Restaurant Review: Loam, Galway

Loam in Galway has been on my foodie bucket list for a while so I was delighted to finally get the opportunity to visit recently. Located off Eyre Square in a rather anonymous looking building, this restaurant cum wine bar has a spacious, modern feel inside which reflects the style of the food perfectly.

Diners can opt for a ‘simplicity’ menu and select from the three options given for each course or choose the 6-course tasting menu. Although brief, the menu features many unusual ingredients along the way. As seems to be the fashion these days, dishes are described by means of a roll-call of the ingredients, which in real terms doesn’t overly enlighten the diner about what they will eat, but certainly does retain an element of surprise which is only revealed when the dish arrives.

 

Goat's Cheese Cones

Suppliers are referred to as ‘collaborators’ reflecting the ethos of the restaurant which adopts an almost partnership approach to its producers. Granted, this ideological standpoint might seem contrived but many would argue that it offers a sound template for the future of food and dining out. Restaurant food is not divorced from the environment in which it is produced, so one can only admire those chefs who recognise and embrace this on the menus that they create by using ingredients from the immediate locale. The menu in Loam changes regularly to reflect the seasonal availability of ingredients locally.

 

With an open, on-view kitchen you can freely observe Head Chef Enda McEvoy as he works. I was transfixed watching my meal being prepared and was struck by the Zen-like air of focused calm which prevailed in the minimalist kitchen.

 

Beef Tartare

Bread and an amuses bouches selection arrived soon after we were seated. This troika of bite-sized delights looked beautiful and I was eager to dig in. Least successful was the Potato Nest with Ash as, despite possessing a pleasing crunch, I couldn’t detect the flavour of the ash. The Pear, Kohlrabi, Hazelnut was full of refreshing, crunchy textures and tasted deliciously clean on the palate. Similarly, the cone of Whipped Goat’s Cheese & Chive Flower using Dunmanus goat’s cheese teased the taste buds in all the right ways and promised further treats ahead on the 6-course tasting menu which we had decided upon.

 

Monkfish Liver

Beef Tartare, Egg, Salted Gooseberry was the first dish to arrive. Simply presented this was a striking dish which showcased the wonderful quality and delicious flavour of the beef that was used. For anyone squeamish about eating raw meat, I urge you make your way to Loam and try this dish. The beef was wonderfully tender and succulent and I loved the warm ‘sauce’ created by the runny but cooked egg yolk. The elements of a classic beef tartare were all there but what distinguished this from others that I have eaten was the inclusion of salted gooseberries. The salty astringency that they imparted elevated this dish to something that was as close to perfection on a plate as you can get.



Duck Hearts

Next up was Monkfish Liver, Onions, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms. Here the fish liver had been combined with cream to create a fine textured ‘sausage’. Sitting in a small pool of squid-ink broth and accompanied by some bittersweet caramelised onions and almost alien-looking lion’s mane mushrooms, this was a delicate dish, sensitively cooked. The mushrooms in particular were a revelation, possessing a slightly chewy texture und an underlying subtle seafood taste that worked so well with the other elements of the dish.

 

Susan, my guest for the evening has a fish allergy so couldn’t eat the monkfish but this did not present a problem. Duck Hearts, Little Gem, Sheep’s Milk arrived in its place without any fuss. I have only eaten duck hearts on one previous occasion and wasn’t particularly enamoured with them but here they dazzled jewel-like on the plate and looked so inviting that I felt compelled to try them and I was delighted that I did because they were outstanding. Accompanied by charred little gem lettuce, lovage sauce and a sheep’s milk froth, this was another perfectly balanced, top-notch dish.

 

Asparagus

Asparagus, Woodruff & Pine, was a seemingly simple dish consisting of both wild and cultivated asparagus on a woodruff and lovage purée with fermented double cream. Wild asparagus possesses a somewhat grassy taste which I found contrasted beautifully with the lactic tanginess of the fermented cream. Pickled spruce needles are new to me, but I loved their inclusion and the unexpected ‘pop’ of flavour they delivered.

 

Duck, Chicory & Beet was the next course to arrive and in many ways was the simplest of the evening. The accompanying beetroot provided a gentle sweetness as did the duck and apple jus whilst the slight bitterness of the braised white chicory cut through the overall richness of the dish. For me, the extreme bitterness of the red chicory leaves was a little too much but the perfectly cooked duck breast made up for this and I enjoyed the dish.

