For a place that I had not heard many reports about I was surprised to see Sam Baileys full of customers at about 11.30 one morning, happily munching away on some very tasty looking morsels.
Sam Baileys is open seven days a week from 7am to 5pm so it is primarily a breakfast, coffee, and cakes, lunch, and snacks restaurant. At first glance it seems to be similar to other such cafes; however if you delve a little deeper you will see an attention to detail and quality that many such places do not have. I spoke with Noel, the proprietor, and then I understood why you should put Sam Baileys on your ‘must visit when in town’ list. If and when you do visit to sample what is on offer I am willing to wager that you will return.
There are many ways to buy the ingredients to make what is on offer, however Sam Baileys has made it part of its philosophy to serve only the very best of local ingredients, low salt sausages, choice bacon, free range chickens, sourdough bread, multi grain brown bread, the best beef, lamb, and pork available, antibiotic and hormone free. So when you eat here, you are supporting other local businesses and in today’s economy I think this is so important.
The first item that caught my eye was giant cupcakes covered in coloured cream and frosting. Normally I am not a fan of these unless cooked at home, however these looked really good and they were. They are cooked every morning and the delicious topping is made from scratch each day – for €3.50 a perfect accompaniment to your coffee of choice. If you are in early in the day and have a child with you, ask if there are any of the complimentary mini cup cakes available.
I think I will order the vegetarian breakfast next time I call, two free range eggs, grilled tomato, flat mushrooms, roasted aubergine, roasted peppers, country relish, home fries, wholegrain toast, tea or coffee for €8.50. Why not try that some Sunday morning and have a free read of the Sunday papers? For the kids, try a stack of homemade pancakes with syrup.
There are about four different main courses each day, all under €10, and the day I was there they were all €7.95. I spotted the chicken curry and rice and if you could eat the entire large portion served you would be set up for the day and possibly the evening. The chicken fajitas looked good also. I sampled one of their caesar salads with chicken, bacon, cos lettuce, garlic croutons, and homemade caesar dressing. Again a very big portion for €7.95 and excellent. If you are a salad person then this really is a must visit place, as Sam Baileys places a big emphasis on creating something different and fresh. I sampled the homemade tomato soup for €4.50 a bowl or €2.50 for a very large cup of it, you could taste the goodness, no bouillon ever used in the soups and a minimum of salt. To sum up it is a restaurant that prepares nourishing dishes with great care and lots of attention to the small details, at fair prices.
Sam Baileys has quite a big business providing outside catering for any event you care to mention, such as First Holy Communions, confirmations, weddings, christenings, funerals, and house parties. Order by 10am on any day and you will have the order the next day. To contact Sam Baileys call (091 ) 507123.
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