Lunch in Clifden – County Galway Ireland

Given the crowds at Kylemore Abbey, we decided to continue on to Clifden and then find a place there to have lunch…

There were plenty of restaurants to choose from in the town.  Vaughan’s Pub, Bistro and Bed and Breakfast was one colorful option. (Dawn Marie…note the spelling) It turns out that Vaughan’s was also a decent culinary option too…the bistro’s ratings on TripAdvisor are 87% Excellent/Very Good!  Website: http://vaughanspub.ie/restaurant/.

Clifden, with a current population a bit over 2,000, is a ‘new town’ by Irish standards.  It was founded in the mid-1820s by John D’Arcy who had inherited Clifden Castle which is now a ruin.  At the time D’Arcy inherited the estate, the area was primarily inhabited by fishermen and farmers.  With D’Arcy’s lobbying, a quay was built as well as a road to Galway… Situated as it is at the tip of the beautiful Connemara Peninsula, the town is now a significant tourist town.

Not only had I researched dining options in Clifden, I’d also noted that Mitchell’s Restaurant was the food service provider at Kylemore Abbey.  As far as TripAdvisor’s reviews, Mitchell’s in Clifden was listed near the top of the 28 dining options available in town with 91% Excellent/Very Good out of about 1,300 reviews!

Even though it was the end of September and it was after the normal lunch hour, Mitchell’s was fairly busy.  For some reason…perhaps the brightly lit area on a gloomy day…this segment of the dining room was very popular.

…or was it those darn American tourists the other folks wanted to avoid!

  

Actually, we wanted to sit by the windows so we could watch the action outside.  We all started out with a bit of craft beer.  Under the watchful eyes of a pair of religious icons, I was careful to limit my consumption to a half pint so I’d be legal on the road. 

Bonnie and Bill shared a Connemara Seafood Platter for lunch. (25.95E/$31.10 US) This luscious platter of seafood included Dunloughan Crab, Cornamona Smoked Salmon, Fresh Salmon, Rosaveal Prawns, Killary Mussels and Oramore Oysters.  They were very, very happy with this feast!

I noted a couple of items on the menu that we hadn’t come across previously during our Irish adventure.  There was a Warm Potato Pancake with Crème Fraiche and Organic Smoked Salmon served with pickled red onion and chives. (12.50E/$15.00 US) The second item was Fish Cakes of Cod and Salmon served with mango, red pepper salsa and a cup of Seafood Chowder. (11.50E/$13.80 US)

…plus this beautiful bowl of brown bread and butter graced our table. 

I did glance at the dinner menu just to see if there were any items that seemed different than many that we’d already seen.  There was steak, Irish stew, salmon, hake, mussels, etc. as might be expected.  But another offering was Mitchell’s Fish Pie.  This consisted of fresh white fish fused with melted leeks and a light cream sauce then topped with a creamy house mash.  Not in the mood for seafood?  How about Baked Irish Chicken with blue cheese and garlic on a bed of tagliatelle?  Sounds good to me!

Laurie wasn’t feeling hungry…just didn’t feel great…so she ordered a simple but attractive Open Face Egg Salad Sandwich with a side of greens. (8.95E/$10.75)

Other open face sandwich options included: a Duo of Crab and Smoked Salmon on homemade soda bread; Connemara smoked salmon on some of that great homemade brown bread; Dunloughan White Crabmeat on brown soda bread and fresh salmon on soda bread.

Looking back at it, I wasn’t very imaginative when I ordered my lunch.  I had the Golden Fried Scampi of Cod with tossed salad leaves, nut crumble, garlic potatoes and tartar sauce. (14.95E/$17.95 US)

While my lunch was very nice, I’d had a lot of fried fish on this trip and I should have ordered something different.  A better option…just because it’s something one doesn’t find in East Tennessee…would have been the Connemara Lamb Shepherd’s Pie (11.95E/$14.35 US) The Connemara Smoked Salmon Plate with capers, horseradish and apple crème would have been another good choice. (14.50E/$17.40)

Mitchell’s Restaurant offers a comfortable dining environment, good service and a truly varied menu.  While they specialize in seafood, good options exist for those who are in the mood for something different.  To learn more, go to http://www.mitchellsrestaurantclifden.com/read-me/.

It was too bad that it was such a rainy and dreary day.  The center of Clifden is a colorful cheerful place and it would have really ‘popped’ in a burst of sunshine.  For those who like to eat, there are at least 25 restaurants in and around the town. 

For a variety of photos of Clifden and the immediate area you can go to https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clifden+ireland&id=9BEA684003777518245DAF6E340A8394C23EA15C&FORM=IARRTH.

Unfortunately, given the rain and nasty weather, we didn’t try to visit such area attractions as Connemara National Park with its herd of Connemara ponies and other wildlife, (http://www.connemaranationalpark.ie/), or the Connemara Heritage Center where visitors can learn about what life was like here in the early days. (http://connemaraheritage.com/)

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for joining us for yet another meal in Ireland!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave