Good Food and Superb Service at Naturally Nourished Lunch. And they open in North Point in March!

Good Food and Superb Service 

at Naturally Nourished Lunch.

And they open in North Point in March!*

The first thing we noticed when we walked in the front door of Naturally Nourished in Penrose Dock was the queue. They come for lunch early here. It was noon. But no worries. The line moves quickly. There are menu boards, one black (standing on the floor as you enter), and the others (over the counter) are white.  Quite a few of the customers know exactly what they want and order accordingly. You pay, get a numbered block (small) and find a table.

We had chosen a few dishes from the online offering but what we didn't realise until we visited last week was that some (the Goats Cheese Salad, the Buffalo Chicken Salad, and the Beef Fillet Stiryfry, for example) would not be available until 12.30. Regulars will of course know that! So we gave in our (rethought) order and paid the cheerful person at the til.

We were hardly seated when our food arrived. Thanks to a whole lot of preparation and an efficient system and staff, there is no delay worth talking about and so that line you see on arrival moves along quickly. It is a spacious restaurant, bright and airy, comfortable too and well worth a visit. They also have an outlet in City Gate at Mahon and a third is due to open in March*.

There is quite a choice here including soups, salad bowls, curries, specials and sandwiches. Grab a sandwich if you are in a rush or maybe a bag of crisps and a bottle of Kombucha from their mini-deli. Cutlery is already on the table, and if you want water, just get yourself a jug from a central stand.

One of us decided to go for the Roast Root Vegetable soup but needed help from the other - a second spoon was called for and arrived in no time at all. It was a generous serving (€5.00) and came with a slice of toothsome brown bread.

In addition to the salads already mentioned, you can pick from Asian Noodle, Budda Bowl and Protein Punch Salad. Sandwich choices include Reuben Spiced Baguette, Chicken Tikka Baguette, Ham, Slaw and Cheese, and a Chimichurri Ciabatta.

Curries, salads and sandwiches can all vary a little from day to day (email for details). My main dish was the Satay Bowl of warm roast chicken, roast broccoli, the peanut Satay sauce, and spinach, a top-quality dish and excellent value at €10.50.

Satay

CL also went Asian and enjoyed her Mild Indian Curry with onion, chickpeas and basmati rice served with warm marinated chicken (also €10.50). Soon two very contented customers headed out, well fed on a cold day!

There are also some very tempting dishes on the breakfast menu. For more info, be sure to check their website here. Reservations are taken for tables over 6 only;  for smaller tables, it is walk-in only and as the tables turn quickly you should have no problem getting a seat. To make a reservation please call Penrose Dock 0214551173 or City Gate, Mahon 0858564641.

Could do better? Dishes are not designated as vegetarian or vegan or gluten-free - I know some are self-evident. Also, there is no fish/seafood option.

You'll find Naturally Nourished here from March. Perry Street operated here for quite a while and, more recently, Lemon Pepper were the occupants

* Their third restaurant will be in the North Point Business Park, just off the Commons Road. They made the announcement on social media last Saturday: "It features the brightest airiest interior and we can joyfully say the biggest kitchen we've had to date 🥹🤩 🙌 so expect a lot more exciting new warm bowls, different special hot sandwich options daily and salads that are absolutely bussin'!! 😏 See you March 11th North Side!"