 

Duck

We were then presented with a stunning looking pre-dessert. Cucumber & Pear consisted of a cucumber sorbet, small pearls of compressed pear macerated in lemon and some shards of cucumber meringue. Carefully flavoured with a little dill, I thought it was absolutely delicious and one of the most unusual sorbets I have ever tasted with palate cleansing properties that were second-to-none.

 

I certainly wasn’t expecting to see ice-cream when Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt & Strawberry arrived. Not that this was regular ice-cream but rather, a frozen confection made from sheep’s milk yoghurt and squid ink! Although the dark grey colour was unsettling to look at, I liked its unique taste, particularly when eaten with the strawberry meringue, strawberry gel and dehydrated white chocolate crumb which came with it. This was a great finish to the meal.

 

Cucumber, Pear

Petit fours – a Blackcurrant Pastille and Nougat were presented as we sipped on well-made espressos and finished off our wine – a bottle of 2011 Garnacha ‘Salvaje del Moncayo’ from Spain; a smooth wine with a nice fruity character, which I felt was reasonably priced at  €27.



Of all the restaurants I have eaten in over the past two years, Loam has lingered longest in my thoughts after the meal was finished and I want to do it justice. Reviewing restaurants is subjective and often difficult. No words can fully express nor do photographs truly depict the experience of eating a meal for yourself. Reviews document the food in a very two-dimensional way and at best merely whet the appetites of readers and potential diners.

 

Sheep's Milk Yoghurt, Strawberry

In many ways you have to leave your culinary pre-conceptions behind when you enter through the doors of Loam but this is what makes the food so exciting and different. I felt as if my palate had been invigorated by the meal that I ate. On one level the food is challenging and may not be accessible to all but this is impressive cooking that is innovative and deserves to be recognised. More importantly, this is food that should be experienced, eaten and enjoyed.

 

Items on the ‘Simplicity’ menu are individually priced with starters and desserts around €10 and main courses €30. The 6 –course tasting menu which must be ordered by the entire table costs €60 or €90 with wine-pairings.

 

Loam

Geata na Cathrach

Fairgreen

Galway

 

Telephone: 091569727

Website: www.loamgalway.com 

 

This article first appeared in TheTaste.ie

 

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Spiced Amaretto Cherries

Strangely, although I quite like the taste of chocolate, I rarely yearn for it the way that some people do. I also find that as I have gotten older my taste buds have changed and now I prefer to eat chocolate that is slightly bitter with a rich chocolate taste.

 

I fully appreciate that for some people nothing beats chocolate and that, if they see a dish containing it on a restaurant menu that will be the dish that they will go for! There’s no doubt it chocolate is extremely popular. My children would be quite happy if everything I cooked or baked included chocolate and they are at a loss to understand why I insist on making other dishes!

 

This dessert is definitely one that ticks all my boxes. The panna cotta, although rich and possessing an intense chocolate is not too bitter, so also appeals to younger diners. Nor is the panna cotta overly set but rather, it retains a pleasing wobble which makes it heavenly to eat. Coupled with the spiced cherries, this makes an elegant dessert which gets its inspiration from the flavours of a classic Black Forest Gateaux, the bastion of many a 1970’s dinner party!!! In fact this reinterpretation would make a lovely finish to any 21^st Century dinner.

 

I’m really pleased with how the spiced cherries turned. Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that I am a big fan of the Italian almond flavoured liqueur and that I use it regularly in my cooking.

 

Both the cherries and the panna cotta are easy to make and can be prepared well in advance. You will probably have more cherries than you need but they keep well stored in the refrigerator and along with some toasted hazelnuts and a dollop of lightly whipped cream would also make a lovely topping for some French toast or as an accompaniment to some ice-cream.
 

Ingredients:

Spiced Amaretto Cherries:
175ml water

75ml Amaretto

220g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

600g fresh cherries, destalked, pitted and halved

Chocolate Panna Cotta:

200g dark chocolate (I used Green & Black’s 70% cocoa solids)

2½ leaves of gelatine

200ml of whole milk

250ml double cream

100g caster sugar
 

Method:

Spiced Amaretto Cherries:

1. Place the water, Amaretto, sugar and spices in a medium sized saucepan over a moderate heat. Stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved and then increase the heat and bring up to the boil. Allow to bubble for 3-4 minutes until the mixture has reduced slightly and become syrupy.

