compatible beer with each dish. It also does tours of its brewery next door, the Wicklow Brewery, including the marrying of each beer sample with a ‘Celtic Tapas’ and finishing with a ‘Beeramisu’ dessert, which is made with vanilla stout.
With chefs from around the world, Mickey Finn’s sources local ingredients where possi- ble and produces most of the menu on-site. Its brewery malt bread is made using the spent grain from the beer and it serves its own bespoke ‘Derek Dunne’ sausages which are infused with the Wicklow Brewery’s St Kevin’s Red Ale. Finger food includes Helles Beer-battered fish and chip cones.
“Over the past ten years, we have developed into a destination offering a visitor experience that opens up all of the senses,” says co-owner Leigh Williams. “Tasting beer with food evolved as part of the tour since we opened the brewery in 2014.”
Events have become an important aspect of Mickey Finn’s approach. It hosted the Redcross Beer Festival in October for the second time, including five local breweries, live music and a barbeque. It also recently held its sixth annual Father Ted Fest where staff dress up as all the characters. “We put a big focus on theme nights such as Spanish tapas with Spanish guitarists and flamenco dancers,” says Williams.
JP Clarke’s, Bunratty, Co Clare Regional winner South West
Located a stone’s throw from Bunratty Castle, JP Clarke’s is focused on offering its customers a sophisticated and contemporary dining experience, according to general manager Barry Tierney.
The purpose-built premises opened eight years ago houses “a modern gastro pub meets country pub interior”, he says, featuring rustic materials such as copper and bare brick. There is black and white photography depicting traditional Irish activities and the double-height ceiling is adorned with a unique large wicker light fixture.
“We are unique in that we don’t position ourselves as a traditional Irish pub or a hipster gastro pub. Instead, our dishes have a modern edge for those who aren’t looking for straightforward traditional pub grub,” he says.
The menu includes a selection of pub food staples, but always with a modern twist. Dishes include grilled pork steak served with roasted sweet potato and watercress salad and a seafood plate, made with crab and herb crème fraiche, smoked and poached salmon, deep fried calamari and tempura prawns.
“We always work hard to produce an accessible, contemporary menu that offers some of the best in Irish and international cuisine, using fresh, locally sourced produce,” says Tierney. JP Clarke’s sources its wild fish from Doonbeg, New Quay and Castletownbere and its team of chefs led by Kieran Murphy makes all of its breads, cakes and sauces on-site.
Blue Bar, Skerries, Co Dublin Regional winner Dublin
Blue Bar’s harbourside location in Skerries is one of the key factors that give it a competitive edge in terms of a dining experience in North Dublin. According to co-owner John Nealon, word of mouth has driven Blue Bar’s success since it opened ten years ago.
“People travel from all over the country to sample our food and drink and experience the beautiful view Skerries harbour has to offer,” he says.
The contemporary and nautically themed décor has proved popular with families, groups and for intimate settings. Head chef Rachael Edwards manages her team to cater for up to 4,000 customers a week while using locally sourced food and keeping standards high. Dishes are prepared fresh each day and tasted by staff. All of the seafood is caught in Skerries.
Blue Bar has developed a number of signature dishes. These include Red Island Platter, made with salmon, crab, half lobster, prawns, baby leaves and Marie Rose sauce as well as Blue Bar’s award-winning buffalo wings and ‘Bang Bang’ shrimps.
“We have moved with the times over the years, taking inspiration from all over the world. We cater for all ages with a varied menu of locally sourced seafood, burgers and steaks,” says Nealon.