Search Results for 'Gerry McMahon'

When the programme for the 2014 Galway Food Festival was announced earlier this year, the very first item to go on my list was the Venetian Tapas at Il Vicolo on the Taste Trail. Given the subsequent events, it may have taken a little longer than I expected, but all things considered it was worth waiting for.

Opened on Buttermilk Walk more than two years ago, Il Vicolo is that clever combination of day-time cafe, wine bar, and restaurant. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, cake, dinner, and wine, it has the lot. Owned and run by Aoife Flaherty and Gerry McMahon, you have to admire the way they have made this very 'Tardis-like' space work for them. Things are a little better now than at the beginning with an small external kitchen giving the staff a little more room to breathe, but it is still bijoux by anyone's standards.

I noticed another new sign over the door at the corner of Buttermilk Walk and decided to see what brave soul has started a new venture in the foodie world. Once inside I recognised Gerry McMahon, who worked for many years with his brother JP in Cava. As the name suggests Il Vicolo is mainly Italian; the chef, I discovered, is a native of Naples and a third generation keeping up this tradition in his family. The feeling you get is of a small New York café and it has been redecorated very carefully to create a nice atmosphere. This is one very difficult part of designing a new interior and he seems to have pulled it off. The background music was nice jazz which helps to create a comfy feeling when you enter.