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Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for August - Le Petit Pois Restaurant & Wine Bar

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for August is Le Petit Pois Restaurant & Wine Bar, Galway City

Le Petit Pois, Michele et Philippe Renaut Through a picturesque stone archway at Victoria Place, not a stone’s throw from the bustle of Eyre Square, a once neglected space is now a culinary oasis - a small, friendly place to enjoy French cuisine, French cheese and French wines.

Since opening in 2015, this restaurant owned by Gallic husband and wife team, Philippe and Michèle Renaut, has made a name for itself in the French community and beyond, and is now one of the city’s most popular restaurants.

Michèle is the Chef, specialising in traditional French dishes, whilst Philippe is front of house and always on hand to advise you on the perfect wines to accompany your meal - and the menu reflects well-informed care and enough adventure to make it stand out from most of its peers in Galway city.

The service is relaxed and the food is the classic bistro offering, less formal than a restaurant and with a simpler menu and wine list. But, if you were expecting a Gallic determination to ensure authenticity by sourcing all ingredients in France, you would be mistaken. Certain speciality foods are from France, but everything else is sourced with great care from Irish artisan suppliers.

14 hours confit pork cheeks, brandy sauce, mushrooms and parsnips mash with herbs

The respect that Philippe and Michèle extend to their suppliers is exceptional, and it is undoubtedly a key element in their success. Stating an aim “to build with them a long term relationship of trust and excellence”, they express pride in working with great providers.

These include the local producers from whom they get “all the products that can be found on the Irish ground”, the trusted French suppliers of speciality French cheeses and charcuterie - and the winemakers that they import directly from, growers that they know and that have seen at work.

The local producers that they value so highly are named and profiled -including Stephane Griesbach’s Gannet Fishmongers; John Colleran & Son butchers and Le Petit Délice, traditional French bakery, both of Mainguard Street; Sheridans Cheesemongers, who supply any cheeses they don’t get directly from the Rungis Market near Paris; and Burkes Fruit & Veg, a family business specialising in growing and distributing top quality fresh produce in the Galway area - and the Renauts go even further than food and drink in acknowledging their team, by including their designers and builders in their heartfelt vote of thanks.

Cod with a Malibu, turmeric, curry and coconut sauce, giant couscous with lemon and coriander, mango in herb, seeds and spice crust

It’s all a great foundation for terrific food and, if you like traditional French cooking, this is the place for you as this kitchen specialises in the hearty, full-flavoured dishes of regional France. The short à la carte menu changes every three weeks to offer starters such as octopus salad, snails, or a signature dish of foie gras, and maybe a main course of veal blanquette or slow cooked pork cheeks.

Hearty platters of cured meats and cheese are good value and if you have left room for dessert (Michèle is an accomplished pastry chef), try a chestnut cake with homemade pear sorbet or a chocolate fondant with a melting heart of salted butter caramel.

Michèle rules the kitchen, but Philippe is the star of the show when it comes to wine. As a qualified oenologist he has put together a list of diverse and interesting wine, which he imports himself to create a list that is unique to Le Petit Pois - an impressive menu of French suppliers. There may be more than thirty wines by the glass, and he also offers wine classes (see website for details.)

Le Petit Pois brings a casual and affordable model to Galway's city centre - modest prices and simple, well-made food focused on seasonality, local produce and artisan foods - and it is great to find quality French cooking proudly based on quality Irish ingredients. With efficient French staff to create true authenticity, it’s a treat for all Francophiles.

Shank of Lamb

SAMPLE MENU:

A la Carte (changes every 3 weeks; sample available to 13th August 2016).
[Numbers below denote allergens; symbols denoting special dietary requirements are also given on actual menus]

French nibbles of the week 5 € / pers
Freshly made and can be different every day: rillettes, tapenade, crackers, etc.

STARTERS

(3,7,10) Oeuf mollet au canard fume, eclats de morilles et poireaux 10 € au beurre citronné
Soft boiled egg, smoked duck, morels bits and baby ieeks in a lemon butter sauce, served cold

(5) Foie gras au torchon, poires confites au vin blanc 10 €
The famous French delicacy made of duck liver, homemade and served with pear confit in white wine

(3.4,9,12)Terrine de raie aux poivrons et petits legumes, mousseline a I'aneth 9€
Ray wing, bell pepper and vegetables terrine, served with a dill sauce

(7) Soupe d'artichaut, chantilly a I'ail fume 8€
Artichoke soup, smoked garlic whipped cream

Steak

MAIN COURSES

(3,7,9) Joue de porc de 14h, sauce de cognac, champignons, purée de panais aux herbes 24 €
14 hours confit pork cheeks, brandy sauce, mushrooms and parsnips mash with herbs

