Bart Pawlukojc and his wife Nicole Server-Pawlukojc brought a wealth of experience at top restaurants in Europe and beyond when they settled in Kilkenny and opened their superb bakery and daytime restaurant, Arán Artisan Bakery & Bistro, in 2019 - and it showed in the stylishly simple interior as well as their delicious food.
Not surprisingly, they were welcomed with open arms by the discerning shoppers and diners of Kilkenny - so much so, in fact, that they opened a second location, Arán Artisan Bakery and Deli, across the road in 2020, with the original premises becoming Arán Bistro.
Arán - meaning bread in Irish - is all about simple and good. Their breads are made with just four ingredients - flour, salt, water and natural leaven or a fresh yeast culture - and stone-baked in their special bread oven. And, unusually, they use locally grown stoneground flour, which is milled by the seventh generation of the Mosse family at The Little Mill on the River Nore, at nearby Bennettsbridge.
They're open from an early hour for customers popping in to collect a favourite such as a crusty sourdough loaf (made with Kilkenny Heritage Grains, a blend of Olands and Purple Wheat Wholemeal) a spelt sourdough (made with Heritage Spelt), a classic brown Irish soda bread, a cinnamon roll or a tasty scone, the range is a lovely mix of Polish and Irish baking traditions.
Arán Artisan Bakery and Deli is a take-away location offering all of the fresh bread, pastries and cakes made daily, plus coffee, olives and deli goods like charcuterie, olives and more. Arán Bistro focuses on producing dishes that feature ingredients sourced from local food producers which speaks to their freshness.
A particular favourite (and GCG award winner) is the all-day brunch, which changes depending on seasonal availability but will always showcase local produce from Kilkenny and nearby counties.
The menu leads off with the Arán Breakfast Platter... featuring Ballon Farms Egg Sunny Side Up, Sourdough Toast, Jam, Baba Ghanoush, Knockanore Cheddar Cheese, John Joe’s Rashers, Dizzy Goat Farm's Wild Pig Sausage & Goat’s Cheese, Hash Brown and Sautéed Mushrooms, it's definftely not your average Irish breakfast - and all for about €12. Vegetarian and vegan options are available and this is just the start of a menu that mainly offers imaginative variations of many of the most popular breakfast and brunch dishes, along with stalwarts such as soup of the day (with a choice of soda bread or sourdough, about €6), and all with a very local tone.
There are irresistible cakes and pastries too, of course, for dessert or a between-meals treat, and natural wines (including bubbly) available to give your meal a lift.
Most certainly worth a detour, Arán is simply special.
