Judas Goat Taberna In Blood Alley

What does that mural say?

2010-05-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

We have received a couple of requests asking for the meaning of the mural....so here you go!

Goat, Judas Goat. Pleased to meet you. Welcome to my place. Please sit down, have a drink, and a bite to eat. Enjoy yourself, relax. You deserve it. It’s rough out there, and I ought to know. I had a nervous breakdown, victim of my own success really. On stress leave, and thinking about rolling this into a sweet retirement. It was simple back in the day, when farmers were allowed gate sales, the meat you ate came from one animal. Every so often I would lead a herd of spring lamb to the truck or a few cows to the slaughterhouse. Things got busy later, operations got bigger, increased demand and I was working steady, every day busy. The money was good, up at Seven, get my stink on, take a load of sheep to the truck, move 30 head of cattle, break for lunch, then back for more cows, a coffee, a few more sheep, and knock off at five for a cold one. Like I said, the money was good. Then one day, THEN ONE DAY!! The government changed the laws, no more gate sales, each and every animal slaughtered had to be taken to an abattoir. I was working insane hours. No lunch. No coffee. They upsized and I was head of the largest department in history. Crazy making. Up at four thirty, meet the team by teleconference. Each moving six hundred head of cattle by seven. Don’t even mention the sheep. Millions, literally. The stress was giving me an ulcer. By the time the cows went nuts, I walked. We take it slow here, it’s peaceful. The food is good. The company is excellent.

Click the photo to link to the artist's website

Patio for the Goat

2010-05-23T13:21:00.001-07:00

GOAT PATIO

We are working hard to secure a 3ft patio that'll run parallel to the restaurant's sliding doors.

The idea is to secure just enough room for a row of high stool to run the length of the marble counter. Guests will be served over the counter, instead of by way of our servers carrying food and drink out into the street.

As with most of the stuff that we do, there doesn't seem to be a precedent so we are breaking new ground, and as you can imagine, it takes a little longer to achieve.

That said, we are pretty far along the road with this....so fingers crossed.

New Dish At Judas Goat

2010-05-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Gin, fennel & olive oil compressed watermelon with shaved feta, radish & celery leave salad

We are plenty happy now!!

2010-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

"The hype is well justified. Because once I finally lassoed a table at this tiny, 28-seat hideaway, I was thrilled to discover that of all the trendy new Spanish-themed tapas bars now running around the ring, Judas Goat is the only matador worth cheering for". Alexandra Gill

Click HERE for review

Tim Pawsey like the Goat

2010-04-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tim Pawsey from the Courier says CLICK HERE

Mia Stainsby likes our Goat

2010-04-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver Sun's food critic Mia Stainsby visited us twice last week....not that we knew it at the time, and she liked what she saw/ate. Click HERE for her review.

Delighted with the reviews so far....

2010-03-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

We have been anxious over the first few reviews of our little goat. So far, people are receiving it as we hoped that they would.

URBANDINER

MARTINI BOYS

VITAMIN DAILY

YELP

NOSHWELL

VANCOUVER SLOP

THE PROVINCE NEWSPAPER

Staff Menu Knowledge Session-445pm March 13th, 2010

2010-03-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

WE ARE OPEN !!!

2010-03-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Finally, after several false starts and a tonne of red tape heartache, we've opened the door.

On Thursday we hosted family and friends, whose opinions we trust, for a dry run. On Friday morning we had a meeting to discuss their comments, did a little tweaking and then opened at 6pm for business.

For last night and tonight we are offering all food items at 20% off. This is just our way of saying that it might take us a couple of days to get our game together and while we tweak things, we are not going to charge full price. Sunday we close to regroup and on Monday at 5pm we'll be rocking at full steam.

Here is a look at the menu:(Click to enlarge)

Good News & Bad News

2010-01-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

Despite our best efforts, it is now highly unlikely that we will receive final documentation in time to open for the Olympics. Last night, we made the difficult decision to delay the opening of Judas Goat, until early March. The uncertainty of the red tape situation means that instead of training, ghost running and ironing out kinks, we are stalled. If we get the green light next week we'll be doing all of those things on the eve of the Olympics.... it is too much stress to place on the Salt and the Irish Heather teams. So, with heavy heart we have decided to postpone the opening.

That said, if we get the paperwork back sooner rather than later, and can spare the staff from one of the operations, we will do a couple dry runs.

And now the good news, Judas Goat is looking splendid, well, we think so!

