Gorging in Galway

Desert lover’s heaven!

One of the nicest surprises on our recent trip to visit our kids in Galway was lunch as this wonderfully offbeat bistro in the Claddagh District across the Corrib River from the old city and Spanish Arch.

The rough tables and chairs look like they were picked up at a jumble sale, the daily menu is written in chalk on the wall and the staff are relaxed, friendly and at the same time highly professional in a way only the Irish can pull off successfully. We tried the soup of the day, which was parsnip, apple and fennel and which was served with thick slices of the house brown bread chock-full of herbs and seeds.

My daughter had the Pollock Fish Fingers served with mustard mayo, slaw and “Steve’s Leaves” – a collection of various kinds of herbs and salads, lightly marinated. Gabi went for the Crumbled Avocado Taco, the first time I have ever encountered avocados in deep-fried form – very tasty! I chose West Coast Crab Salad which came with slices of fresh orange, cucumber and pumpkin seeds as well as generous helping of the ubiquitous “Steve`s Leaves”.

But the biggest surprise came last of all when we made our way to the counter which was loaded with some of the most scrumptious home-made desserts I have ever been privileged to gorge on: We couldn’t decide, so we made a serious attempt at ordering almost everything: chocolate banana and marshmallow cream pie, lime meringue pie, polenta cake topped with slices of bitter orange, and “pear tartin” (a kind of upside-down fruit cake). We were sadly forced to miss the pecan tart, the olive oil and walnut cake, the choco yo yos and the sticky toffee pudding, but there are limits.

Besides, we can always come back and finish the job!