Defiling dining
Mmm. Sea bass, wild salmon, homemade burger and fishcakes makes for an interesting gastronomic experience, doesn’t it? The setting was the outrageously beautiful Leenane in Co. Galway. Banked by Mweelrea and the Connemara mountains and flirting with the waters of Killary Harbour, the Blackberry Café & Coffee House seemed the perfect alternative to the grubby Village Grill down the road.
I’m no Paolo Tullio. Therefore I cannot adequately describe how lush the salmon was, how enjoyed the beef burger and sea bass were, and I would fall short in describing in exuberant tones the tasty fishcakes. But a sated feeling amongst the four of us was unquestionable.
But a stomach-churner was on the way. While cutting a birthday cake in the restaurant, the owner found it necessary to manhandle the cream sponge. Sometimes food needs to be handled. That’s okay. But what he did in between handling the slices of cake was unforgivable. You see, when his hands got messy from all the cutting, he decided to lick them. All this occurred in full view of the diners in the room. When he went to offer the plates to the birthday party, there was a globule of cream stuck to the corner of his mouth. Oh dear.
We politely declined a share of the cake and made the appropriate “we’re stuffed” excuses. Nothing for it but off to the now famous Gaynor’s for some libations to wash away the foul memories of the finger-licking incident.
Published by Colm.
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