Sean

The Carrera Arrives

2010-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

The final big piece of the puzzle falls into place.

Judas Goat now has it's marble.

While I am reluctant to say it, it was worth the wait.

Artist Robert Chaplin completes our mural.

2010-01-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

The Story of Judas Goat

Vancouver Sun

2010-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Mia Stainsby wrote about us in the Vancouver Sun on Jan 4th.

http://bit.ly/51NerJ

The photo caption mistakenly claims that Judas Goat opened on Dec 21st and that night 37 people either phone Salt or turn up at the door......it would appear that there might be some interest in our little Goat.

Nice mention in Vancouver Magazine

2009-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

click HERE to read

Media Interest Begins To Burn

2009-12-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

Early in November, Scout Magazine posted a video of the bare bones shell of Judas Goat. Since then, several publications have expressed an interest in photographing J.G. and/or interviewing me.

This is an essential part of launching a successful operation. If people don't write about your project, chances are, few people will ever know that you even opened.

This afternoon, Scott Hawthorn and myself had a blast being a part of a photo shoot, arranged by Mia Stainsby of The Vancouver Sun. Early in January, I have an interview with Paul Kamon, of UrbanDiner.ca.

And so it begins......

Sheep being led by a Judas Goat

2009-12-04T18:37:00.001-08:00

Scout Magazine does a video update

2009-11-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Andrew Morrison posted a video of an interview he conducted with Sean Heather. In it Sean discusses the vision for Judas Goat and Blood Alley.

Click HERE to view

FLOOR - DONE

2009-10-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, we are included in the Georgia Straight's "Best of Vancouver"

2009-09-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

Best New Restaurant Name

Judas Goat Taberna
Blood Alley, Gastown

Judas Goat Taberna will likely be open by the time you read this. This wee eatery, next door to sibling Salt, is the latest venture from Sean Heather (Salt, Irish Heather, Salty Tongue, Shebeen) and his partner in Salt, Scott Hawthorn. The pair decided to open a taberna, or Spanish-style tapas bar, and figured the name Judas Goat seemed fitting. A Judas goat, an abattoir habitué, is trained to make nice with other goats, sheep, and cows, and then lead them to be slaughtered. The new space is located in Gastown’s Blood Alley, and once Heather and Hawthorn discovered that several abattoirs once backed onto it, well, they couldn’t resist.

We have a floor!

2009-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

We have chosen the classic octagon tile shaped mosiac that was once so popular here in Gastown. Though still fairly popular around the world, this particular tile is scarce here in North America. We have chosen a white floor with black tiles as an accent....if we had chosen a red or brown accent the price and lead time would have been crazy, or so I've been told.

Here is an example of an original floor here in Gastown.

Our Architect Get Long Overdue Kudos

2009-08-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Our Designer/Architect, Gair Williamson has received some long overdue attention. Check here in the next couple of days to read his exploits in The Architectural Review.

Development Permit...hallelujah!

2009-08-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

We have finally secured our Development Permit from the City of Vancouver. I am not going to waste time talking about it, suffice to say that it has taken a lot longer then it should have.

We are in the final stages of securing quotes for the pig skin banquette, tile floor, tin plate ceiling, marble counters, etc.

It feels good to be moving on this project again...I am starting to feel the fire in my belly rekindle.

Keep watching for menu development, marketing, construction and staff training.

Cheers,

Sean Heather

Not quite there yet

2009-06-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

We are still wrangling with the bank, building owners, City Hall, etc, over the finer points associated with opening a restaurant in our fair city.

By early next week we should be up to our armpits in floor and counter samples.

In the meanwhile we are thinking of these stools...what do you think?

A few Photos

2009-06-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

We are set to take possession of the unit this Monday 15th June. Development permit papers are being filed tomorrow. Ceiling, floor, wall and counter finishes have all been finalized or at least shortlisted.

Our Architect is Gair Williamson...check out his company HERE he is the same chap who collaberated with us on Salt Cellar.

Salt Cellar is on the right and below you'll find photos of Judas Goat as it looks today.

And now we have a lay out...kinda sorta!!

2009-06-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

....and now we have a goat.

2009-06-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Artist Robert Chaplin has created the face of an innocent yet slightly evil looking goat. With devilish horns and a twinkle in his eye, our Judas Goat mascot is a perfect fit. I'd trust him.... wouldn't you?

We have a name.

2009-04-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

THE JUDAS GOAT
Taberna

A name like Judas Goat cries out for an explanation!

