51 Cornmarket. Anne and David keeping the sunny side up!

51 Cornmarket. Where Anne and David keep the sunny side up! 

Briskey

Chef David Devereaux is showing sunny side up after a “hectic” two years. As he passed through the dining room during our lunch last week, I wished him a very good 2022 for 51 Cornmarket, the restaurant he owns and runs with wife Anne Zagar. And he smiles broadly and says they had a good year in 2021! 

The duo have packed a lot into the last two years, having opened 51 early in 2020. A few weeks later Covid hit, for the first time, and not for the last. Like many, they opened, they closed, and opened again…., And, obviously, made the very best of 2021, including welcoming Max, their first born, who will be celebrating his first birthday next month!

Basque Cheesecake, with apple purée

In the meantime, the food being served up in the now popular Coal Quay venue kept getting better and better. The punters were impressed and so too were the critics. We were early admirers and were again delighted as we checked the menu last week. No problem finding something to my taste here. 

Indeed, just like my mother with the Grand National runners, I could have stuck a pin in the list and, like her, would have come up with a winner. I would eat every single dish here with great enjoyment and that is the second such menu I’ve seen recently - the other was at On The Pig’s Back in Douglas. So one for the Irish-American combination on the Northside and one for the Irish-French duo on the Southside.

What did we pick for lunch from the enticing list that included brunch dishes such as their French Toast and Duck & Waffle and more plus lunch specials like The Lough Bagel (salmon pastrami, herb cream cheese  and mandolin pink onion) and The Caesar (chickens Caesar mayo, Egg, parmesan, bacon crumb and cos on sourdough?

Pollox Boi

CL picked the Pollox Boi ( a linguistic twist on a local phrase) but here meaning Fried Pollock Hot Dog, Tartare, Shallot and Pea. And it also means deliciousness; it looked well on the plate and tasted well. Great to see the pollock getting a run on a menu - a terrific fish that I enjoyed on a few Mayo holidays a long time ago, cooked in foil (I think) directly over a turf fire.

Anyhow back to the present and my dish called the Briskey. They like their wordplay here and I liked this bunful of Beef Brisket, Celeriac Remoulade, Toasted fennel pangritata and pickled onion. Quality all the way here. We also had a helping of their fries and not a shred of either dish or the fries went back.

Happy out as we say around here and we were to get even happier. Two cups of fine Stone Valley coffee followed with a rare treat in these parts: a Basque cheesecake. I was thinking that it might be something like the Basque custard cakes you get there (at least on the French side) but this was a different level altogether, smooth as could be, firm enough and so easy to digest, sweet and silky and quite a treat.

No 51 has become rather famous for its egg dishes but we had this meal without seeing any - perhaps one or two was used in the cheesecake. Here, they boast of “using the best produce the county has to offer made by a super passionate crew”. The eggs don’t have to travel far - they come from the rooftop urban farm in the Coal Quay itself! 

Open for breakfast, lunch and all times in between, the skilful youthful cafe exudes energy and enthusiasm with David and Anne both well-experienced in the restaurant business. The menus change here, depending on supplies, and everything is done in-house. You’ll find all the info on opening times on their Facebook but no menus as such. Lots of picture of dishes though, some with details, on both Facebook and Instagram.

Chef David cooks in a modern Irish style. The superb ingredients are handled with care and skill and the results are full of colour, texture and flavour. Presentation is strikingly neat and tidy - just look at their social media pics. Besides good food on your visit, you get smiles galore and a bit of craic.

The inside space (takes 20 plus) is narrow, white walls and ceiling, light coloured furniture, nicely lit, a line of tables on each side, counter towards the back with toilets in rear. And they have an enclosed outside area as well. Very Highly Recommended.