Mother’s Day Lunch in Tra Ban

Today was such a wonderful day. The sun was shining for a start which is always a bonus here in Ireland. It was also Mother’s Day so myself and Andy went for lunch to Trá Bán, an award-winning restaurant in Strandhill, Sligo.

Siobhan, the restaurant manager, was there to welcome us and we were seated at a lovely table overlooking the sea. There was a set menu for Mother’s Day and there was so much choice, – I could easily have tried everything on the menu and it was a tough choice to decide what to order. We were given an Ambuse Bouche which was tomato and basil soup and two flavours of fresh bread served with butter and pesto while we deliberated over the menu.

I went for the warm goats cheese and chorizo salad. I wondered how this combination would work but it was delicious. The flavours really complimented each other.

Andy went for the mini beef tacos which were spicy strips of beef served in a taco shell with peppers, garlic and pineapple salsa, topped with glass noodles. I had to try a bit of this and it was gorgeous, just the right amount of spice.

For the main course I had roast beef served on a bed of chorizo mash, topped with onions and came with mixed vegetables. Everything was just so delicious, the beef just melted in the mouth.

Andy had Strandhill fish and chips which were Hake goujons  battered in Irish Pale Ale, served on pea puree with tartare sauce. I had to have a taste of these and they were gorgeous.

Now for dessert and this was the hardest choice by far. Andy had apple crumble and custard which he loves…and it was gorgeous. I really liked the topping which had oats in it and made a nice change from the standard crumble.

I had the chocolate fondue, although I almost went for the peanut butter stack – oh the temptation to go for both! Anyway the thought of melted Belgian chocolate tipped the decision and the fondue won. It was gorgeous….and yes I finished the pot of chocolate…back on the healthy eating tomorrow!

So that was my Mother’s Day lunch – perfect from start to finish. Excellent service, excellent food, clean plates and full bellies. I can’t wait to pay a return visit!  I’d recommend Tra Ban to anyone coming to Sligo.

After all that eating we went for a lovely walk over to Killaspugsbrone Church. St. Patrick reportedly lost a tooth here and gave it to the bishop as a gift – as you do!

Killaspugsbrone Church is just a ruin but it’s well worth a visit. The views of both Benbulben and Knocknarea Mountains are just magical. There are also some really interesting gravestones like the one below. This was made by some kind of china/pottery and is just so unusual, I’d love to know the story behind it.

After all our walking we headed to The Strand Pub for a quick drink and of course you can’t visit the seaside without an ice cream so a visit to Mammy Johnston’s was in order. I had a Hazelnut chocolate ice cream – which tasted just like Ferrero Rocher, yum.

We are blessed to live in such a magical part of the world and today I had a really wonderful day enjoying all that Strandhill and the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer.