Review: Bastion Kitchen, Athlone

Bastion Kitchen

Athlone, Co. Westmeath

A bank holiday Monday morning drive to Galway may not be everybody's idea of heaven but it became mine after we stopped for brunch in Bastion Kitchen in Athlone. After driving around Athlone for 10 minutes looking for parking I eventually found a spot a little out of the town, adjacent to a busy looking cafe. We decided to have a look and I was instantly sold upon spotting "free range sausage bap" on the blackboard. 

Bastion Kitchen is an intimate cafe with a firm focus on healthy eating. At first I thought that this was the reason for the "Bastion" in the name until I realised that it's located on Bastion Street, a happy coincidence. Despite it's focus it contains none of the pretentiousness sometimes encountered in such establishments and everybody seemed to be equally welcomed; families, couples and lone diners. The walls are adorned with healthy foodie treats for sale and a large coffee sack contains bags of McCabe's coffee, the new darling of the Irish coffee scene.

We took our seats and were handed menu's. I went for the aforementioned Sausage Bap and a double espresso. The espresso was magnificent and while Salamander in Newbridge claim the best coffee in the town (also McCabe's), I think Bastion Kitchen could probably claim the same for Athlone. The Sausage Bap provided the perfect brunch fix. Black pepper and chive sausages with lettuce on an oaty bap with onion relish on the side. The bap was delicious while the onion relish balanced the peppery sausages beautifully. After another double espresso to ward off any driving induced tiredness we were on our way with full, contented bellies.

Brunch Ratings:

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

Overall: 8.5/10 Highly Recommended

Bastion Kitchen,
1 Bastion Street,
Athlone,
Co. Westmeath.
087-9721373

Summer Beans on Toast

Summer Beans on Toast

I love broad beans. If, by some miracle I was to turn vegetarian, they would form a large part of my diet. I'm unsure as to why I don't eat them more often but I've decided the time has come for change: this will be the summer of the broad bean in Kinneagh! In Ancient Egypt, broad beans were considered dirty and only fed to slaves - how times have changed! 

In November I posted a recipe for 'beans on toast' using cannellini beans. I've reworked the recipe for summer, using fresh broad beans and ripe cherry tomatoes. 300g of broad beans may seem like a lot for one person but once they're podded, only about 100-130g remain. To pod the beans, snap off the top, tear along the seam and open to reveal the individual beans. You can pop them out of their skin but I only bother doing this with the bigger ones.

Serves 1

1 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
300g Fresh Broad Beans (podded)
1 slice of Prosciutto di Parma (cut into pieces)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
12 ripe Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
Mixed Seeds (Sunflower, Pumpkin etc.)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the prosciutto. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the garlic and chilli. Season well and cook for 5-6 mins until softened but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, oregano and a good glug of boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile add the broad beans to a pan of boiling water and cook for a minute and a half. Strain and set aside. If you do this too early, then run the beans under cold water to stop them cooking. Ideally have the beans ready to come out of the pan when the sauce is ready.

3. With a potato masher or fork, mash the tomatoes to make a rich sauce and add the cooked beans. Cook for another 2 minutes before checking for seasoning, adding more salt/pepper if required. Sprinkle some of the seeds on top and serve with crusty bread or toast.