Meal #52: Ireland

An Irish toast (the first of several):

May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you're dead.

The Irish are known for a number of things: a drinking culture; conflict and devotion; tempers which flare, then dissipate into self deprecating humour; an incomprehensible accent; beer so thick you can stand a spoon in it; leprechauns and pots of gold; and potatoes. Oh, the potatoes.

The Quiet Man

271 Racecourse Rd

Flemington

93766232

Lured by promises of five (yes, five) different types of mash, Rami, Caroline, Naomi, Nick, Sai, Jo, Helen, Ross, Deb, Paul and Marty arrived in search of Irish cheer, and Irish beer.

The Quiet Man is proud of its many awards, proclaiming them not-so-quietly on huge banners facing the main street: "Best Pub without Gaming " and "Best Theme Venue" amongst the honours heaped upon this establishment. The Shamrock dining room sports the look of many an Irish pub- wooden benches, Guinness posters, and many noisy diners and drinkers. Sprawling on long wooden benches, we pored over the extensive Irish menu. The chef is Irish, and lauds the fresh produce of Irish cuisine. Apparently a key employment criteria is that staff must be Irish backpackers, their lilting accents adding to the general hubbub.


Entrees

Natural Oysters
Escalopes of Irish Black Pudding

Mains


Bagun Agues Cabaiste- Bacon and Cabbage

Liam McCarthy's Lamb Shanks
Scotch Fillet Doolin' Style- Steak with prawn and scallop
The Quiet Man Stack- Steak and Chicken Breast
Boxty- Potato Pancake
St James Gate Beef and Guinness Pie
Bally McElliot's Brown Beef Stew

Sides

Steamed Vegetables

Green Salad

Creamy Mashed Potato

Spinach Mashed Potato

Champ- Mashed Potato with spring onion

Chips

The Meals

Entrees were a mixture of the tried and true (Helen happily dived into a plate of oysters) and, for many, the suspiciously new. Four brave souls put their hands up to try the black pudding, and were pleasantly surprised by the combination of flavours, the sweetness of the apple highlighting the earthy depth of the sausage.

We were pleased with our efforts to sample as many types of potato as possible; the chips, and chunks of boiled potato within stews and pies were tasty enough, but it was the abundance of mash that truly sparked our imaginations. Thrillingly green, the spinach mash was a tasty side, while the crunch of spring onion in the champ explained its popularity as an Irish meal in its own right.


It was easy to sample traditional Irish fare here, with most dishes being of clear Irish origin- or, at the very least, clear Irish nick-naming. Just as comfortable on an Aussie pub specials board, the lamb shanks, served in a tasty jus abed creamy mashed potato, sported tender meat which fell from the bone. In a standard Aussie pub, the Doolin' scotch fillet may well have been labelled a Surf'n'turf. Perfectly cooked, the steak presented impressively, served on a stack of that exciting green spinach mash and topped with succulent seafood.

Refusing to be outdone by a single steak, the Quiet Man Stack proved it possible to serve far more food stacked atop itself. Consisting of steak, then chicken, then steak, then chicken and served with veg and potato, this meat-a-thon astounded the recipient. Paul deserves congratulations for bravely rising to the challenge!

We were sure to tackle some more traditional Irish fare, as well. Generally a poor man's dish, the Bacon and Cabbage is boiled together, and was served on an enormous bed of potato mash. Despite its simplicity, this dish was enjoyed for its delicate texture and subtle mix of flavours. The Boxty potato pancake was at one point described as 'an enormous gnocchi', but as the diner was quite fond of gnocchi, this was a compliment! Served a little like a parmagiana, with cheese and tomato sauce, this was another one to add to our tally of satisfying Irish potato dishes.

Of course, it simply wouldn't be a meal in an Irish pub without a beef and Guinness pie. We tried this dish, served in an individual ramekin (did Rami's come in a Rami-kin? Sorry...), both with and without the creamy potato topping. Tender meat and a rich sauce combined to produce a truly satisfying version of this meal. However,. without a pie crust, it did feel a little bit like the poor man's version of one of Quiet Man's legendary stews.

The menu advised that the Brown Beef Stew would be served in an edible loaf. It didn't warn that the loaf was literally a half loaf of bread. With the soft, white crust intact, this loaf was stuffed to bursting point with hearty gravy, deliciously tender strips of beef and a token smattering of vegetables. When strips of the bread loaf were torn away, it revealed a soft, gravy soaked underside to the crust. At less than $20, and in a serving size that couldn't be finished by two sharing the meal, the stew at Quiet Man is a sure fire winner.


In true Irish fashion, we washed down our meals with a selection of beverages, including gin and tonics, and a sampling of fine Irish beers: Harp; Kilkenny; and Guinness.

Here's to a temperance supper,
With water in glasses tall,
And coffee and tea to end with--
And me not there at all!

The Verdict

After a disappointing meal for our Great Britain outing, there were those amongst us leery of another pub meal. We shouldn't have feared. The Quiet Man's reputation is well deserved. The meals were outstanding, and the selection wide and varied. Despite the name, it's certainly not a quiet night out in this bustling venue. This is a guaranteed revisit venue, best enjoyed with a group of friends.

May the lilt of Irish laughter
Lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic
Shorten every road.
And may your friends remember
All the favours you are owed!

Next Stop: Ireland

There are many references to food and drink in early Irish literature. Honey seems to have been widely eaten and used in the making of mead. The old stories also contain many references to banquets, although these may well be greatly exaggerated and provide little insight to every diet.

From the Middle Ages, till the arrival of the potato in the latter half of the 17th Century, the dominant feature of the rural economy was the herding of cattle. However, fresh meat was generally considered a luxury except for the most affluent until the late 19th century. The poor generally made do with dairy products and offal, supplemented with oats and barley. The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter was not uncommon, with black pudding still a breakfast staple in Ireland.

The potato was introduced into Ireland in the second half of the 16th century, and came to be the main food crop of the poor. Potatoes were also used as a food for pigs (kept to provide ham and bacon that could be stored over the winter). The reliance on potatoes as a staple crop meant that the people of Ireland were vulnerable to poor potato harvests. Consequently several famines occurred throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

Irish cuisine now can be divided into two main categories – traditional, mainly simple dishes, and more modern dishes, as served in restaurants and hotels.

Colcannon is a dish made of potato and one of wild garlic, cabbage or curly kale. Champ consists of mashed potato into which chopped scallions are mixed.

Other examples of simple Irish meals are Irish stew, bacon and cabbage (boiled together), and boxty, a type of potato pancake.

A dish mostly particular to Dublin is coddle, which involves boiled pork sausages. Ireland is famous for the Irish breakfast, a fried meal generally comprising of bacon, egg, sausage, black and white pudding, fried tomato and which may also include fried potato farls or fried potato slices.

While seafood has always been consumed by Irish people, shellfish dishes have increased in popularity in recent times. Many oyster festivals are held annually around the coast where oysters are often served with Guinness.