When animals are trucked to a slaughterhouse they are often reluctant to get off the truck…..go figure! Most abattoirs have a resident older goat living on the property. The goat is trained to make nice with the animals, and then lead them off the truck to the obvious conclusion. Because of the goat’s treachery, and abuse of his position of trust, he is nicknamed the “Judas Goat”. The tragedy of it all is that the goat is ignorant of what is happening around him and his role in it. He is just being friendly.

Allegedly Blood Alley got its name from the numerous abattoirs that backed onto the alley.

The Judas Goat in Blood Alley, ........for numerous reasons, we couldn’t resist.

Madrid-Vancouver

2009-03-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

A touch shell shocked from the carnage of the slaughter house and suddenly feeling the fatigue from too many late night/early morning combos, we headed out for Madrid.

I began the drive, but within 30 mins, as we began our descent out of the mountains, I started to nod off. Brian took over (he drives for a living) and with Scott already asleep, I drifted off to Brian's grumbling about a busman's holiday.

I awakened to the beauty of Madrid and instantly regretted not making more time for this city. After the usual check-in, parking of car, etc we made our way to Madrid's "Old Town". This part of Madrid has the city's highest concentration of Tapas Bars or Taberna.

We literally were able to ramble from store front to store front, drinking small beers & small pours of local wines, and eating very conceivable small food item.
The main differences between the Pinxos Bar in San Sebastian and the Taberna of Madrid were A) no dogs in Madrid, B) Madrid operations refrigerate their food items in display cabinets instead of leaving them out on the counter tops for hours, C) Bar counters in Madrid are lined with seated patrons, while in San Sebastian everybody stands, D) in Madrid, people tried to speak English to us E) Taberna in Madrid had large seated restaurant like areas.

Our night was too short and the choices too many, so that by 10pm we were hammered and stuffed.

Next morning Brian and myself headed to the airport; Brian flying back to Ireland and I back to Vancouver. Scott stayed a while longer before heading back to New York. Our trip was done, and now we would begin the task of incorporating the information that we had into our restaurant design and concept.

2009-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Iberico Country

The drive from San Sebastian was long and a little boring. We set out at 9am and 6 hours later, thanks to a cheap portable satellite navigational system, that on more then one occasion was almost fucked out the window.

The last part of the journey saw us climb out of a never-ending low flat terrain and into a cooler mountainous region. We were excited for the change in scenery and the cooler temperatures but really, my excitement stemmed from the fact that we had reached Iberico country…you cannot cure hams in a warm climate.

Late in January I was fortunate to host Raul Martin at Salt. Raul is the grandson of Fermin Martin (founding father of the Fermin brand). There are many producers of cured ham in Spain, but there are not many who make the Iberico Pata Negra. Fermin are one such producer, but they distance themselves from the pack by being one of only a few who rear, slaughter and cure their own animals. They are even more unique because they are the only producer who FDA approved to sell their product in North America, a right that took 10 years of intensive paperwork and several visits from American Inspectors. Their Spanish slaughterhouse is actually inspected by FDA annually (www.embutidosfermin.com).

When we arrived at the plant we shared the parking lot with a truck that was dropping off the last of 200 pigs that were to be dispatched the next morning. We met with Raul and after a little catch up he asked what we would like to do at Fermin. I replied that we’d like to see the process from piglet to 36-month-old Iberico ham and he said that he would be delighted to oblige.

So for the remaining of the natural light that day we were to see the animals from piglets in a farm to gorging themselves on acorns and sleeping under acorn trees in a 1000 acre farm.

A true Iberico black hoof pig. Notice the long thin legs and narrow snout.

The Iberico is a breed indigenous to Spain. It is black in color, has a narrow face and narrow legs and its genes allow for as much as 49% of it’s body to be made up of fat. There are 4 wonders of the gastronomical world: truffles, caviar, foie gras and the Iberico Black Hoof Pig. Nobody else in the world can rear it and whether as fresh meat or cured, it is highly prized.

Piglets and sow...

We first toured a farm where the animals are bred. We saw everything from piglets to sows ready to give birth to sows recently pregnant. We also saw the boars, which are leaner and hairier then their female counter parts.

The brown hairy fellow is the only male in a group of 60 pregnant sows.

They put him in there in case one or two are not pregnant yet.

The next farm that we went to was specifically concerned with the last 3 to 4 months of the animal’s life. During this period they eat acorns, grass, wild rosemary and wild thyme and this combined with the 49% body fat give the animal its distinctive taste.

