Bistro: The Abbey Tavern

Well, I had looked up what was on for Limerick's City of Culture year, and I came across a classical concert in St. Mary's Cathedral. Unfortunately, my mother wasn't keen - she cited the probable difficulty in parking (she can't walk far), but also I think there was the fact that, had we gone to the concert, we wouldn't have had time to go to The Abbey Tavern in Quin, as we usually do when I'm back, and she does love it there, and loves chatting to the staff. So we went there instead.

Parking was fairly scarce, but we found a spot just across the road. With our favourite tables in the bar occupied, she decided she'd rather eat in the bistro, which has the same menu. There were a couple of large groups, but we couldn't complain about the service, which was mostly provided by regular servers, although there was one newbie, whom we subjected to intense questioning. :-) So, although we didn't get his name, we did discover he's 6'3'', used to play rugby until his back gave way, and he's studying in St. Flannan's College in Ennis. And he'll be taking his Leaving Cert next year, and hopes to study psychology in UCD. Good luck, lad - high points for that one, as with anything remotely medical!

Anyway, I went for the sirloin, as usual. My mother had more of a problem, as they change the menu on Sundays, and her salmon wasn't on it! but our obliging (regular) server, a cousin of the aforementioned, asked the chef for a favour, and we got not only a huge piece of salmon for her, but also garlic bread as a starter, which wasn't on the Sunday menu either. My steak was a teensy bit tough, but fine, and the rest was as good as ever. As usual, I had chocolate fudge cake for dessert, and she wanted the apple and berry crumble. Which they were out of, so she had the apple and cinnamon alternative. A bit burnt in parts, but perfectly good. Service was impeccable, and they brought me a container for the bit of steak I left, which the dog polished off later. I have to give special note to the service, especially considering that we were sheltered in the bistro, and didn't realise just how busy the bar had gotten! Only quibble about the bistro is that there is no internet access there. Still, one can manage for an hour or so, eh?

Well, back to London tomorrow. Tuesday's film, at the moment, is looking like a documentary - Watchers of the Sky, showing somewhere I've not heard of before - the Omnibus in Clapham. It's about the person who coined the term "genocide" and spent his life ensuring that practitioners of it were brought to justice, and three others who spent their lives similarly. And it comes with many awards. I just hope it's not another film whose rating is inflated by having a worthy subject matter.