Against the Grain

"People said to me "People in Carlow wouldn't eat that type of food"

Sinead Byrne, Lennon's Café Bar

We bought the pub first and then modernised it, and when we came to do the food ­ because my background in Bord Bia was dealing with fresh products ­ that was the direction I decided to take. I chose not to go the carvery route, instead feeling that there was a niche for what we wanted to achieve. A lot of people said to me "People in Carlow wouldn't eat that type of food" but I think, if you stick to what you believe in, it will work. We decided to start with a small menu: open sandwiches, ciabattas, and then my two teenage sons said to me "you should do the wraps that you make for us". I did, and they're a huge hit, and now we've started doing toasted wraps using roasted vegetables.

I do about five specials per day, including always a vegetarian soup and two vegetarian dishes and fresh fish, as well as beef and chicken dishes. All meals are served with home-made potato wedges, or champ, or colcannon. What I am trying to do is keep up with trends, but yet have a little old-fashioned food as well.

We make our own blue cheese dressing with Cashel Blue cheese. Initially it sold very little, but now people are asking for it as an extra. This week I served a Cajun chicken with mixed leaf salad tossed in blue cheese dressing ­ I just made it and thought "that would be nice!"

All the staff taste the food, so that they know what they're selling, and now it's the more unusual soups ­ roasted aubergine and tomato ­ which are the ones that fly out.

Sinead Byrne,
Lennon's Café Bar,
121 Tullow Street,
Carlow

Tel: (0503) 31575

Open lunch 12-3 ('till 4 on Sat).