Loam wins Best Restaurant

At the Irish Restaurant Awards

Creative, modern Irish cuisine is the focus of the Irish Restaurant Awards Best Restaurant winner, Loam. Located just off Eyre Square in Galway City, the Michelin-starred restaurant first opened its doors in November 2014 and is owned and run by head chef Enda McEvoy.

At Loam - meaning ‘rich, fertile soil’ - the cooking staff focuses on modern, ambitious cooking rooted in tradition. Seasonally driven, they work very closely with local farmers and producers, many of whom are close friends, to get the products they need to reflect and capture the feeling and magic of the west of Ireland.

With its huge windows, spacious kitchen and beautifully decorated dining room, Loam is a formal but relaxed space, serving deliciously fresh cuisine, using the very best of what the land can offer.

“We deal with farmers directly,” chef, Enda, explained. “We don’t use big suppliers. We put a lot of restrictions on ourselves in that regard, but having a close relationship with our producers has really made things easier for us. They know what standard they want. They know when their produce is ready for our standards.”

A design feature of the restaurant’s interior is the collection of eye-catching grow boxes, used to grow herbs for the restaurant menu and flowers for decoration, avoiding the need to import them.

The menu is purposely kept small and changes regularly in order to reduce food waste, with Enda and the team also preserving ingredients through pickling and fermentation to ensure their availability out of season.

“80% of our vegetables come from one farm in Loughrea - Leaf and Root Farm. They only grow for us - exclusively,” said Enda.

“We also like to have the opportunity to use all parts of all veg. So the top of a turnip or the root of a head of lettuce. We make the most of everything and we try to get the best use we can out of something.”

They also use every part of the animals and fish

they work with, making stocks from bones, rillettes and pates with trimmings and use as much of each plant from the root and stem to the leaf and flower to highlight each ingredient to its full potential.

Any suitable food waste that does exist afterwards is sent back to Leaf and Root Farm to be composted, helping to boost the growth of future crops, which will then end up on a plate at Loam.

In the wine bar, there is a large selection of wines by the glass, which are produced by small, often family-run businesses. There is also a small bar menu, which consists of Irish charcuterie from Fingal Ferguson of Gubeen Smoke House, air-dried lamb from McGeogh’s Butchers, smoked fish from Frank Hedderman in Cork, farmhouse cheeses from small producers, served in perfect condition.

The bar is a more informal space where you can pop in for a glass of wine and a cheeseboard. It also hosts talks and discussions on agriculture, sustainability and ecology. With so much going on, it’s no surprise this bustling little restaurant has been awarded the Best Restaurant Award.

“I’m very proud of everyone that’s worked in Loam because this is a collective achievement. We’ve been very busy since we got the award,” said a delighted Enda of his hardworking team.

Loam is open Tuesday to Saturday, with the wine bar opening from 4pm to 12am and the restaurant from 6pm to 11pm.

To make a reservation, call 091 569 727, or for more information visit loamgalway.com or find the restaurant on Twitter and Facebook.