Anyone lucky enough to be in Waterford for the Harvest Festival and GIY Gathering will not only have benefitted from weather more akin to Tuscany than the south east of Ireland but also a city that was defiantly positive and humming with optimism - the oldest city in the country may have had a rough few years but it's certainly not going down without a fight.
That optimism is clearly visible on a quick walk around the city where a number of new openings are adding to the city's already vibrant restaurant and cafe scene. The historical core of the city, now called The Viking Triangle, is home to the stunning new Medieval Museum, its sweeping sandstone curves a triumphant statement of intent by the city's own architectural team that Ireland's oldest city can be the home for some drop-dead gorgeous modern architecture. Just across The Mall from this great building, the infectiously positive Aoife Hanrahan runs Aoifes Cafe and Gallery in number 33 The Mall. This lovely bow fronted building has the honour of being the first building in Ireland from which the Tri Colour was flown and Aoife uses its many levels to combine her passions for art, food and architecture.
With a focus on local and organic food, Aoife keeps her menu pleasingly simple and prepares everything with care and attention to detail. Add in some good coffee, tempting desserts and the constantly changing collections of art on the walls and it's no wonder it's impossible to get a seat here at lunchtime.
After a tough first six months from when the cafe opened in late 2013, Aoife says 2014 has been great and has plans to put the rest of the building's multiple floors to use. Around the corner from Aoifes, the once derelict Reginald Bar has been rechristened The Reg and brought back to life by a team of local investors. Sitting right behind Ireland's oldest civic structure, Reginald's Tower, The Reg has three different bars as well as a wonderful rooftop terrace overlooking the river The kitchen is in the capable hands of ex-Ballymaloe man David Kelly and the focus is on great seafood, shellfish and steaks.
Further along the Quay is the small and perfectly formed food shop, Larder, owned and run by Patrick Murphy. Patrick grew up surrounded by the free range chickens and turkeys of his fathers Englishtown Farm but spent many years working for big name retail chains before finally deciding to open his own business. His fantastic friendly manner, along with some careful sourcing and a determination that 'everything in the shop has to be excellent and, if possible, local' has made Larder an instant success.
Niamh Irish's Savage Kitchen provides the scones, SpeltBakers in Gowran supply the bread, the chickens come from his dads own farm and the pastries are provided from the excellent kitchen of L'atmosphere, just around the corner from Larder in Henrietta St. Coffee is a choice of Bewleys premium or the Waterford roasted Ponticelli brand and Larder is a great addition to Waterford's quayside. Walking a little further, a vibrant orange frontage announces BerFranks, Frank and Bernadette Treyvaud's lovely cafe and restaurant. Frank's impeccable training and his many years experience in the restaurant business ensure that BerFranks is always a pleasant place to be.
Any menu that features a dish like O'Flynn's Waterford roast beef served hot, with red onion marmalade, on a blaa is bound to keep the customers happy! There's a huge selection of speciality teas, coffee from Java Republic as well a guest coffee brand that changes every three months and a lovely array of cakes and crumbles.
Like many businesses in Waterford, the last few years have been tough but with a revamp just completed and plans to add wines and craft beers to the offering, as well as themed food and wine evenings, Frank is optimistic that the worst days are behind. Close to the bus station, Peter Fowler's Granary Cafe continues to be somewhere you do your best to get a table before 1pm or else you join the queue. The formula is deceivingly simple - two hot dishes, changed every day, and a selection of imaginative quiches, panini's and salads, all served with consistent friendliness and good humour by Peter's fantastic team of staff. The Granary also features perhaps the most tempting array of desserts and cakes of any Waterford restaurant and if you have any kind of sweet tooth at all, this is the place for you.
Turning away from the Quay towards historic Ballybricken and The Glen finds a new home for one of Waterford's most experienced restauranteurs. For many years, David Dennison's Wine Vault was a stalwart of the 100 Best Restaurants list and was much missed when David decided to concentrate instead on the wine side of his business. In recent times though he felt the draw of the restaurant business calling again as has teamed up with head chef from the Wine Vault days, Neil McEvoy, to open Dennisons at The Forum. It's a huge space, feeling quite hotel-like in its vastness but the food is far removed from the vast majority of hotel offerings. David's aim is to have almost all of the food served in the restaurant come from within a 20km radius and much of it comes from his own land, including all of the chicken and eggs. He's also rearing his own pigs and growing the cast majority of the restaurants vegetables. Only the pure quality of the product persuaded him to breach his own distance rules and feature Knockalara cheese on the menu - it's from Cappoquin in Co. Waterford, some sixty kilometres away! The restaurant serves everything from morning coffee through to lunch and dinner and while adjustments are still being made to suit the local market, dishes like Warm Beetroot tarte tatin with Triskel goats cheese and Waterford Pork 'Three Ways' with crisp belly, pork croquette, sausage roll, sauerkraut and sage jus, show the kind of judgement that are sure to make this another success. Value, it should be noted, is very strong.
Further out, on the Dunmore Road, new arrival LoKo brings a Dublin-esque funkiness to the Waterford restaurant scene and proves that having a fast food restaurant and a car wash as neighbours are no hindrance to success. Put together by a local team of experienced restauranteurs this place has been packing them in since opening night. Cow hide bar stools, great lighting and old ESB cable reels used as tables all set the tone for a restaurant that seems to visibly thump with atmosphere. The menu features punchy dishes like Pressed Ham Hock with house pickles, remoulade and sourdough toast, Black Pudding and smoked bacon scotch egg with celeraic or, for mains, Braised beef cheeks slow cooked in red wine or a half rotisserie chicken show the experienced hands of James Crawford and Shane Curtin in the kitchen. Some early problems with service could have overwhelmed a less determined team but these seem to have been ironed out now and Loko is a place we'll be hearing more about.
Photography and text: Eamon Barrett
Aoifes Cafe and Gallery
The Reg Berfranks
The Granary Café
Dennison's
LoKo
