The East Germans

Two people from the former GDR where in over the weekend and said everything was absolutely amazing.

Fancy that.

You will say

You will say yes it has been a while
You will say yes cava has told us nothing
You will say why is it like this and not like something else
You will say I wonder where Jp has gone
You will say maybe he is working 17 hours a day and has no time to write
You will say I am probably right because I am always right
You will say I am the customer and I am always right
You will say yes I am sure Jp does not agree with me
You will say if he is the one working how can he see all
You will say how can an Irish man make Spanish food
You will say what is a Tapa anyway and why does everyone now call small food Tapas
You will say this is not true
You wall say Tapas are from Spain and Jp is not from Spain
You will say anyone can cook
You will say all can have knowledge of Spanish food
You will say this is not the case
You will say it is Christmas and where are my mince pies where is my turkey where is my ham
You will say I am right I am right I am right


You probably will be
You probably are

Cava Celebrates Franco's death!

Well the weather has not been good in the last week or so but in all fairness it has not dampened too many peoples hearts regarding coming to Cava for Tapas and Wine. The new menu should be on it way now soon (I hope within two weeks) but in the mean time we are trying a lot of the food as specials at the moment (such as venison sausages with morcilla, white bean and garlic, which is certainly going down well). We have also had some great fish from Stefan in the last few weeks, namely Sardines and baby John Dory). These have all gone down well. We have also been trying out some nice wines from cases, from different regions of Spain.

In all, it have not been a bad November (I fain to say good, though I would like too).

Other News: The anniversary of Franco's death was welcomed by all our Spanish staff and we celebrated into the night consuming vast quantities of food and wine until we were only partially conscious. Nothing like the death of a dictator to make you go beyond your physical means.

Cooking in Cava

Cava had its second one one one cooking class yesterday and all (I am told by Szymon) went well. The girl, called Michelle, who was in for the half day did bread making, stocks, tapas, desserts, mains course, and starter. She also learned different knife techniques and prepared squid and lamb for the tapas. I called in around lunch time and found herself and Szymon enjoying a glass of one of our best whites (number 12/100 in Spain)! The wine is called Jose Parinete and is made by two women called Victoria. The wine is also on the house wine list in ElBuilli.

It was good to see Szymon helping her relax into her new environment!

For any one else interested in cooking in Cava you can give the restaurant or myself a ring.

Jp.

Upcoming events

Just to let you know about upcoming events in Cava:

1. This Saturday night (Halloween) Cava will open until 1pm for tapas and wine. Their will be a live DJ also from 11pm onwards.

Hope to see you there.

Jp.

Crazy Mondays and Tuesdays

With graduations this week, the week has started well with a busy Monday and Tuesday. The Paella night is still as popular as ever (€15 for Paella and glass of wine), but many had Tapas too. Szymon had some really nice special too that sold well: a Rack (yes, I said rack) of Lamb with Morcilla, rocket, and Potatoes.

FYI: Anyone who wants a good cookbook on Spanish food - you could do no better than this one by the Hart's.

Wish I had time for more, but must to bed as up early in the morn with my daughter.

Tomorrow doesn't look as crazy but famous last words.

Jp.

Xmas parties

The Christmas party menu will be available this week and we have details regarding our opening times over the Xmas.

We'll have a special Xmas party menu running from the 1st of December to the 30th of December.

We'll have a special Xmas lunch on the 24th.

We'll have a special Stephen's night (26th) set Tapas menu.

And finally we're going to have a big new year's eve celebration with both music, DJ and lots of Cava.

Jp.

Back from the U S of A

Last week, as many of you know, I was away from cava for the first time in over a year. A queer feeling of anxiety cross several time over as I suffered from separation anxiety from the restaurant. But by all accounts the week was very busy and all the boys (and girls) did a wonderful job.

Unfortunately, the food in the States was less than satisfactory. The only good thing to report about the food in Cincinnati was that the Mexican food actually Mexican until many a Mexican in Ireland.

The food was often a queer taste of sweet and savory (for example sweet potatoes which were really sweet?) and sweet dressing and sweet bread and on and on.

