On the hilly street which looks down over the bridge between Killaloe and Ballina, Laura Kilkenny's lovely café and bakery opened in 2009 and moved across the road to the former Gravitas premises in 2014.
Treats worth a diversion include freshly baked scones and cakes and every kind of temptation you could think of, notably the trademark bowl of irresistible meringues...
A short menu offers tempting savoury dishes too, so you can have a really tasty and (perhaps surprisingly) healthy, meal here. A gorgeous big bowl of homemade soup with predictably delicious freshly baked brown soda bread is perfect for a chilly day, for example, or perhaps a generous, richly flavoured beef and Guinness stew.
In warmer weather the tone will change to dishes with Mediterranean flavours, but you can expect the same principles of quality to apply - local seasonal ingredients and good simple cooking, served with a generous dash of real hospitality.
The main business is the daytime café and bakery, but Laura also runs special Nights at the Long Table. This BYO event offers Mediterranean / Middle Eastern style dining for groups of 12 to 20, with lots of mezze style dishes for sharing. It's a fun ..." bring your own booze, friends and tunes and sit back and relax" affair, and very popular.
And there are cookery classes too, by Laura herself and also the popular Limerick food blogger and author of the innovative baking book 'Bread On The Table', Val O'Connor. Laura also does one to one classes in people's homes (especially for people with special dietary requirements) and demos for groups such as tapas nights.
A gem of a place and deservedly popular.