The animals eat acorns from 3 kinds of oak trees. One species is the same tree that cork is harvested from. During the last 4 months of their lives, they will eat an average of 10kgs of acorns per day, all the while sleeping outdoors under the same acorn trees. Basically, if they aren’t sleeping they’re eating and this gorging adds an extra 50-75 lbs of pure fat to their bodies.

Bark from tree has been harvested for wine corks

As the light faded, and our stomachs growled, we checked into our hotel and ate a modest meal. As Raul dropped us at our hotel he asked us to be at the plant for 7am and when we asked why so early, he said rather solemnly and cryptically, “to view the next stage”.

Talk over dinner inevitably fell to; did Raul mean the actual slaughter? Could we actually witness that? The other two lads were not so sure that they were ready for that and to be fair it was kind of sprung on them. I, on the other hand didn’t feel that I had a choice. For many years, I have wrestled with my conscience over the killing of animals and my part in it. I use pork in all of my operations and can often account for 100’s of lbs a week…..shouldn’t I be present at least once during a slaughter???

If I’m not willing to be involved in the killing of animals then can I really make money off the back of their slaughter? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging others and indeed there are many times when I reject my own argument as ridiculous. The fact that I am apprehensive about being present because it might make me sick or ruin my day, is not a good enough reason. They’re lives are being taken so that I can sell a product and make a profit, the least that I can do is witness it.

Anyway, tirade over, I had given it a lot of thought and knew that I must attend. The other lads had decided that they would go to the plant decide then.

We arrived at the slaughterhouse at 7am, as requested. Donned white overalls, bootees, mask and hair net. After walking through disinfectant baths and having our hands washed in what smelled and felt like pure alcohol, we were led onto the plant floor. The first thing that struck me was the noise and then the smell.200 pigs are processed through here every morning between 6am and 11am, you need a lot of machinery to move things along at that pace and machines make a lot of noise.

Raul led us through the floor to the first stage in the process and asked that we not photograph this part. Actually, he shouted at us over the noice and as we were concentrating on where we were walking and trying to hear what he was saying, we didn’t actually realize where he had led us to until we were at the killing stage. We sort of turned a corner and I was immediately struck by an unbelievable scene involving pigs being shocked, cut, hung, dropped in boiling water then having their hair and skin scraped off. I was fascinated and a little overwhelmed by what I saw, the two lads, who hadn’t even a moment to decide whether they’d view it or not were also fascinated. The noise, the flash of a knife, the geezer of blood was unlike anything I had ever scene before. Some of the animals we screeching, but that was for just 15 seconds before they received an electric shock, nonetheless, the noise of the animals and the machinery combined with the blood and the use of a knife on a live animal (albeit stunned) caused me to trip slightly. Despite the fact that this was highly organized and heavily regulated, I felt like I was witnessing the end of the world. I remember thinking that this felt a lot like that scene in Apocalypse Now when Martin Sheen and the boat crew stop off at a besieged outpost to refuel.

Me looking a little shell shocked...

After witnessing 4 animals meet their end, we walked around the corner to the space where the pigs were disemboweled, cut in half and had their tongues and hearts removed. At this point we were allowed to take photos.

Pigs have just emerged from the hot water bath.

This rids them of their hair and oddly, an outer layer of skin, making the black pig white.

The animals that you see here were alive less then 20 mins ago.

Disemboweled and cut in half, with some still attached by the skin of their back.

check out the back fat on this animal

As we moved to the next stage my heart began to beat a little easier as I had witnessed whole animals being butchered many times before at J. N. & Z.

A sight that I am more familiar with...

In this room, the animal is broken down into loins for lomo, meat is scraped off the spent bones for chorizo and salchicon, legs are trimmed for hams, several fresh cuts of meat and beautiful 3” thick slabs of back fat for lardo.

slabs of back fat

There is a piece of the animal that the Spanish call “Secreto” and it is sort of like a flank steak but with over 49% fat content. When cooking it you are supposed to grill it, but you can never leave it on the grill for longer then a second. So, cooking it demands constant turning and moving around the hot surface.

Secreto

In the next room we see items being prepared for salting and then curing, etc.

I’ll let the photos take it from here.

The salting room was almost full at the time of our visit.

Only Spanish sea salt is used

When full there are 80,000 legs in this room.

The chorizo room...

It had been an awesome 16 hours, but we had a 3 ½ hour drive ahead of us. So with an eye on the time we thanked Raul for his hospitality and made our way to Madrid.