Sweet on the brain.

The ham in Cincinnati was good though as they have some good ole pigs flying around there.

Jp.

A good start to the week and an end to Cava week

Monday has come and gone and it passed well. We are still awaiting that winter Monday when little or no-one (or some of their friends) will pass through the door.

It was indeed busy for a Monday many in, most notably Jess Murhpy who is starting a new venture in No.8 on the docks.

We hope she does well and that many flock down to experience her gastro pub.

On another note, for anyone who was in on Friday night and receiver their free cava as part of Cava week we hope you enjoyed it. Unfortunately we had hoped to get more cava from our suppliers (but this did not happen) so it was a limited run.

However, many did get to have a glass.

I am away in America for the week practicing my other life (Phd and that) and will report from there in a food capacity.

The new menu will be out at the beginning of November. It will include lots of game (venison, rabbit, pheasant) and some other new Tapas. There will also be new main courses to choose from.

Jp

The end, or only the begining?

Well! That was some week. Looking back now on a week of madness (due no doubt to Tom's review) I am wondering whether or not it will continue. Not that I want it to stop. Last week, we saw what Cava could be, given all the right circumstances. It is amazing what the words of one man can do. It will be interesting how the week pans out. I already know Saturday is going to be crazy with tables of 26, 15, and 10 all coming in at the same time. But how the rest of the week will go remains to be seen.

Monday was not too bad with a steady stream of punters in. Lots of tapas, particularly the scallops and black pudding, confit of porkbelly, and cod cakes.

Really nice people in with lots of nice things to say about the nice things they we do and try to continue to do.

The November menu is in cererbal production. Thinking of game tapas: venison, rabbit, pheasant.

I think we'll also change some of our fish. We had some great sardines on the special board over the weekend which we got from Stefan. Served with romesco and rocket. Really good. Some nice Bonito also.

Anyway.

I saw a really nice Jamon custard served with Iberico, also some truffle foam with cecina.

Szymon would that I presume.

Jp.

Oh That it Would Contintue

Cava does wish it would continue.

The whole has been made, like something out of July, no doubt due to good ole Tom, but still, I do hope it continues, then it may be ok, it may be alright.

We had a group of women in today celebrating their 50th. Very loud. Singing alot. Some customers were indeed very unhappy. To those of you I apologise. To the women, well, I hope you had a good time. It is not often you see 13 women consume 15 bottles of wine at lunch time.

But still.

All in days work in the cava machine, curing and cooking and chopping and cursing.

All in a daze.

All in a daze work.

All in.

All.

Thanks again to Tom!

Jp.

P.S. We have some lovely fresh sardines from Stefan the fish man!

Best Tapas in Ireland

For all those of you who missed the Irish times on Saturday, Tom Doorley (the food writer) picked Cava for one of his Galway's restaurant to make up his Restaurant Guide 2009. As well as being a great honor, Tom also said we served the best Tapas in Ireland at present! A really great and wonderful thing to say and we cannot thank Tom enough as his words and voice are worth their weight in gold.

Fair play to you Tom!

Furthermore, two of our wines also featured in the wine section of the Times as two great bottles coming out of Spain at the moment.

So altogether not a bad weekend in the restaurant business.

Jp

Another good night

Well.

We have reached the half way mark up to the Oyster Festival, and I am indeed half destroyed. Another good night with lots of nice people in. Particularly table four who worked their way through much of the wine list.

Doctors, I think they were.

We were heavily under staffed on the floor but the lads did a great job.

Where did the queue come from?

I have no idea, but there it was, trailing out the door from the front section.

Very bizarre.

I expect tonight will be the same, as all seems to be rising in some crescendo fashion to most likely explode on Saturday night.

Don't forget Cava week, I think it's from the 5th of October onwards.

Sarah started yesterday, and though she talks a lot of Spanish (I blame Samuel) she is indeed very good.

Jp

Monday and Tuesday Madness

It is unfathomable where all the people have come from but by Christ they have come. Both Monday and Tuesday this week have been super in relation to the current drop in the eating industry in Galway. Whether it's the good food or wine, or all the followers of the great William P. I don't know, but I welcome them.

