A very tasty diversion
The “pie of the day” is beef and it comes with brilliant skin-on chips which are fork-tappingly crisp outside, floury and soft inside. The pie may not pass the trades description act definition of a pie. In effect, it’s a bowl of stew with a pastry lid on top but when the stew is as perfect as this that’s fine by me. The thin pastry lid is crimped with a fork at the edges and scored from side-to-side. When I punch a small hole in the lid it releases the steamy fragrance of slow-cooked beef, rosemary, pearl onions, button mushrooms and red wine. I’d put a bet on that no flour was added as the gravy is still light and liquid. The pastry lid drops in like light dumpling shards.
Dessert is the quaintly-named “storm in a teacup” which is served in a flowery bone china cup and saucer. It’s an Eton-mess type dish of roasted figs, mascarpone with orange stirred through it and biscuity chunks of chocolate cake. It may well contain all 3,000 calories needed to complete the Wexford Cycle. For this dessert alone I would happily leave the motorway again.
It comes as no surprise to find out later that the chef at The Kitchen for the last five months is Ben Anderson, who was the chef at Donnybrook Fair restaurant in Dublin’s Donnybrook. The Kitchen is a great little restaurant that should put Gorey on the map for slow food lovers who don’t mind a bit of slow traffic.
Lunch for two with drinks and coffee (and that cookie) came to €30.85.
The Kitchen1-4 North Parade, Gorey, Co Wexford Tel: 053-9480541 Music: Nice jazz Facilities: Pleasant Wheelchair access:Yes Food provenance: A little bit sketchy apart from the Wexford mackerel Coeliac options: None specified but plenty of wheat-free dishes
A dog’s dinner for a good cause
You have to be brave or bonkers to plan a barbecue these days but the two Kevin Byrnes, who run Mayfield and Union Square in Terenure are doing just that for this Tuesday night. It’s a benefit night for the Dublin dog charities Dogs Aid and Dogs in Distress. The tickets are €10 to include the barbecue and a glass of wine or elderflower cordial. The tail-wagging begins at 6.30pm along with “surprise music guests” who are rumoured to include Cathy Davey and Neil Hannon.
Every dog has its day. But only the lucky ones get their own evening.
Mayfield Benefit Night at Union Square, Terenure Road North, Dublin 6W on October 9th from 6.30pm; tel: 01-492 6830
