It is worth the trip to Culdaff just to eat Gary McPeake’s seafood chowder in McGrory’s

Gary McPeake gets it. He’s a smart cook but, of all his strengths, it is the fact that he cooks in a style that is completely unpretentious and undogmatic that allows him to craft dishes that knock you sideways.
The fact that he cooks in the comfortable and unpretentious old McGrorys of Culdaff, on the Inisowen Peninsula in north Donegal – heading towards 100 years of trading – just makes his delicious grub taste even better.
He makes a chowder for the ages and, served with Guinness bread and Haven Smokehouse smoked salmon, this is something that justifies the trip to Culdaff all by itself. But then, a warm salad of monkfish and Hugh Maguire’s smoked black pudding, with a little Waldorf salad, is almost as good. This is simple food, but the balance of flavours is intricate, and the reward is immensely pleasurable eating with every bite. We hadn’t had more than a few bites before we were planning to return to try the Kinnegar beer and seaweed cod, and the Noone’s chicken with Gubbeen chorizo cream. Imagine that, and then into the bar to hear some Donegal fiddle music with a pint of Rustbucket and their own signature Muffito, made with the local Muff gin.
Folks, it doesn’t get better than that. Culdaff it is, and Mr McPeake and his brilliant team are the custodians of your galaxy of Donegal delight.