Angies Birthday

Well it was Angie's birthday yesterday so she got to sit in the excavator for a special birthday surprise, normally she would not be let anywhere near it :) Some may say she is treated too well but hey it was her birthday after all.

You can see the nice newly painted shed in the top photo with a roof leaning against it,  I am going to make a lean to for storing wood against the shed and use the roof for that I took a couple of scoops of ground out of the area to make it flatter.

I was given a E120 dinner voucher for the Twelve West Restaurant

2014 Sustainable Restaurant of the Year -Restaurants Association of Ireland Food Oscars  

Two Star AA Rosettes Awarded for Culinary Excellence                                                                    West has been judged Galway's Top Restaurant - Georgina Campbell Top Irish 100 Guide                

It is in Barna as a thank you for cleaning the bottom of a fishing boat a few months ago and we went there last night it was very good. Home made breads came first, brioche, soda bread and pumpkin scones with local butter. Then there were two Chinese spoons with pickled cabbage and a seafood sausage which was  lovely. For my starter I had a lobster dish, there was a lobster ravioli type dumpling, lobster meat, saffron potato cubes and sage as a decoration and a lobster bisque pored over the dumpling ohh and a pickled swirl of seaweed.  Angie had mussels from Killary harbour with  Spring Onion, Flat Leaf Parsley and Chardonnay Cream Sauce. I had a 21 day dry aged Hereford steak with Organic Kale, Caramelized Onion, Shallots Confit, Lemon Thyme and Peppercorn Cream for the main and Angie had Pork belly with Aioli, Apple, potato cake and vegies. Topped off with an Argentinian Malbec wine. I resisted the urge to demolish the cheese board as that would just have been greedy, next time I will have two starters and the cheese board. Will have to save up right enough as it isn't cheap.

Sheana had sent flowers to the restaurant so that was another nice surprise.

 

Spent today gardening and painting a couple of my outdoor seats, they are very hip now the bench is sort of 70s flower power and orange is the new black apparently so I painted the seat orange.