RESTAURANTS:It's the simple pleasures of life - perfect chips, steamed mussels and hands-on food - that the Malt House does so well, writes Tom Doorley.
IN PLACES such as London and San Franciso, the sniffier kind of restaurant critic seems to be getting tired of seeing lists of suppliers when they open the menu. They accuse some restaurateurs of a kind of self-righteous smugness in trumpeting the artisan origins of their goats' cheese or air-cured badger hams.
Personally, I think it's rather life-enhancing. After all, the average restaurant gets all of its produce, fresh and otherwise, out of the back of a refrigerated van, punctually delivered by one of the big catering supply companies. There's nothing wrong with these companies (well, most of them) and I'd be happy to eat out of a La Rousse Foods van on a regular basis, but finding and supporting good, often small producers is a worthy thing.
The latest example of this kind of listing is at the Malt House in Galway, a restaurant that was known until very recently for decent but rather dull grub of the sort that appeals to people who regard trying a morsel of gravlax as living on the edge.
But all is changed, changed utterly and while it would be going a bit far to say that a terrible beauty is born, I have to say that I liked the Malt House. I would also like to think that it represents a turning of the tide for Galway, and that Galwegians will soon have decent restaurants in proportion to their population and civic pride.
The menu gives prominent billing to producers and suppliers, such as organic grower Stephen Gould from Headford, St Tola goats' cheese from near Ennistymon, and Colleran's, the local butchers. But it would be a terrible waste if choosing and listing these beacons of excellence were followed by shoddy cooking. Not so here.
The lunch menu covers all the bases with offerings from falafel and fish and chips to tagliatelle with stem garlic, and spiced vegetable tagine. Nothing that would really frighten the horses but, like the cool and modern interior, a giant step for a restaurant such as this.
We shared a big starter of proper local prawns, not those meaty but flavourless creatures from warmer waters. They were split, butterfly fashion, anointed with garlic, parsley and lemon, and then briefly grilled. They were sweet and plump and every bit as good as they sound. I like this kind of messy, hands-on food and appreciated the finger bowls.
I managed to break my recent habit of responding to moules frites in Pavlovian, salivating fashion. I didn't order them. But my lunch companion saved me the trouble and I'm suitably grateful. We passed on the traditional form and boldly chose, instead, the Asian version, on the rather dishonourable basis that it might not work. It's just the way we are.
But such doubts were assuaged when the mussels arrived in their big black pot and the first waft of steam was scented of the sea, with a slight whiff of ginger and coriander in the background. The spicing, so to speak, became more apparent as layer after layer of plump mussels were snaffled. And the broth at the bottom was pungent with what you might call Thai flavours, but with the added bonus of butter. This was a lovely dish.
I contented myself with creamily dressed Malbay crab on three little rounds of toast, which is just as well as I provided robust assistance with the mussels. This was good - a starter, in fact - but if I have a criticism, and a minor one, it's that the dressing didn't let the crab sing as clearly as it might.
In an age where the art of the chip is dying out, it was good to taste exemplary ones at the Malt House. Maris Piper, of course, perfectly proportioned and crisp but yielding. It's bizarre how rarely you encounter such a thing in this potato-loving island of ours.
With a bottle of wine, plenty of mineral water and a brace of double espressos, the bill came to €112.40.
WINE CHOICE
This short list has been put together by a local wine retailer and includes some very pleasant stuff. Highlights include the fresh, peachy Valminor Albariñho (€32, €8/glass); chunky, spicy Camplazens Syrah (€27, €8/glass); Zaccagnini's juicy Montepulciano (€28); the lime-scented Yalumba Y Series Riesling €25, which offers great value; Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis (€36); Château de Sours rosé (€26) and Châteauneuf-beater Domaine le Clos de Caveau Vacqueyras (€40). They also offer five Belgian beers, and Dow Vintage Port, 1983 for a reasonable €9.90 a glass.