It’s that kind of semi-drizzly Irish evening that marks the start of autumn. In Galway’s Westend though, it’s cheerful under the street lights with punters enjoying a drink, sheltered under The Universal’s awnings. It’s even busier inside.
A bar runs along one side, with tables opposite. We wait a few minutes before realising that the empty tables are marked with place cards and so we find our reserved spot. It’s at the back, with a direct view into the compact kitchen, and despite being next to the storeroom with a constant flow of staff in and out, it’s pleasingly away from the main bustle.
Mark Gunnip has been head chef here since 2019, having previously spent years cooking in the US. His menu, recently earning The Universal an addition to the Michelin Guide , is strikingly simple, with four starters and four mains. Provenance is immediately obvious and I happily lock in on the most local dishes. The menu has a list of producers and suppliers, most centred around Galway, such as Bia Oisín for organic vegetables and bread from Magpie Bakery just across the river, but also going as far as Lost Valley from Inchigeelagh, Co Cork.
Our server is friendly when taking our orders but there’s a sense that they are overstretched, and this comes into focus when our starters arrive but we have no means to eat them. I manage to catch someone’s eye and napkins plus cutlery are landed on the table without a huge amount of finesse.
A jaunty pile of red and yellow Athenry heirloom tomatoes is as seasonal as it gets, the sweet flesh drizzled with a healthy glug of olive oil (€13). Kalamata tapenade adds the required saltiness, the overall dish staying light and fresh, with abundant sourdough for mopping.
My starter of Doonbeg crab is perfectly picked and lightly bound, without a trace of shell to jar my sensibilities (€19). A touch of espelette pepper, traditionally associated with the south of France and the Basque region, brings a gentle heat but ultimately it’s all a bit too simple, lacking an element of lively crunch or pickle.
After the fast arrival of our starters, the pace slows and we enjoy some people-watching from our corner table. I admire the solo diner a few tables away who is happily doing justice to some spuds and a bottle of red wine, while it turns out that our neighbours, like my companion, have ordered the black sole served off the bone (€36). They have been given a fish knife while my companion, randomly, has to be content with the standard variety. The fish is well cooked, if on the small side, and served simply with a drizzle of sauce vierge, which is just not enough for the fillet.
I figure that as I was in a pub I should order the striploin steak (€37), cholesterol be damned. It’s perfectly decent but could be better seasoned. The small knob of green peppercorn and mustard butter is the best thing on the plate and I just wish there was more of it.
[ Blackthorn restaurant review: Much skill on show at this stylish Galway bolthole Opens in new window ]
Sides are extra so we add a bowl of Kilkenny baby spuds with spring onion butter, which turn out to be a joy (€5.50). I recall many years ago enjoying a sensational bowl of potatoes with ramsons at JP McMahon’s nearby Aniar and I wonder if this is a Galway thing?
We share a dessert of home-made caramel ice-cream with Achill Island sea salt, which is so-so, missing the anticipated bursts of salty sweetness (€6.50).
The wine list is mainly organic, chosen by owner Conor Lyn…