Spring is in the air, and while the weather might still be a tad frigid, the Easter bank holiday weekend in itself brings promise and a reason to celebrate. And as with any occasion, food is the best medium for any celebration. Here’s where to go to do just that…
Good Friday – Volpe Nera
There is something seriously indulgent about an extended Friday lunch, especially when a long weekend lies ahead, full of promise and expectancy. At 1pm on a Friday, the food tastes tastier, the fizz is fizzier and the sweets are sweeter. This may seem impossible at Volpe Nera, where all of these are a given, but Friday lunch at Volpe Nera is as close to euphoria as you can get in suburban Dublin. Barry Sun’s cep dumplings with aged soya consommé, fennel and herb are intensely flavourful and comforting in the extreme, and the halibut is the most pristine fish dish I have ever been lucky enough to enjoy. www.volpenera.ie
Easter Saturday – Row Wines
No one wants to wake up on Easter Sunday morning with that weighed down feeling from over indulgence the night before, so let Saturday be the ‘less is more’ night. Small plates are the way to go when a leg of lamb and a mountain of Easter Eggs are patiently waiting for you at home and Row Wines does just that, and does it wonderfully. All the small plate superstars are here including gilda, croquettes, flatbreads and rosti and being a wine bar, you are in good hands in that department too. By all accounts, the cocktails aren’t too shabby either. www.bereenbrothers.com
Easter Sunday – West Restaurant
West Restaurant at The Twelve Hotel in Galway has gone from strength to strength over the years and the appointment of Nathan Hindmarsh has only solidified its status as a top class restaurant. This Easter Sunday, lunch at West will set you back €50, and this could quite possibly be the best €50 you will ever spend. Choosing between the onion and cider soup with Durrus cheese toastie or the prawn and lobster cocktail with spicy marie rose will be quite the challenge. The main course dish of wild garlic risotto with asparagus, peas, truffle and Kylemore cheese is on point seasonally, and I have no doubt, on point in taste. This is a menu that, were it a tasting menu with small plates of each dish, I would happily spend an evening in a much deserved food coma, with no regrets whatsoever. www.westrestaurant.ie
Bank Holiday Monday – Misunderstood Heron
If bracing walks and stunning views along the Killary Fjord in Galway are your thing (and if not, why not?), then a jaunt to Misunderstood Heron on Monday seems like the obvious choice. So long cobwebs, hello pan con tomate, hake croquettes, mussels cholito, curried lamb pasties and oysters with guajillo oil. Is their own words, it’s ‘Chilean dishes with Irish fishes’ (grammar sticklers keep schtum), and it’s the perfect way to spend a bank holiday Monday, whatever the weather. Kinda. www.misunderstoodheron.com
Any Day – Bootleg
I’ll take the vinyl, the critic’s recommendations, the wine on tap and the fancy beer, moreover, I will most certainly take the recently launched ‘Cheeky Lunch Club’ at relative newbie, Bootleg. Korean fried chicken of a Wednesday? Yes please. Moules Frites on Thursday? Count me in. Fish shop monkfish on Friday, steak with pepper sauce Saturday and Wagyu burger Sunday? Yes, yes and yes. All the above are priced at €15 and come with salad and olive oil fries while adding a glass of wine will bring your total spend to €20. I repeat, €20. That’s €20 for a Saturday afternoon spent gorging on steak and wine for just €20. In the words of, well, me, it would be crazy not to indulge. www.bootleg.ie