Review
Grainne Moylan is one of those restaurateurs who skillfully provides an amenity for the town she lives in as well as dishing up some seriously good food. With so much food available in ready prepared or processed varieties, to find a café selling home baked ham and freshly baked deserts and breads is a real treat.
With seating inside and out in a quiet lane-way, the Pantry draws a crowd to its calming interior and spacious dining room. Smiling, friendly staff are clearly happy and the colourful array of fresh salads, sausage rolls and other treats will have your mouth watering before you even look at the menu.
The simple but carefully planned menu caters for all tastes with modern, fresh yet sumptuous salads like the Classic Caesar, one I’ve the best I’ve had, made even more complete with soft boiled egg and the tangiest home-made dressing. The beetroot and Goat's cheese is one step ahead with crunchy walnuts and sweet caramelised pear. Warm Oriental chicken with amazing Pantry Satay sounds intriguing and plays to the Irish love of all things Chinese.
Cold plates feature locally sourced and home baked Crowe’s ham or Daly’s smoked salmon as well as a quiche of the day or roast turkey breast. If you like a hearty mid-day meal you won’t be disappointed as the Roast Sirloin Special would feed a small family, and is served with delicious and warming turnip with lots of pepper, mashed carrots and parsnips, potatoes and gravy, all with a very affordable price tag.
The Hot Belly Experience gives the diner a delicious hot ciabatta but keeps the bread light and crispy. Home fries are cooked three times and it shows, so crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, while the bacon and egg butty would be the perfect morning after the night before all-day breakfast.
With fresh juices and a range of smoothies, it’s easy to tick all the healthy boxes here too, until you get to dessert of course. Classic homely favourites like the strawberry and rhubarb crumble or the yummy coconut and raspberry tart, make it easy to be impressed. Then comes the Caramel and Pecan Baked Cheesecake and every promise you ever made to not eat sweets leaves the building. This cheesecake has the perfect texture, flavours and eye rolling deliciousness anyone could wish for. If you have nothing else in this fine eatery, have this.
Nenagh is lucky to have Grainne Moylan and the Pantry. Oh and the sausage rolls which I took home for later, were amazing too.