Next up, we gorge on Tapas, Madrid style, and return home to Vancouver and the construction of our new restaurant.

European Trip-Spain

2009-03-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Spain

Arrived in Madrid airport at 9am and was met by Scott Hawthorn (co-owner of Salt) who had arrived from New York earlier. Rented a car from Avis and set off on our 4+ hour drive to San Sebastian.

Stopped at a truck stop and were delighted to find lomo packaged as a roadside snack, a welcome change from the pepperoni and jerky at Canadian Chevrons.

Arrived in San Sebastian at 4pm and after a snooze and a freshen up, we set out for the old town to experience the Tapas Bar culture or as the Basques call them Pintxos.

As mentioned in the previous post we are in Spain to collect ideas for a new project, specifically to see if the essence of the Tapas Bar can be transplanted to Vancouver.

Our conclusion is that in order for an authentic Pintxos Bar to operate in Vancouver several established laws would have to be broken. In many locations we observed people smoking, food left at room temperature on counter tops for hours, the same food items completely exposed to the elements (including people sneezing on or around them) and dogs, dogs everywhere dogs.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have a problem with most of this (the octopus was a bit iffy) but we could never recreate these particular elements in Vancouver. We used to allow dogs to sit in the Heather’s glass conservatory until one concerned citizen dropped a dime and we were threatened with the Health Board’s full wrath if we allowed dogs to continue to enter.

But these aren’t the only things that give a Pintxos Bar its unique feel. Some of the aspects that we like and feel would work in Vancouver are -Smaller pours of beer & wine, a varied selection of small reasonably priced food items, hams hanging from the ceiling, ham being sliced off the bone from a counter top and a standing bar (ie no stools, not even one.)

We are curious to see if the Tapas Bars in Madrid allow dogs and smoking like their Basque counterparts. There is definitely a feeling in San Sebastian of “we do it our way and to hell with the rest of you”. I pity the individuals who are charged with enforcing the smoking bylaw in San Sebastian. Most of the people who we saw smoking in restaurants were doing so under no smoking signs.

We ate and drank our way through 4 bars that night with the best being “Gandarias Taberna’s” as recommended by Tim Pawsey.

amazing meats...

baked goat's cheese wrapped in bacon

pouring a glass of the Basque sparkling wine, txakoli

deep-fried pig's ear...

Stuffed and tired we returned to our hotel and decided on a nightcap at the local Irish Pub Molly Malone’s.

The next day we walked the length and breath of San Sebastian and concluded that while beautiful, it was a seaside town that’s heart beat loudest in the summer.

That night we decided on dinner at a restaurant. Bernardo Etxea came well recommended for their work with fresh seafood. We decided on sharing half a fresh fish, some grilled octopus and some locally produced lomo. All were great, with the fish being the standout.

Grilled octopus dusted in smoked paprika...

Whole grouper...

head off, filleted and hissing on the grill...

plated and doused in a warm lemon infused olive oil

Still tired and slightly hung-over from the previous nights “Nightcap” we called it a night.

Next installment: hanging out with Iberico Black Pigs

European Trip-London and Dublin

2009-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

London

Arrived in London at lunchtime and got to the hotel just in time to freshen up and then head out for a late lunch.

Canteen “is committed to providing honest food, nationally sourced, skillfully prepared and reasonably priced.” That’s what their website says. I can’t disagree with their claim.

As I was tired and hungry, I chose the safe option of Bangers & Mash. It tasted great save for the char on one side of each of the bangers. Thankfully, the very sweet onion gravy balanced the char. So, after comfort food and a cup of tea I felt restored and ready to head out to Borough Market, one of London’s better food markets.

Bacon, anybody?

I think they're all dead...

Mmm, goose fat...

After ambling round the market for a while I headed over to Neal’s Yard cheese store for a meeting with their sales rep, Jane.

Normally when a Canadian restaurant/store purchases imported cheese they must go through a broker. There is a quota on how much Imported cheese is allowed into Canada each year and only brokers who have inherited or purchased quota can bring cheese in. Since the quota system was implemented in the 70’s, the quotas have not been increased.

Most of the time, the selection of imported cheeses is based on what a broker believes will absolutely sell, i.e. they are not inclined to use up their quota on unusual, risky cheeses that may not sell. So if you have ever wondered why the selection of foreign cheese is so limited in Vancouver, it’s because brokers are unwilling to take a risk. And really, who can blame them?

