Dangers lurk everywhere, waiting to ensnare the unsuspecting who move through the world unsuspectingly.
You could, for instance, be having a pleasant day out with the family touring the seriously impressive Shackleton Experience, in little Athy, County Kildare. Those crazy Arctic and Antarctic explorers could teach us a few things about overcoming danger. Loads to see and learn here.
Then someone might innocently suggest a cup of tea and a bite to eat in the cafe, Ernie’s? Maybe a toasted sandwich?
That is the moment you will remember later.
So, you sit down at the handsome tables in the gorgeous foyer space, which looks like it has been imported direct from an historical building in a French town and which should win every architectural conservation and heritage prize going. It’s a lovely, comfy zone, so you settle in.
Cup of tea and a toasted sandwich, then. Actually it’s a Croque Monsieur: slices of ham, melty cheese, good bechamel.
Beware!
Graham Herterich may call his creation a Croque Monsieur, but be in no doubt that what you are about to chow down on should rightfully be called a Crack Monsieur.
One bite, you’re gone. This is sustenance as addiction, toasted bread and melty cheese as a Dopamine Dispenser. Boom! One bite, you’re gone. This is legal?
Graham Herterich has form when it comes to dealing with addictive substances. His Mikado biscuits – think of the poor children! – are the legendary gateway drug to a lifetime of addiction to top-quality baking.
His tea bracks would turn your head and make you shun all the other tea bracks you once loved. And once you have tried the scones which he collectively calls a “Brilliance of Scones” well then you are strung out on scones.
The sheer brilliance of the Crack Monsieur shouldn’t be a surprise, because Herterich is one of the major talents of his generation. But you still don’t expect to be blown away by the cooking and baking you find in the simple cafe of an arts institution in a wee town in County Kildare.
Yet everything we ate was benchmark standard, in every detail. Look at the little brown-paper wrapped sticks of good butter served with the brown bread. Look at the care taken with the table setting, with a smart peppercorn grinder and West of Dingle sea salt. Look at the artfully flaking pastry that enfolds the filling in the sausage roll. Each thing you encounter, from food to service to table setting, is as good as it can possibly be, curated with the care and precision that mark out a dream destination. 5-star cooking in a foyer.
You thought you were going to Athy for Ernest Shackleton, but what mattered was Ernie’s Crack Monsieur.
Related:
