Frankie Mallon's An Port Mor is one of the reasons why Westport has been voted the best place to live in Ireland.
It's the kind of place that every resident of every town in Ireland would want in the middle of their own town. We would like one in Bantry, please, and they would love one in Tralee and Dundalk and Bunclody and... well, everywhere.
An Port Mor is a small series of narrow rooms presided over by genial, caring staff and with a genial, caring boss in the kitchen. The staff give off a concern that suggests that they don't simply work here: working here is part of who they are, not part of what they do.
It doesn't feel like a restaurant : it feels more like someone's home. And Mr Mallon doesn't cook like the standard-issue chef, even though his food reminds us of the great Basque chef Martin Berasategui.
What he likes to do is to arrange beautifully curated foods on a plate, as if he is making a mosaic. He likes sweet, unctuous tastes - pork cheeks; lobster; a crab crust on cod, sweet Mayo lamb - and this signature style makes his food friendly to eat, easy to enjoy. It isn't at all concerned with fashion, he plates up creamy vegetable gratins, beside herbs and flowers and light infused dressings. What Mr Mallon does, fundamentally, is to cook who he is: it's his own character that comes through in the cooking. He doesn't do styles or fads or the-latest-thing: he cooks for himself, and of himself.
An Port Mor is, above all, relaxing: a relaxing place to be, with relaxing food to eat, and a good relaxed vibe allowing the focus of the team to stay fixed on good food, good service, and good value. It's a treasure.
We would advise the tourist authorities that it should be cloned and exported to every county. But we also know that what makes An Port Mor special is that it is sui generis; you can't clone something this unique.
John McKenna
