Seafood is big in Ireland. There are coasts everywhere, so everything is fresh and much of it is local. Though I’ve only eaten seafood a few times in the past couple of years, I’ve decided to enjoy it here as I feel like it.
In Bantry, I knew it was time. The coast is littered with boats of all types and sizes, and every restaurant has a chalkboard listing the specials of the day. We walked through town past several restaurants, but I was looking for the perfect place. And that place was the Fish Kitchen. Located upstairs above a fish market, it was a tiny place with about 10 or so tables. Brightly painted orange walls gave the place a charm enhanced by local art and a boat mobile. A chalkboard above the register listed the specials of the day. I asked our waitress question after question about each dish, enough that it was apparent she was annoyed with me.
I chose the goujons of cob with salad and chips, though prawns, crab, and hake were among my other choices. (Goujons are like chicken strips or fish strips, I’ve gathered.) My dish came out with strips of fried fish, a lovely green salad with tomatoes and a plate of “chips,” aka fries for you Americans. The restaurant quickly filled (I think that Irish eat meals later than we do because it was about 2 p.m. by now), and some greeted each other. It seemed we had found a local favorite that was also featured in Lonely Planet.It’s this type of restaurant where you’re going to find the best food and the best atmosphere. Stingray’s is one of my family’s favorites on the Eastern Shore, because even though it’s in the back of a gas station, it has the best seafood. Eating at a generic restaurant, like a hotel or a fast food place, doesn’t appeal to me as much. Sure, it’s okay every once in a while if there’s no other choice or if that’s what a group wants to do, but I’d rather find something real, something to remember.
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