(3,4,5,7,11,12) Cabillaud emulsion Malibu aux curry, coco couscous geant, mangue 26 €
Cod with a Malibu, turmeric, curry and coconut sauce, giant couscous with lemon and coriander, mango in herb, seeds and spice crust

(10) Risotto vegetalten aux cepes, chataignes et pakchoi 21 €
Vegan risotto with ceps, chestnuts and pakchoi

Fancy an extra on the side? Any side dish +4€

Baked baby potatoes in thyme and bay leaves
Summer mixed vegetables: courgette, aubergine, bell pepper, tomato and herbs
Lambs lettuce salad with honey dressing

Symbols also given on menu: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Gluten-free, Traditional, Optional
Allergens (1-14), full list on last page of menu

Soft boiled egg, smoked duck, morels bits and baby ieeks in a lemon butter sauce, served cold

Our Suppliers

We are working with great providers, and our aim is to build with them a long term relationship of trust and excellence.

We are proud to work with great French wine growers that we know and that we have seen at work.? All of them are professional deeply committed to offer the best possible wine while staying as close possible to organic winegrowing. These wines are unique in Galway and we are importing them ourselves to offer you a unique wine experience !

For the food, we are working with local producers for all the products that can be found on the Irish ground! Our only exceptions will be the cheese, as we want to make you discover our incredible French cheese inheritance, and the charcuterie, as the Mediterranean delicatessen is very typical and of unrivalled taste.

Finally, the gorgeous premises of Le Petit Pois have been designed and build by again a mix of French and Irish professionals. The design has been created by the incredible French cartoonist David Barou, the whole building set up from the start to the end has been coordinated and specified by Michael Lydon and the building renovated by Mike Tarpey and his team.

We are happy to show you the people behind the meal, the wines, the setting… behind Le Petit Pois!

Food providers (see below for detailed producer profiles):

Castlemine Farm, meats
Gannet Fishmongers
Larousse Food
Pallas Food
Sheridan Cheesemongers
Total Produce, vegetables

Winegrowers
Martine, Daniel and Julien Barraud – Domaine Barraud
Didier and Denise Desvignes – Domaine du Calvaire de Roche Grès

Premises
Design by David Barou
“Architected” by Michael Lydon
Build by Mike Tarpey
Heated by Whiskey refrigeration
Sound by Eamonn Hornibrook

LOCAL PRODUCERS

We work with local suppliers for all the products that are not specifically French, and even for these ones we have found local suppliers offering great quality and service. Please discover our local Franco-Irish suppliers team !

Gannet Fishmongers

Stephane Gannet is not be introduced. He has been providing fine dining restaurant in Galway for years now. He is the most Irish of the French providers in Galway (or the most French of the Irish proviers in Galway). Meet him on the market on Saturday, or in his warehouse in Ballybane or just come and taste his fish at Le Petit Pois.

Le Petit Délice

Alex and Fred, our friends and partners are of course part of the adventure. You probably already know their bread from their nice, recently redesigned little shop, in Merchant’s road, or from one of the numerous shops and restaurants that are customers of that traditional French baker in Galway.

Sheridan Cheesemongers

Sheridan is the host of good cheese in Galway. While we are still sourcing some of our cheese directly from Rungis market in France, we also work with Sheridan Cheesemongers to have a large selection. enjoy our Rookie platter or the wild “Smell my cheese” one… for adventurers only!

Colleran butchers

A mainstay of Galway meat landscape. If you like meat, you know Colleran butcher for sure. Anyway he is located close to our other partners : Sheridan, Le Petit Délice… Just cross the road and have the best meat possible.

Burkes Fruit & Veg

More than 30 years of local tasty fruits and vegetables in Galway thanks to Burkes Fruit & veg. That was the ideal partner for a restaurant who thinks that the quality of the initial products make for half the quality of the final dish !

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VIEW ALL JUST ASK RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH WINNERS

“Just Ask!” is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and encourages chefs to provide this information on their menus. The programme supports both large and smaller artisan suppliers, encouraging both Irish diners and visitors from abroad to support restaurants that are in turn supporting their suppliers.

Here at Georgina Campbell Guides we have always been avid supporters of the ‘eat local’ concept, and we always enjoy reading menus that have a real sense of place. The dining experience is greatly enriched by knowing that the food on your plate is inspired by the produce and traditions of the area, and sourced nearby – and we would love to see more chefs sharing that precious information with their guests.

If you are a visitor to the area, learning a little about local food and the people who produce it adds a special extra dimension to the visit – and, for residents, it reinforces a natural pride in the good things of their locality and makes a meal all the more enjoyable.

So, we are delighted by the high standard of menus that continue to be submitted for our ' “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month Competition', menus that really speak of the best of Irish foods – and the dedication of both the people who make them, and the chefs who select them to create wonderful dishes with real Irish flavour for our enjoyment.