Review: Salamander Coffee House, Newbridge

Salamander Coffee House

Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Bold statements, great coffee and delicious food has Salamander Coffee House making a bit of a name for itself in Newbridge. Upon first entering the cafe last Saturday (during The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Busk and Food Festival) I was greeted with "have you heard we do the best coffee in Newbridge?" Bold and confident it may have been but it sure was correct. After my first take away coffee I decided a sample of the food was necessary, so this morning Ali and myself headed in for breakfast.

Salamander Coffee House is a cosy little cafe on George's Street in Newbridge. It has a few tables downstairs with more available upstairs when busy. There are also a few seats outside. The interior is light and airy with an exhibition by local photographer Charlie Mac currently adorning the walls. The breakfast menu is quite short but has plenty of options including organic porridge, french toast and pancakes aswel as the usual offerings like eggs and bacon, large breakfast etc. I went for the Salamander Large Breakfast without bacon and a flat white. The breakfast consisted of eggs, mushrooms, fried potatoes, tomato and toast (it usually includes dry cure bacon too). Not just the best coffee in Newbridge - It was delicious. The eggs were perfectly cooked with a creamy runny yolk.  The ingredients used were of excellent quality with the tomato being a particular highlight, ripe and sweet. The generous portion of toast with real butter was also much appreciated.

Salamander Coffee House are particularly proud of their coffee and it's easy to see why. It really is excellent and with a good range of choices there is sure to be something for everybody's tastes.

Breakfast Ratings:

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Selection: 8/10
Value for Money: 9/10

Overall: 8.5/10 Highly Recommended

Salamander Coffee House,
2 George's Street,
Newbridge,
Co. Kildare
045-431567

Thai Red Curry.....In a Hurry

Thai Red Curry.....In a Hurry!

There is nothing better than a good curry. In Ireland, our taste buds have been pretty much ruined by a suspiciously Irish sounding manufacturer in a red topped tub hogging the curry market for years. Mammy's made it, children loved it, everyone's happy. I confess to being one such child, I would happily devour plates of "curry" so long as there were no mushrooms involved. There is a better way. A way that is just as quick and twice as tasty. 

I have spent quite a bit of time making curry pastes. We used to have "Curry Monday" in our house and each week I would try a new recipe from Atul's Curries of the World or Gordon's Great Escape books. Most of these recipes involved hand bashing numerous ingredients into a paste to form a base for the resulting curry. I admit it was worth the time and effort. There is something very satisfying about creating the dish entirely from scratch but sometimes time is of the essence and that is where this curry comes into play. Have everything ready before you start, it takes less than ten minutes to cook. Get the rice on!

Serves 4

1 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp good quality Red Curry Paste
1 tin (400ml) Coconut Milk
200ml Water
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Sugar
200g Raw Peeled Prawns
1 Pak Choi (peel leaves away from centre and finely slice)
1 Red Pepper (finely sliced)
1 large Carrot (finely sliced)
1 Red Chilli (de-seeded and finely sliced)

1.Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat and add the curry paste. Stir for 40-60 seconds before adding the coconut milk and water. Bring to the boil.

2. Add the fish sauce and sugar and stir well. Add the prawns and simmer for two minutes before adding the vegetables. Simmer for another two minutes being careful not to overcook. Serve with rice.

Roast Pork with Crackling

Roast Pork with Crackling and Balsamic Gravy

I'm on a serious pork buzz at the moment. The pig is the most wonderful creature that just keeps on giving. The conditions that pigs are kept in in this country (aswel as most others) has me somewhat conflicted but I get around this by only eating the free range product. My refusal to eat factory farmed pork means that I can (for the most part) only enjoy pork in my own home as restaurants and café's rarely have free range pork/bacon on the menu. The upside to this is that I have now gotten quite good at making all sorts of pork dishes but this one, the simplest, is still my favourite.

Crackling.....the enemy of the home cook. Just the mention of the word brings out the hundreds of superstitions regarding the most mysterious of techniques. There seems to be a consensus online that the skin should be removed from the loin and cooked separately but I see no need to do this. The most important thing to guarantee good crackling is to dry the skin well before cooking. Ensure that it's bone dry, add some olive oil and salt and let the crackling sort itself out, simple!

Serves 6

1.2 kg Pork Loin (in one piece)
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Onions (chopped)
1 large Carrot (chopped)
1 stick of Celery (chopped)
3 cloves of Garlic (chopped)
2 Bay Leaves
1 sprig of Rosemary
1 litre of Pork or Chicken Stock
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Score the skin of the pork with a knife being careful not to cut into the flesh below. Dry it thoroughly with kitchen paper before rubbing the oil into the skin. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and set aside.

2. Put the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay and rosemary onto the bottom of a roasting dish and season lightly. Place the pork on top (skin side up) and put into a pre heated 230 degree oven. As soon as the pork goes in, drop the temperature to 175 degrees and cook for approximately 1 and a quarter hours or until cooked through. (check with a thermometer after an hour, it's cooked when the middle of the pork is 73 degrees celsius).