Long may it last.

Cork's very nice Tapas bar has closed down, which is a shame, but nothing surprises me in this current condition of tears and servitude.

I am off to work for another day.

Jp.

Oyster Festival

As the Oyster festival approaches, it is with an air of apprehensive and melancholic gloom that I write these words. Traditionally the last thing to happen in Galway until the next season, one wonders whether or not we will all still be here come the next season. Furthermore, I wonder also if the summer season is getting so short that it can adequately fit into the last two weeks of of July and the first week of August.

I do remember (as many others will also remember) went it was with Paddy's day all started and remained that way until the weekend of the Oyster Festival.

But alas!

Now they are gone. Our helicon days.

Let us hope that October and November are not all doom and gloom (with sideways rain and perpendicular wind).

Let us also hope the rent comes down.

But could Cava move elsewhere?

No doubt.

But hopefully it will not come to this.

Jp.

Early Bird Menu

Last week we launched a new early bird menu. This menu involves 5 tapas for the price of 4. The cheapest Tapa is free. You can have this menu, Monday through to Thursday, from 4.30 to 6.30. It's ideal for two.

Apologies regarding the wine menu. The printer has yet to deliver it to use. All the new wines are in the back, so if you're in and you want something different just ask you waiter.

I have been told that are waiter Samuel is actually Christ in disguise. I had noted the resemblance but was thrown by his unkempt and nonchalant manner. However, these days its good to have Jesus on your side.

What more could you need in a recession?

Money, perhaps.

Well, if they sort out Nama, the bank might give us more so as all can keep going in the direction that it is purportedly going in.

That is, if there is, a direction that one should be going in.

Anyway.

I promise.

The wine menu will be ready Friday evening.

More big parties in last night. Where do they come from? The land of big parties perhaps. I am not complaining.

Finally, we received a glowing review from the great William P. Could not be happier. But I wonder who designed his page this week. Certainly not a graphic designer. Maybe a small blind child?

Who knows.

Jp.

What did the good weather bring?

A strange weekend overall. With the good weather (and all out at Salthill) lunch was indeed very quite (almost nothing) but those whose came in after the sun went down enjoyed the food and new wine.

So not all that bad overall.

I am currently writing up the xmas menus, so they should be ready at the end of September.

We're also starting new party menus (Mon-Wed) for parties from 15+. This means that people wont have to order but will get a selection of tapas to share with a glass of wine.

Nothing else to report.

Jp.

Reflections on a Wednesday (the day after)

I wonder sometimes do people still work. Not that I am complaining. If you don't need to work, you shouldn't. I am not a Marxist. But in all fairness. Last night we had a table of 11 who wined and dined themselves until the early hours of the morn. They did look like they worked. Not that I am complaining. They contributed to the Cava cause in such a generous and diligent manner. Lovely people as well.

For those of you looking for the new wine menu, I apologise.

There is wine everywhere in Cava, expect the menu has not yet been printed. On Monday, I promise you.

So many new wines.

We also received a lovely wine map (framed) from Cases to hang on our wall. We nearly have wines from every DO in Spain now, and that's not bad.

A pity the government take a good bit off the top!

But someone has to keep the country going and if it has to be the wine drinkers then I would rather them than the whiskey drinkers.

Anyday.

Jp.

Cava Week

Dear all,

For those interested, Cava week (a celebration of Cava will begin in the first week of October). In conjunction with this festival, Cava will be giving out free Cava during the week at selected times.

I mean really: you didn't think I would say all week?

That would be a bit too much.

But Cava there will be.

And there will be Cava.

The cava week website is http://www.confrariacava.com/ and you can read it in English.

Jp

When is a tuesday like a thursday?

Last night in Cava I really wondered where the recession had gone. Not that we are out of the water by any stretch of the imagination (one swallow does not make a summer nor does one Tapas fill you up), but in all fairest, last night we had people waiting (yes, I said waiting) for tables. If this continues, we might just be alright!

I mean it.

How can a restaurant as popular and successful as Cava be in problems?

Overheads, I tell you.

