Review
Randy Lewis has the kind of passion for food that you wish all restaurant owners possessed. With a big, bold and colourful interior and some fabulous graphics on the wall illustrating Randy’s travels and food ethos, you know instantly that this is home to him and his busy team. The colors are bold and new, the staff t-shirts match the walls, and the devil is in the small but strong details.
We arrive in, soaked from an optimistic walk on the beach, which is right in front of the restaurant with a great viewThey open weekends from 10 until 6pm, and at weekends in the evening as well.
The menu feeds hungry windsurfers, walkers and families down for the day. In a surfers paradise, portion size matters, as do fresh and healthy ingredients. Breakfast is big news with omelettes like the Roast Veg served with side salad and rye bread or Poached Eggs with Smoked Salmon on rye with Spinach and Tomatoes. This is healthy, hearty and modern food.
At I start with the Crab Dumplings; crispy wantons filled with succulent crab, mildly spiced and dressed with mussels, beautiful looking and delicious too. The Chicken Wings tick every box, crispy and dressed in their own home-made BBQ sauce which I wish I could take home. Local ingredients like St.Tola Goats Cheese feature in the mushroom paté. Pizza lovers will be very happy with thin and crispy bases loaded with local, fresh and tasty toppings.
If seafood is your thing, you’re in the right place. The Seafood Pasta is decadent and sumptuous; salmon and prawns smothered in a lobster bisque and served on fantastic wide noodles, it’s a silence inducing luxury.
Fish and Chips could have its own guidebook. Randy’s kitchen produces a plate of a crispy coated piece of cod, coated in their two-year-old batter, which they feed daily like sourdough, it’s golden and crunchy and steaming inside. Chips are real, like my own and the tartare sauce is made on site, with a tiny hint of curry spices, and all served artistically on a slate with plenty of salad which makes it a meal that ticks ever box.
The Steak Sandwich is rich with lots of blue cheese melted over slices of seared beef. The Teriaki Beef is a popular favourite and reflects Randy’s travels. For dinner try the Seared Cod with Curried Mussels, the Greek Lamb Kebab or go all out for the 10oz Rib Eye or the Baby Back foot-long pork ribs. No appetite is too big or too small and every taste is catered for in this refreshingly exciting menu.
Desserts are colourful and fresh, the Berry Cheesecake is just perfect and gluten avoiders can go for the Orange Almond Cake. Coffee and herbal teas hit the spot to round off a perfect feast. Randy is doing something good here in this lovely space; small enough to be cosy, big enough to have your hen party. This man is truly cut out for this business. Next time you’re in West Clare, swing by and treat yourself.
