The Menu: National Oyster Opening
A convivial sort, The Menu greatly enjoys encouraging those of a shy disposition to emerge from their shells, most especially if he can introduce them to his equally welcoming gullet, so Neidín shall be pointed due West over the next few days, in the direction of the 59th Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival. Unsurprisingly, in a town that invented the word, ‘party’, there is all manner of musical and theatrical high jinks afoot including the local ‘Mardi Gras’ but The Menu, as ever, shall be guided by his sagacious belly. Aside from the ever-popular National Oyster Opening competition featuring competitors from over 20 countries, there are celebrity cook offs, wine tastings, chef demos and a food village brought to you by Artisan Restaurant, Cava Bodega, RAW Sushi Restaurant, WA Café in association with La Ditta, WEST at The Twelve and Kelly Oysters serving premium native Galway Oysters. www.galwayoysterfestival.com
The 2nd Macroom Food & Family Festival (Sept 27-29) may not offer as extensive a programme but The Menu can think of few finer ways to pass a few hours than grazing at the Artisan Food Market while the offspring cavort around the Kids Zone and the final of the Calor Schools Cook-Off offers a chance to scout potential future Masterchefs! (www.macroomfoodfestival.com). Meanwhile, The Cookery School @ Donnybrook Fair neatly combines demo and dining with a masterclass from executive chef Niall Murphy entitled Come Dine With Us (Sept 27) with each of six dishes demonstrated subsequently appearing in a six-course menu with matching wines. www.donnybrookfair.ie
The Menu’s old stomping ground, Bandon Farmer’s Market (www.bandonfarmersmarket.com) are holding a ‘mini-food fair’ (Sept 28, 9.30am-1.30pm) in conjunction with the Engage Arts Festival and each of the stallholders will be furnishing tasty samples. The next day, in Adare, Co Limerick, the organisers of Adare to Survive (a 7.5km military-style obstacle course, including a skip of ice cold water) in aid of Cliona’s Foundation, which offers financial assistance to the families of critically ill children, have thrown down the gauntlet to The Menu inviting him to participate. Mind you, The Menu wouldn’t bat an eyelid at doing the course two or three times over to snaffle some of the Gino’s ice cream, Pizza Belle’s artisan pizza, Adare Farm’s pig on a spit and Galway’s Wa Cafe Japanese noodles. www.adaretosurvive.com
In Italy they say it takes three to dress a salad: a Spendthrift to make free with the olive oil; a Miser to apply lemon or vinegar most sparingly indeed; and a Judicious Man to know exactly how much salt to sprinkle on. Fair enough, says The Menu, just as long as the Judicious Man is also cute enough to plump for Achill Sea Salt, soft little flakes of hand-harvested sea salt from Ireland’s west coast, that melt on the tongue and set the tastebuds a-salivating.