While rent, vat, wages, and electricity are the biggest users of cash coming in.

And while housing prices and stuff in supermarkets has fallen, very little in the restaurant trade has gone down in price.

So in a sense, there is no recession. Things are just as expensive as they were a year ago, and somethings had actually gone up, like wine.

Did you know I came across Sirloin steak in Tesco for €12.95 a kg. This is a scandal. The restaurant buys its meat from Collerans and its sirloin is about €16-17 euro a kilo. A good price, I assure you. But when Tesco (this big, useless non-Irish monster) comes to town and starts ridding farmers for all its milk and meat, then something has to be done.

I suggest to boycott Tesco, becasue if you do buy milk or meat there [or veg] (even if its Irish) you can be assure the farmer is getting fucked (pardon my English).

I could not say enough about this.

Bastards.

But anyway.

Back to last night.

It was great.

Really what its all about.

Food and drink flowing and customers enjoying all and if it keeps us as I said above we might just survive the winter and make it until next summer.

When is the summer the winter?

In Ireland, I suppose.

But look outisde.

It's septemeber.

And its sunny!

Jp

A rack or not a rack: that is the lamb

And so the perennial question (problem) returns: is the customer always right? I had the most unfortunate meeting with an angry customer last week who proclaimed (it is not too strong a word) that our rack of lamb was not a rack, but cutlets. I tried to explain to her that cutlets and racks where too different cuts and even if you cut a rack into two (or four) it remained a rack. Though she had eaten all, I told her that I would not charge her seeing our lamb had caused her such semantic and ontological angst. I do not like when customers are upset. I also get very upset. Customers are necessary, but they are not everything. What else, you may ask? I will leave that one with you.

I only would like to add (in my defence) two photos (which I now present to the jury) which show racks of lamb that are cut, but which remain (in all intents and purposes) racks of lamb.

If a rack of lamb became a cutlet that I would have to say that we could safely believe that people could turn cows into geese!

Having not charged the woman for something she ate (and we served) she was still not happy. She threatened to ring Galway Bay FM and ask people of Galway what constituted a Rack of Lamb. Well! I hope she did. And I hope Galway got a good conversation regarding food. If there is one thing Galway needs, is more and more good food conversations.

Another thing: she said she would not return.

I only ask you this. If you went into a restaurant, were served, ate all and drank all and then complained and subsequently had the item removed from the bill, would you come back?

I certainly would.

Restaurants do so much for their customers that it is about time that customers do something for their restaurant.

So we have an answer: there is only one thing more important than the customer (on an individual level) and that is the restaurant (as a whole)

Following my fallout with this woman, I had the pleasure of meeting and greeting many many others whom loved our food and drink.

For their love, I gladly gave them drinks on us.

That is the cost of love: a few drinks from the restaurant.

How bad can ones life be?

Regards,

Jp.

The End of August

With August nearly over, I can safely say that it was not that bad a month. Much better than expected. And though it started slow, this slowness sustained itself and built itself up into something of substance.

We should have the wine menu ready next Monday. I am really looking forward to this. We are increasing our wines by about 25%, so there will be much more selection. Also we are changing the format of the menu. Instead of listing the wines according to price, we are going to list the according to the drinking value of the grape: that is, whether it's a light, medium, or full bodied wine.

This should help customers when choosing their wines.

The new menu is doing superb with lots of compliments on our new tapas.

We also had Tom Doorley in Cava last Wednesday. He came in with Seamus Sheridan and both of them had nothing but nice things to say about the place. It's great to hear this and we hope that Tom puts those words in print for all to read and then we'll be forever thankful.

We are also doing a mailshot this week. We have designed a new flyer and are sending 8,000 of these out into the greater Galway area.

That's all folks.

Jp.

Saturday

The day started slow but picked up after 2. Then it didn't stop at all and (when I left) it didn't look like it was going to. Another busy Saturday.

Hopefully they keep coming.

All seems well with the new menu, a lot of duck confit still being sold, but the most popular new tapas seems to be the goat's cheese and sweet potato croquettes.

At the moment, I'm trying one of out new Sauvignon Blanc.

Pretty nice.