2. Tip in the cherries, and reduce the heat so that they are simmering gently. Cook for a further 3 minutes and then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate before serving.

Chocolate Panna Cotta:

3. Lightly grease 6 individual dariole moulds (about 150ml capacity) with a little vegetable oil and set aside.

4. Break the chocolate into small chunks and place in a medium-sized heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.  Once the chocolate has melted remove the bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

5. Place the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water for five minutes.

6. Place the milk, cream and caster sugar into a small saucepan and bring up to simmering point. Stir occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved and then strain through a sieve onto the chocolate in a steady stream, stirring constantly so that everything is well combined.

7. Remove the gelatine from the bowl of water and squeeze out any excess moisture. Add to the chocolate mixture stirring until it has completely dissolved.

8. Divide the panna cotta mixture evenly between the 6 dariole moulds and set aside to cool completely before covering each mould with a little cling film and refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least four hours before unmoulding (or allow to chill overnight).

9. Unmould by dipping each dariole mould into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds before upturning onto individual serving plates. Serve with a couple of spoonfuls of the spiced cherries.

Serves 6.

 

Chocolate Chip Madeleines

Madeleines are classic French cakes which are incredibly easy to make, look beautiful in their simplicity and taste delicious. Made using a classic genoise mixture, these little sponge cakes have a light and airy texture and are perfect to nibble on with a cup of tea. In fact, they are not unlike the fairy cakes or ‘buns’ that many Irish children grew up eating at birthday parties and on special occasions – cupcakes are only a recent enough phenomenon in Ireland and one that we have borrowed from across the Atlantic. My grandmother who greatly influenced my love of cooking and baking would have considered cupcakes frivolous and completely over-the-top, but I think that she would have approved of the more restrained madeleines!

 

Although traditionally baked in a specialist madeleine tin with shell-shaped indentations, you can also bake them in muffin tins. Madeleine tins are widely available and relatively inexpensive to buy, so are worth getting so that you can enjoy these little cakes in their full glory.

 

Usually simply flavoured with just a hint of lemon or vanilla, the basic recipe is easily adapted to include other ingredients such a spices, nuts, dried fruit etc. Here I have added chocolate chips to the basic batter but feel free to leave these out and experiment using different ingredients.

 

I love the buttery taste of madeleines and in particular like to brown the butter to the beurre noisette stage as this gives the finished cakes taste a deeper, more buttery flavour. If you are worried that you might burn the butter when browning it, you can use just plain melted butter instead; the madeleines will still taste wonderful!

 

It is really important to prepare your tin properly by brushing each indentation with some melted butter before lightly dusting with some flour, shaking out any excess. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to remove the cakes once baked! If you have prepared your tin correctly, you should be able to remove the madeleines all in one go by giving the tin a sharp tap. Secondly, make sure to allow the batter to rest in the fridge for at least two hours (or ideally overnight) before baking. This hardens up the melted butter and creates a stiffer batter which for some reason seems to produce a lighter result. I don’t know why this works, but it just does!

 

This recipe produces 24 large or 36 small madeleines, so you may need to cook the mixture in batches if you don’t own a number of tins. (Note: the batter will keep for a couple of days in the fridge).

 

Ingredients:

To prepare the madeleine tins/moulds:
A little melted butter

2tblsp plain flour

Madeleines:

120g butter

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

130g caster sugar

175g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

75g chocolate chips (milk or dark chocolate)
 

Method:

To prepare:

1. Brush the madeleine moulds with melted butter and then dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Place in the fridge while you make the cake batter.

Madeleines:

2. Place the butter in a small saucepan over a moderate heat. Allow the butter to melt and start bubbling but make sure to keep a close eye on it as it can burn very quickly. The butter will start to turn a light golden brown and will begin to darken. Remove immediately it has turned a rich golden brown colour and has a ‘nutty’ aroma. Pour into a small bowl and allow to cool slightly.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy and doubled in volume. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the egg mixture.

4. Pour in the butter in a steady stream and fold in gently. Finally add the chocolate chips and also fold in. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least two hours, but overnight is preferable.

To bake the madeleines:

5. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6. Three quarters fill each madeleine ‘hole’ in the tin with the chilled cake batter. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the madeleines are well risen and golden brown.

6. Allow to cool in the tin for five minutes before tapping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. These are lovely eaten warm, but are also delicious cooled.

Makes 24 madeleines (or 36 mini madeleines).