I’m standing at the reception of a Galway hotel that can’t find my weekend reservation – cue panic because we’re travelling with our dog and not every establishment is pet-friendly. There are dramatic mentions of driving back to Dublin , but eventually we think of The Twelve Hotel in Barna and, happily, it can come to our rescue. And in even better news, it can slot us in for dinner at its Michelin-listed Blackthorn restaurant without a reservation.
Located a stone’s throw from the sea, the family-owned Twelve will shortly celebrate its 20th birthday. Over the years, it has received many restaurant awards but the last time I dined upstairs at The West restaurant, the room felt dated and out of sync with the adventurous cooking of chef Nathan Hindmarsh.
Now renamed Blackthorn in homage to the family’s tradition of making walking sticks, the restaurant has received a glow-up. Elegant mid-century style chairs and tables are arranged around the room with two large live edge (cut from a solid tree slab) tables in the middle. The room is bright, with a moody focus wall drawing attention to the wine display. Suspended wicker lampshades and potted plants round out the relaxed natural feel. I can feel my shoulders relaxing.
The menu is printed on rough-textured paper, which long-time restaurant manager Fergal Guiney tells us is studded with wildflower seeds. The dog drama has meant we’re eating late, so we decide against the six-course chef’s menu (€100) and opt for a la carte instead. This involves choosing from three raw dishes, three starters, and seven “embered” mains including a 30-day dry-aged Hereford sharing côte du boeuf.
To begin, sous chef Gabriela Torres delivers a trio of bites – croustade of Killeen cheese, duck liver parfait sandwiched between dainty sablés, and an intense tartlet of cod’s roe and Bullaun Ark herbs. They’re a solid start to the meal even if the croustade could have been crispier.
A glossy Parker House roll is torn apart and laden with cultured butter, which is made in house over two days using Cuinneog milk. Dainty wholemeal scones release warm nutty notes of Kylemore cheese, pairing well with fresh bright green herb butter. Somebody in the kitchen clearly likes butter and who am I to argue?
No self-respecting restaurant is without oysters these days and two plump Connemara specimens are topped with tangy buttermilk dressing popping with Ibérico ham and trout roe (€10). A ribbon of kohlrabi conceals a generous mound of Inis Mór crab (€19), surrounded by a fragrant tom yum sauce whose subtle spiciness marries well with the sweet fresh meat. Hidden underneath, I find a single smoky prawn.
If that prawn hinted at open-fire cooking, then my main course trumpets its presence beyond doubt. Wild seabass (€44) has a crunchily delicious salted skin giving way to soft white flakes. Along with a silky lemon verbena beurre blanc, it is delicate and precise, a contrast to the rustic large South Atlantic wild prawn, the likes of which I see more often in Portugal than in Ireland.
Given the presence of the Mibrasa charcoal grill in the Blackthorn kitchen, I had expected Connemara lamb to arrive perhaps as a grilled rump. Instead, it took a sharp swerve into classic cooking, served as two impeccable slices of ballotine with a refreshing cucumber raita and a shiny, sticky demi-glace sauce that has me ‘swiping my fingers on the plate’.
Mains are accompanied by a little pot of boulangère potatoes and grilled potatoes but fo…