Jp.

Organic things

We have just found ourselves an organic farmer to drop us in some delightful vegetables. Which is good, isn't it?

Is organic the best and can it be sustainable?

Mike the non-organic veg man tells me if Ireland only ate organic veg in season, then the winters would be dull indeed. And what's more, there would not be enough veg in the country to feed all who desire it.

But it is nice to eat organic. To feel morally assured. To know that the vegetable had a good life and was treated with the utmost respect.

While I do think that it is better (the more free range and organic the better), can we really sustain a life of the former and the latter?

The cost is the thing:

1) A free-range chicken cost nearly three times as much as a normal (?) chicken

2) The majority of large producers have no interest in organic produce because of its quantity and its price

3) This means that organic things will continue to be more expensive and often out of the reach of those with less money.

4) Surely the government should introduce a subside on organic and free range things so as to help all involved, from the producer to the restaurateurs


Enough, with these salient ramblings.

I'm off to bed.

Jp.

Wine Prices

In the course of writing the new wine list, I have come across some interesting titbits that I am sure are of interest. Government duty on a bottle of wine is about €3.50 and then you need to add vat of 21.5% on top of that. That means, Mr Cowen and Friends are getting nearly 5 euro a bottle (on a €20 euro bottle). You may say: keep drinking I am helping the country. That is what Valcal Havel said about cigarettes.

But in all seriousness.

Most restaurants will need to make between 55% and 65% GDP on their wine. This is not profiteering. You need to go and get the eurosaver menu for that. It is necessary to cover the cost of the overheads (rent, wages, electricity, etc.) and ensure there is cash flow left over to keep the business going.

Commonsense, I assume.

But every now and then, one does get some chap in the restaurant (most often wearing a pink shirt that matches the colour of his nose) who tells us that such and such a wine can be had in Spain for a fraction of the price.

What is to be done?

Struggle on, I assume.

If dentists want stuff at cost prices, why don't they do teeth for cost? And maybe stop driving Range Rovers.

The week itself has been up and done, with very slow lunches and medium dinners. Strange for august.

Bring on the weekend.

Indeed.

If someone else asks me can I do that for less ...

Jp

Chorizo with figs

Chorizo with figs

Posted using ShareThis

Oisin

Oisin was in yesterday doing a spot of cleaning.
A hard worker, unlike his father!

Jp

New Menu Finally Begins!

The new menu finally began in Cava yesterday. All seems to go well. With a number of new Tapas and new main courses, I hope customers enjoy our efforts. There are a number of new Tapas, for example, dressed crab stuffed inside piquillo peppers with pearl onions. There are many others, so I urge our regulars to pop down and give us their feed back.

We also changed the format, and now all the menu are included in one booklet. I think we are going to do the same with the wine menu, which will (I hope) come into effect Monday week.

The dessert menu will change next week. So all those with sweets thooths be assured - it will be nice!

Last night, we were booked out for both sitting (the early and the late) which is amazing (and also great!) because this didn't really happen during art festival week.

Jp.

Enrico Fantasia's Wines

As you may have already realized, the new menu did not start today due to a delay on the printer's side of things. It is, I can assure you, in print at the moment and we hope to have it ready tomorrow. By the by, I was up in Sheridan's wine and sampled some really great spanish reds imported by Enrico Fantasia . We carry a few of Enrico's wines, but it is my intention to carry more. They all have that extra something, which, I feel, separates them from the multitude.

I look forward to the new wine list as its expansion will not only broaden our own knowledge of Spanish wines but also showcase the best available in Ireland at present.

Jp.

New Menu

New menu kicks off at 5 today, so if you're around and want to see what news Spanish dishes have come to Cava, come on down.

Jp.

Tuesday

Not a bad day in all. Still trying to get the last of the changes to the new menu sorted. Hopefully tomorrow, but maybe Thursday. Two nice lads in from RTE. Said the food was great. They waddled out around 1 so they must have been happy.

The duck confit sold like hot cakes (if that expression makes any sense).

With the cured pork belly in the oven for 10 hours, I'm off home. That's the great thing about slow food. You can take your time watching it.

