Just Ask!' Restaurant of the Month winner for December is Brownes, Tuam, Co Galway

Husband and wife team Stevie Lane and Amanda Fahy have created the perfect blend of old and new at the former Brownes Pub in Tuam. Since saving it from dereliction on returning to their home town in 2016, they’ve transformed the traditional pub where they met over 15 years ago into a modern restaurant with respect for the past that reflects their creativity and love of high quality local food. They share a passion for hospitality and, having spent many years honing their skills in leading restaurants, they wanted to bring something new and different to Tuam.

Arriving diners are welcomed by a cheery fire in the cosy front bar, The Grocery, where all the groceries sold in traditional Irish pubs once lined the walls. Brownes was always renowned for serving a good pint of stout, so here - in addition to Irish craft beers on tap (8 Degrees, Independent Connemara Pale Ale and MacIvors Cider among them) - draught Guinness takes pride of place. There’s a rotation beer tap too, as well as an interesting wine list and a range of Irish gins and cocktails, so diners can enjoy sampling new brews from Irish craft breweries. And, with treats such as Castlemine Farm pork croquettes, homemade crisps and house roasted nuts to nibble on, the short snack menu in The Grocery gives a clear hint of the good things to come on the main menu served in the simply stylish dining room.

Modern Irish cooking is the style and every delicious dish is designed to showcase the very best of local produce. Stevie works closely with local producers and the food philosophy couldn’t be clearer: “We are committed to supporting local producers and suppliers and use local, seasonal produce as much as possible throughout out menu. All our fresh meat and poultry is 100% Irish and all our fish is landed at Irish ports and delivered to us by Galway companies.”

A closer look at the Suppliers list shows the sheer quality of the producers and suppliers they work with, including two famous meat and poultry producers (Castlemine Farm, Roscommon and The Friendly Farmer, Athenry, Co. Galway), fish and seafood from the excellent Mary’s Fishmongers, Galway, and dairy foods from outstanding local producers including Galway Goat Farm of Dunmore, Co. Galway and the unique Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Yogurt in Co Mayo. Growers, who include the nearby Fuinseog Farm and Heneghan Nurseries of Athenry, are equally carefully selected.

Menus are simply presented, mostly with three or four word descriptions - Friendly Farmer Chicken, Romesco, Leek; Castlemine Farm Pork Belly, Beetroot, Pak Choi - and, while mainly an evening à la carte destination, there’s a heartily rustic casual Famer’s Market lunch on Fridays, and a long lunch on Sunday too. Everything is made freshly in-house by Stevie and, although there’s nothing too showy about the cooking, his fine dining background comes through in the deep flavours and careful presentation of each skilfully prepared dish.

Stevie is committed to creating exceptional food with premium ingredients and passionate about serving the very best from the West. All this, together with a warm ambience and lovely friendly service, combine to make Brownes - and his home town of Tuam - a favoured destination over wide area.

Sample Menu here. 

Supplier listing here.

OPENING HOURS
Wednesday - Saturday
A La Carte Menu From 5.30pm
Sunday
1-4pm (A La Carte Menu)
Friday Farmer's Market Lunch
12 noon - 2.30pm (Casual Lunch)

ADDRESS
The Square, Tuam, Co. Galway H54 VP96
Tel: 093 60700
Email: info@brownestuam.ie

www.brownestuam.ie

“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 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.