Castlebar is a town that tries harder when it comes to quality food with a relaxed ambience, so it's no wonder that Barry and Helen Ralph's new business quickly found a niche when they opened House of Plates in their home town in 2016.
The concept is a little different - the name refers to their dining style of offering a number of small dishes, perhaps for sharing, rather than the traditional menu. A bit like tapas but, being big-hearted Mayo, the portions are more generous than that implies - and some of them are called Big Plates, or Sharing Boards...
And, once you've been there, it's not the small dishes that you'll remember anyway, but the funky style of the restaurant (they call it 'rustic industrial' and it's made up mainly of recycled materials), the murals by local artist Sarah O'Neill - and the super friendly and very well informed staff who know their menus back to front.
But, most of all, what you'll remember is the sheer tastiness of the food - and that's all down to Barry's philosophy of working with the region's terrific producers (their 'food partners') and making sure that what you get on your plate is a real taste of the best of Mayo.
Barry has worked as a chef in the region since around 2000, and he's always been mad about the local seasonal food produced by small businesses like Andarl Farm, Claremorris (pork); Velvet Cloud Yogurt, Claremorris; Achill Sea Salt; Padraic Gannon shellfish, Kilmeena; and "our farmer Joe Kelly".
These, and others like them, are highlighted on the website and name checked on menus, so whether it's a delicious small dish like Galway Goats Farm Cheese with Beetroot, honeycomb, pine nuts and pear, or some Clew Bay Oysters with lemon and tabasco, seaweed and lemon, it's the fresh textures and big tastes that stand out. Tiger prawns may seem a bit out of place but pretty much everything else is produced nearby.
There's no show-off cooking, but everything is just right including the price - and vegetarians and vegans will do very well here, thanks to the great flavours. Local prioducers can take a lot of credit for that but they also have their own productive garden, so that's making a great contribution too.
Drinks follow the same philosophy of course, including fairtrade coffees and teas, and there's a choice of craft beers and cider as well as wines.
Definitely one to try when you're in the West.