Jp.

Tell me why I don't like Mondays

A rainy start to the week, with a nice trickle of people in for our bank holiday brunch. Though it dipped during the hours of the early evening by dinner time, Cava a number of diners in again looking to be feed.

The Scallops and Black Pudding Tapas stood out above the rest and was certainly the best seller of the night.

Not much else to report, other than Ennio made the staff dinner. Is that a first?

Jp

San Miguel Returns

The greatly known San Miguel (in Ireland, but in Spain) has returned to Cava. San Miguel was being brought into Ireland by Beamish and Crawford (Cork) but they were bought by Heineken who dedided that there are two many beers in the world and said no to exporting it. But somehow it has made its way back into Eire (the land that loves alcohol) and will help keep the Government afloat with the outrages taxs on beer in Ireland.

Unfortuantly, the beer will retail for 4.75 as it has gone up. And yes, I know you can buy it in Spain for a euro a bottle, so you're welcome to go there and have some free olive and nuts at some bar in some distant part of Spain.

P.S. Saturday night was (Margaret informs me) also crazy! So, it seems, the Recession was banished for a least two days of Race Week (with a possible third, being thursday). But one cat cannot feed China (or something to that effect).

Jp.

Spectres of the Recession

Well it certainly seemed that (for a day anyway), the Recession had gone. From when we opened our doors yesterday (Sunday) until we closed (around 11), Cava was packed to the nines. I really don't know where all the people came from (as we had a desperately quite lunch on Saturday), but come they did and boy did they eat and drink! So why did they come?

Was it for Brunch, Tapas, Dinner? Or all of the above? Maybe so. Everything so well yesterday, but the Tapas are always miles out in front of everything else (the way it should be!). The specials also sold well (Rib-eye steak with chorizo, spinach, and pan-fried potato; Scallops with warm fig, chorizo, and cherry vine tomato salad; and Organic salmon with samphire, asparagus, and brasied fennel).

I am looking forward to the new Tapas menu, as it will inculde a good few new Tapas and will certinaly freshen things up. I don't understand restuarants who never change there menu. Many are guilty of this in Galway. Maybe the great William P. Shaw can put pen to paper and inform us! Surely that is something worthy of both word and world.


I hope that it all keep goings this week, for the Rent (with a capital R) is due at the end of August and anyone who knows me will know how much that is.

Jp

Samphire: New Vegetable?

Cava Sous-chef, Szymon Misniak has just introduced a new vegetable into the kitchen in Cava. But can you call is a vegetable? And is it new? Samphire is an edible plant which grows on costal areas. Originally "sampiere", a corruption of the French "Saint Pierre", Samphire was named for the patron saint of fishermen because all the original plants with its name grow in rocky salt-sprayed regions along the sea coast of northern Europe or in its coastal marsh areas. It is sometimes called sea asparagus. Samphire is even mentioned in Shakespeare's King Lear!

Half-way down Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!

Samphire goes particulalry well with fish, but it can also be eaten by itself: blanch it in boiling wated and then put some butter on it! You can also but some Spanish goats cheese with it.

Bloody good!

Samphire is in season during July and August.

Jp

Race Week

Another race nearly over and it has not been as bad as expected. Certainly a bit quieter than last year, but that it is to be expected with the recession and all that. One thing that Cava will not miss is people booking large tables and not turning up! In the current climate, this kind of practice is really disappointing as restaurants depend on the honesty and integrity of their clientele. A pity, but that's the races. You have to take the good with the bad.

Cava will serve brunch tomorrow from 12 to 5, with DJ Carlos playing relaxing tunes from 2 onwards. So come on down and have a beer (or coffee!)

On bank holiday monday, Cava will also serve brunch during the day, so we hope to see your there.

Jp and Drigin.

New Wines

For those interested in Spanish wines, Cava will be changing its wine menu in a few weeks. Several new bottles are already available to taste. Just ask your waiter and I'm sure he will be of help.

New Menu

Next Wednesday, Cava will launch its new a la carte, Tapas and Dessert. We try and change things every three months or so to keep in with the seasons and to keep things fresh.

Jp