The Potato Market, Restaurant, Wexford
O’Donovans Wharf , Crescent Quay, Wexford
053 917 4368
Price:
€
0-60
(for two with wine)
Hours:
Seven days early until 6. Evening opening in the summer.
Restaurant Review
The Potato Market is a casual restaurant serving food all day, from their varied breakfasts, through good lunches that are served throughout the afternoon, and some really delicious homemade cakes.
Some years ago, when my daughter was small, we would bundle into the car and head down the N11 for a camping weekend in Wexford. Abigail was pretty small, and she would fit at the top of the tent on a pillow, while we had the rest of our compact, but bijou, temporary residence.
Myself and said daughter were again driving into Wexford, but she is now a college student, we had no tent, and one of the places we used to stop, the Royal Oak facing the Ferrycarrig hotel has disappeared. Lots of other things have changed. Wexford now has more than it’s fair share of good - some great – restaurants, but we were here to try out the Potato Market, a place that we have been e mailed about quite often recently.
The Potato Market is on the crescent part of the quays, and is a bright, double fronted premises looking out over the quays and the water beyond. Back in the day, there was a famous shop called Commodore Barry’s down here as well, and we ventured in often for papers and drinks. There is now a carpark to the right of the restaurant, so parking is fairly painless.
Inside the décor is contemporary, the walls a dark red, while well spaced wooden tables and chairs predominate, with banquette seating along the back wall. Just inside the door is a display fridge with some very delicious looking cakes inside, while on top, there are baskets of fresh scones and breads.
The menu is all on a large laminated card, and lists the day’s fare from breakfast onwards. It is a long menu offering a good range of dishes, and what straight off looked to be very good prices indeed. To give you an idea, beakfats lists the full Irish, as well as eggs Benedict or homemade pancakes. There is a selection of soups and salads including their own chowder, and a very nice looking Caresar salad that a lady on the next table ordered. There are daily lunch specials, that are a meal oin their own right, such as the homemade burger or the supreme of chicken. Prices for main courses are around a tenner, while starters are around €6.
If you have a bit of time, lunch can be a two or three course affair, and that is what we decided to do. We decided on two seafood starters since we were on the water – the starter of seafood risotto and the crabmeat and prawn pasta. Both these dishes were very good, with I suppose the pasta shading it, if only because the risotto could have had a little more seasoning. In fairness, not the worst sin when cooking risotto.
For main course, we shared a large portion of the angler scampi, which uses monkfish rather than prawns. This was served in a poppadom, which looked very nice, while the fish was very light, with an obviously homemade crumb. Some chips completed the order, and we both enjoyed them a lot.
We finished with two of the too good to miss cakes, their homemade chocolate fudge, and a lemon meringue, which were delicious, and two good coffees.
The Potato Market is not aiming to be fine dining, it is serving honest food at good prices through out the day, so for a casual bite it is right on the money, and I would go back again for one of their cakes and coffee anytime. They use local suppliers, the fish is from the local fishmongers down the quays, and I’m told their tempura of lemon sole can make up part of a great fish and chips.
Some years ago, when my daughter was small, we would bundle into the car and head down the N11 for a camping weekend in Wexford. Abigail was pretty small, and she would fit at the top of the tent on a pillow, while we had the rest of our compact, but bijou, temporary residence.
Myself and said daughter were again driving into Wexford, but she is now a college student, we had no tent, and one of the places we used to stop, the Royal Oak facing the Ferrycarrig hotel has disappeared. Lots of other things have changed. Wexford now has more than it’s fair share of good - some great – restaurants, but we were here to try out the Potato Market, a place that we have been e mailed about quite often recently.
The Potato Market is on the crescent part of the quays, and is a bright, double fronted premises looking out over the quays and the water beyond. Back in the day, there was a famous shop called Commodore Barry’s down here as well, and we ventured in often for papers and drinks. There is now a carpark to the right of the restaurant, so parking is fairly painless.
Inside the décor is contemporary, the walls a dark red, while well spaced wooden tables and chairs predominate, with banquette seating along the back wall. Just inside the door is a display fridge with some very delicious looking cakes inside, while on top, there are baskets of fresh scones and breads.
The menu is all on a large laminated card, and lists the day’s fare from breakfast onwards. It is a long menu offering a good range of dishes, and what straight off looked to be very good prices indeed. To give you an idea, beakfats lists the full Irish, as well as eggs Benedict or homemade pancakes. There is a selection of soups and salads including their own chowder, and a very nice looking Caresar salad that a lady on the next table ordered. There are daily lunch specials, that are a meal oin their own right, such as the homemade burger or the supreme of chicken. Prices for main courses are around a tenner, while starters are around €6.
If you have a bit of time, lunch can be a two or three course affair, and that is what we decided to do. We decided on two seafood starters since we were on the water – the starter of seafood risotto and the crabmeat and prawn pasta. Both these dishes were very good, with I suppose the pasta shading it, if only because the risotto could have had a little more seasoning. In fairness, not the worst sin when cooking risotto.
For main course, we shared a large portion of the angler scampi, which uses monkfish rather than prawns. This was served in a poppadom, which looked very nice, while the fish was very light, with an obviously homemade crumb. Some chips completed the order, and we both enjoyed them a lot.
We finished with two of the too good to miss cakes, their homemade chocolate fudge, and a lemon meringue, which were delicious, and two good coffees.
The Potato Market is not aiming to be fine dining, it is serving honest food at good prices through out the day, so for a casual bite it is right on the money, and I would go back again for one of their cakes and coffee anytime. They use local suppliers, the fish is from the local fishmongers down the quays, and I’m told their tempura of lemon sole can make up part of a great fish and chips.