Vancouver company Dovre Imports has some of this quota and a refreshingly different attitude to ordering. When it comes to unusual cheese they allow sellers like me to place our order directly with the European cheese sellers. Neal’s Yard is one such cheese seller and Jane calls me once a month to talk about her favorites, what’s good and what’s not. I then place my order. The first time Dovre knows about this is when they receive confirmation from Neal’s Yard that an order has been sent.

Today I am going to place my order in person.

Store manager Toby and sales rep Jane help me taste my way through 20+ cheeses. When it is over I have ordered Lincolnshire Poacher, Isle of Mull, Cashel Blue, Gubbeen and Dawes Weslydale.

Jane

Wall of cheese...

Tired and feeling a “cheese coma” coming on, I head for my hotel.

Next day I had breakfast in an English Café called The Regency Café.

Film buffs might recognize the Regency as the scene of a brutal assault in the movie “Layer Cake”.

The café is busy and runs like a well-oiled machine. Everybody lines up to place their order, and you must not take your seat until your order has been placed. The lady, who takes your money, also makes your tea, puts your toast down and calls out your order when it is ready for you to collect. Between “to go” and “to stay” business, she processes over 90 people in the 30 minutes that I am there. I get my tea when I place my order, and as I settle in my seat the lady bellows “White Toast”. I collect my toast and settle back in my seat only to hear “bacon, egg, sausage and tomato” roared again.

The big booming voice does not match the small lady, so much so that I at first thought that there was a burly cook shouting from the kitchen. But no, she is a small lady with a big booming voice. Nonetheless, each time she bellowed it was like something out of Poltergeist. The truth is that if she didn’t shout, a customer might not hear her and the food would start to pile up in front of her, etc. The breakfast was great, with the tomatoes being a welcome change from the usual baked beans.

Content, I head to Covent Garden to visit the store of Irish designer Orla Kiely. My wife was gracious enough to hold the fort (business/home) so that I could go on this trip, this despite the fact that all 3 children and my wife had been sick the day before I left. I would be killed if I went to London and didn’t buy an Orla Kiely item. Just like Isaac Mizrahi, Orla Kiely has been commissioned by Target to design a line of goods.

Purchase made, I made my way to “The Cow” gastropub in Notting Hill for lunch. It is arguably London’s first gastropub and as such is considered to have led the gasatropub revolution. It has been a major influence on the Irish Heather and I always try to visit whenever I am in London.

The Cow is owned by Ton Conran, whose dad is Sir Terrance Conran, the founder of Habitat (Britain’s version of IKEA) and owner of 30+ restaurants. Tom appears to have passed on the family business in favour of building his own empire. Tom also has a deli, “Toms Deli”, a diner, “Lucky 7”, and a Mexican cantina, “Crazy Homies”.

I ordered the chicken liver paté, fruit chutney and toast with a beautiful pint of Guinness. The guy beside me had a whole Dorset crab that was as big as his head.

There were two reasons for this trip. First, to check out the tapas culture of Spain. Second, to attend the Ireland versus England game in the Six Nations international rugby tournament in Dublin. I next headed out to Stansted airport to catch a flight to Ireland.

Ireland

After an overnight in my hometown of Limerick, myself and Brian (pals since we were 12 years old) drove to Dublin on Saturday morning. The scene of the rugby game was Croke Park. This stadium is located in the city and with a sold out capacity of 82,000 people, all roads leading to it are clogged beyond belief.

We parked our car at my uncles house in the ‘burbs and he gave us a lift into the city center in his vintage Rolls Royce. Riding in this old boy was like floating on a cloud…

Once downtown we headed to Bentleys Oyster Bar & Grill for a pre-game late luncheon. Bentleys is the first Irish-based restaurant from Irish-born, UK-based celebrity chef Richard Corrigan. Chef Richard has a Michelin star restaurant in London’s Soho (Lindsay House), and Bentleys is a casual seafood restaurant in the center of Dublin.

With Corrigan’s following in Britain and his Irish roots, Bentleys was an obvious choice for Brits and Irish folk in Dublin for the game, and it was packed. The mirror above the fireplace was draped in the British Union Jack and the Irish Tricolor.

I had an in-house smoked haddock with soft poached egg and Brian had the fish and chips. Both were superb, and so with two hours to go we walked to the stadium.

Ireland carried the day and there was much celebrating that night, though ours was muted slightly as we had to fly out to Spain at 6am the next morning.