Caprice has been a favourite with Galwegians and accidental passers-by with its great menus since its opening a couple of years back. The first thing you notice about Caprice is that the interior looks like a Pinterest board dream, all calm colours and twinkling lights. It is clear that a great deal of thought has gone into this design. Located at the corner of Church Lane and Market Street, Caprice has added to this area of town. It is a bit off the beaten path, but that doesn't seem to put many people off visiting. A good menu often trumps an out of the way address.
It is a labour of love for owners Vicky and John Casey — you may remember them from KC Blake’s Brasserie. The food is fresh, cooked to order, and sourced locally, as you would expect from their lineage. The Caprice interior beckons you in through the glass frontage, it creates a charming dining environment in the middle of the city and includes an upstairs view of St Nicholas’ Church and Galway Cathedral. As nice as all that is, the highlight is the food, from breakfast through to dinner, you will not be disappointed.
The "really good organic coffee" is ethically sourced from Peruvian farms with natural methods of cultivation. The beans are 100 per cent Arabica. It is well balanced, extremely smooth, with a creamy body and subtle vanilla and chocolate flavours. It goes very well with any of the house-made cakes — there is a little trolley where you can inspect them and see what you fancy.
The spacious layout on the ground floor lends itself to groups, but is easily split into twos and fours. There's good value to be found here too, you can get soup and a sandwich from the daytime menu at €10, Monday to Thursday. Salads are particularly lush, try the goat's cheese and beetroot option with grilled pears. You will not regret it. The burgers and fish and chips are epic, and nicely spiced Buffalo chicken wings come in ample portions with a creamy Cashel blue dip. We recommend the pasta dish which entailed a pretty jumble of fat, juicy, tiger prawns and coils of soft linguine with a hit of spice from some chorizo. It was comforting and perfect for a quick lunch on a cold day.
There is dinner in the evening Thursday, Friday, and Saturday where you can get a starter and a main for €20 — if you have not made any plans for Valentine's weekend I would highly recommend Caprice as an option. The staff are always smiling and happy, and well informed of the menu. Far too pretty to be ignored with food that matches the high standard.
Caprice Cafe and Restaurant, 1 Church Lane, Galway. Phone 091 564781 or see www.caprice.ie