3. When the pork is cooked remove it from the tray and set aside to rest. Pour a little water into the tray and scrape up any of the stuck on bits of vegetables/meat. Pour this, along with all of the vegetables into a saucepan and add the stock and balsamic. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by two thirds until there is about 350ml left.

4. Cut the pork into twelve slices and serve with potatoes and vegetables (or combine the two for colcannon like I did!) and pour over the gravy. Delicious!

Altamont Gardens and The Walled Garden Cafe

Altamont Gardens and The Walled Garden Cafe

Ballon, Co. Carlow

Yesterday Ali and myself decided to take a trip to the Altamont Gardens located just outside the beautiful village of Ballon, Co. Carlow. The gardens are immaculately kept and looked particularly stunning on such a beautiful day. Before taking a stroll around we popped into The Walled Garden Cafe for a light lunch. The cafe is an offshoot of the nearby Forge Restaurant and serves a simple menu with soup, scones, cakes and a good range of teas and coffees.

We both went for the soup which was served with a fresh homemade scone and a slice of Coolattin Cheddar. The lady behind the counter was friendly and informative and suggested that we allow the cheese to melt into the soup for an extra hit of flavour. The soup was delicious on its own but with the cheese added in it was fantastic. The scone was fresh and delicious and was the perfect dipping device. After the soup we got some cakes, Ali went for the raspberry drizzle cake while I took a trip back to childhood with a slice of the chocolate rice krispie cake. My double espresso was excellent.

Forgetting the delicious food, the beautiful setting makes it worth the visit all on its own. While enjoying our food we watched a hen and cockerel strolling around the place before being joined by their six chicks who tore up and down the outdoor seating area non stop. The perfect entertainment on a beautiful day.

After finishing our cakes and coffee we took a walk around the gardens admiring the vast amount of plants and trees. The on site peacock and peahen provided an awe inspiring distraction before heading back to the car for the trip home. I would highly recommend a trip to the gardens over the summer if you find yourself around the Carlow area (it is worth travelling to too). The cafe, although limited in its offerings, provides the perfect setting to enjoy a simple lunch but If you want something a little more substantial The Forge Restaurant is just down the road and if the soup is anything to go by, it's sure to be delicious.

Ciao Paolo

Today had the potential to be a great day. My beloved Juventus play Barcelona in the Champions League Final tonight and I have been building up for weeks. Will Suarez take another bite of Chiellini's arm? Can Pirlo conduct the game from midfield? Or will Messi destroy all my hopes and dreams with 10 seconds of genius? It was with great sadness that all of these things were removed from my mind last night with the news that one of my food heroes, Paolo Tullio, had passed away.

I don't have many food heroes, maybe five, but Paolo has always been one of them. Before trying any restaurant I would always see if Paolo had reviewed it first. I listened to the food slot on Newstalk every Thursday where himself and Sean Moncrieff would chat not only about the cooking of food but its impact upon life, love and happy memories. I enjoyed watching him on The Restaurant where you could tell that negativity didn't come naturally to him. He was a true inspiration, his words on the simplicity of great food and enjoying life will always stay with me. I never met the great man but it truly feels like I've lost a friend. as I'm sure it does for many people around the country.

Ciao Paolo,

Pete

Ethical Eating

Over the past couple of years I've been shocked upon researching the treatment of certain animals destined for our plates. I say certain animals because it is just that. On this fair isle, in general, it's safe to say that cows and sheep have the best of it. They graze in green fields and eat fresh grass until the time comes for them to be slaughtered, butchered and sold to us. Others are not so lucky. Kept in baron cages and pens with nothing to do except root around in their own excrement it makes me wonder what is so different about these that they are treated so badly.

For awhile now I have been eating poultry, eggs and pork only when they are (at least) free range but it's not as easy as you might think. Free range chickens are widely available with a certain German retailer selling them for only a few cent more than their not so lucky cousins. It can be tough to find in cafés but most of the better restaurants now use a free range bird. Pork on the other hand is a nightmare. I haven't found a single butcher/shop anywhere near me that sells free range pork or bacon. (I jumped the gun, most Supervalu's stock free range rashers and Swan's in Naas sometimes stock free-range sausages). Surprisingly, I am yet to see it on a restaurant menu either. Pork remains, for me at least, a treat reserved only for my own home.

I'm currently struggling with the thoughts of farmed fish. Schools of large salmon languishing in a pool of their own feces with a cocktail of chemicals thrown in to stop the spread of disease. It all sounds like they are heading down the same route as our feathered friends except for one difference; with wild stocks being so depleted we are actively encouraged to eat the unfortunate farmed type. I think I'd rather not eat the endangered species at all, pollack does me fine.

Further Reading:
Irish Times - If you can’t win the scientific argument, suppress it - Fintan O'Toole
Irish Times - Factory farms – misery on the hoof - John McKenna