The Menu: Farewell to Fenn’s Quay - a Leeside institution
Farewell Fenn’s Quay
Amongst regular tributes often paid to capable domestic cooks on foot of fine dinner party fare is the suggestion they should open a restaurant, but only the truly foolish imagine that to be a genuine option for there are few tougher gigs than that of chef-restaurateur (note, I don’t just say chef, for there is far more to running a restaurant than simply turning out a decent plate of scran). It is exceptionally difficult to earn a good living from a dining establishment, most especially, on those quieter weekday nights, a condition especially familiar to many non-Dublin restaurants, with patrons restricting their social outings to the weekend. And, so, it is with this in mind that The Menu pays tribute to Kate Lawlor, chef-patron of the long-running Fenn’s Quay, who has finally decided to call it a day on what had become a local Leeside institution. That she managed to keep Fenn’s Quay not only open but operating to such a high standard, even in the tooth of a recession that swallowed up dining establishments like a game of culinary Pacman, is deserving of high praise indeed. But Kate is still a young and highly capable woman, so, rather than weeping and wailing, I look forward with keen interest to news of her next great venture.
