Castlebar’s House of Plates - The Corncrake - National Museum & Cafe - Ellison Hotel. Three Days in Mayo #3

Castlebar’s House of Plates - The Corncrake -  National Museum & Cafe - Ellison Hotel

Mayo's west coast is corncrake country.
The secretive bird who visits every year from Africa
is making something of a comeback here.
This eye-catching mural may be seen in Blacksod.

Three Days in Mayo #3
Eat. See. Stay.

House of Plates looks a bit different. The exterior is one of just a few commercial premises on a mainly residential street. Inside, they describe it fairly accurately as 'rustic industrial’. The well-used seats come, secondhand, from Knock Basilica, but it is Chef Barry Ralph’s creations on those plates that earn the place its halo.

Barry Ralph's Halibut

Sure, there’s plenty to look at here when you come in from the street, especially the work of local artist Sarah O’Neill, a local artist from Castlebar, Co.Mayo. House of Plates is a contemporary restaurant in Castlebar that Sarah has expressed this on her mural.  The work on the walls combines local historical imagery with bold, street-style art. Photos of locals (and staff) mixed in with bold geometric forms, plus an exposed-stone archway between the front and back sections of the restaurant, along with clusters of exposed filament lights, catch the eye.

Goats Cheese starter

But back to the table where the light is in a jam jar, and overhead, another light is half hidden in a rustic timber box. Plenty of light to read the menu, though, and in the two snacks (complimentary), you’ll see immediately that the kitchen practices what it preaches about seasonality, provenance and local.

Start your evening with a little snack of byproduct espuma. They make this by aerating roasted potato skins and other kitchen waste and serve it with a little cloud of seaweed smoke. The breads come with Cuinneog Butter, Achill Sea Salt, roast garlic and rosemary oil, along with an elderflower and blackberry balsamic.

The Raleigh bike features prominently at the National Museum.
No sign of the Honda 50 though!

After that, from starter to the Rum Baba dessert, the sky’s the limit. Aided by Albarino and Gruner Veltliner, we enjoyed a Goats’ Cheese dish and a Ham Hock Tartlet for starters, before a magnificent Halibut dish (with smoked haddock arancini, warm tartare sauce, and crispy leek) and a splendid Marinated Chicken Supreme with new-season asparagus.

The day had started with an average breakfast in the Ellison. Glad to say, though, that everything else here was top-notch, including a lovely bar, great staff in every section, a superb car park (with direct access to the hotel’s lift), and a very convenient location for us.

Long before air fryers, you had the kitchen crane, bellows, and bastible.

For quite a few years now, we have held back from visiting the National Museum of Ireland at nearby Turlough Park, keeping it for a rainy day. This was the day! The Museum is home to Ireland’s Folklife Collection, which covers subjects such as Hearth and Home, Cycling, Straw, Hay, and Rushes, Clothing and Textiles, and the Natural Environment. It is spread over four floors. You enter - there is no charge on floor A, and then go down (yes) to the others. On the bottom floor, there is currently a special feature on bees.

There is, of course, a shop here and a café. Here we enjoyed a midday snack. The café is Synge & Byrne, and they offer breakfast and lunch (soups, sandwiches, wraps) in a bright and airy space and serve outdoors on fine days. They also do bakes, lots of drinks (hot and cold, and iced) and cater for kids (who’ll also be on the lookout for their pink ice cream cart).

The Ellison, very comfortable base in Castlebar.

After our outstanding meal at House of Plates, it was back to the hotel bar, Siar, and our friendly server (from the night before) who had my Dingle Single Malt ready before I ordered it! Surprised him then, though, by making my final nightcap a smooth and mellow Green Spot.

The impressive Mayo Peace Park -
just across the road from the Ellison

Tory Island is often called Ireland’s “corncrake capital” but the shy, secretive bird also enjoys visiting the west coast of Mayo. It makes its way here, annually, from Africa. Conservation measures are in force to protect this endangered species. You’ll see quite a bit about the bird in the areas’ visiting centres such as the one at Ballycroy.

Three Days in Mayo #1

Three Days in Mayo #2 

Three Days in Mayo #3