Sunday Business Post: Review of Fafies
Pancakes for every day of the week
Sunday, February 03, 2008 - Reviewed by Ross Golden Bannon
Fafies Galettes. 2 Lower Kevin Street, Dublin 8
Tel: 01-4763888
Chef: Anne-Sofie Laidain
While the rest of the world celebrates Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday), Europe celebrates Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. As it falls this week, what better place to visit than a galetterie or crêperie?
I visited Fafies to see if its produce matched my memories of Breton galettes from my university days in Angers, on the border of Brittany in France.
Crêperies in France are convivial casual dining spots, and this ambience is reflected in Fafies’decor.
A cheery red front and interior with casual cafe-style chairs makes for a low-key atmosphere. While this works for the lunchtime crowd, perhaps some candles, dimmed lights and table clothes might help the dinner trade.
I was with two friends who are among my keenest culinary spies. (Though I suspect they are strategically working their way towards a Michelin dinner - they’ve certainly scored a few of their own in the places they’ve picked out.)
Fafies’ drinks list is limited to a red and white Bordeaux from Château de Lavagnac. We ordered the red for €18,which turned out to be pretty drinkable for the price. In the end, we polished off two bottles.
The thing to do in a crêperie is to order a small pancake to start, then share two for a main and finish off with a sweetie. Even more traditionally, you order ‘the test’ (€3.45), a plain butter galette which you taste to see if you’re satisfied with the batter.
Before you start sending it back, make sure you know the difference between a galette and a crêpe. Both are thinner than the traditional pancakes we’re used to in Ireland, but further, a galette is made from buckwheat and served usually (but not exclusively) with savoury contents.
Besides being gluten-free, the galette also has a darker quality. Crêpes are made with white flour and have a more delicate flavour. In Fafies, you can see the galettes being cooked on a proper ‘bilig’, which looks like a giant electric cooker top. They’re cooked to order, one at a time and brought to the table as each is done.
We kicked off with a mushroom galette with garlic, shallots and parsley in crème fraîche (€5.95). The galette was cooked to perfection with a crispy edge and its darker flavours worked perfectly with the earthy mushrooms.
There was a fashion in the 1980s for restaurants to use cheery descriptions for food of dubious quality. Fafies has provided a humorous take on this practice with wacky descriptions - but without the bad food.
I ordered the Crazy Goat in the Ocean galette (€9.15) with smoked salmon, goat’s cheese, walnuts and cream.This came with a generous portion of quality fish, while the walnuts added an important layer of earthy flavour and texture. Crazy, but it worked.
We also ordered the Jamón, Jamón galette (€8.45), which was made with Serrano ham, fresh mozzarella, spinach and crème fraîche. The spinach and cheese acted as an important softener to the highly flavoured ham and the entire combination would have director Bigas Luna chopping for more.
The Big Blue (€8.65), made with spinach, Cashel blue, bacon lardons and pine nuts, was a hearty combination bursting with flavour. I think I’m seeing a theme here: if Luc Besson had made a galette instead of an award-winning film, this would be it.
The crêpes come into their own at dessert as they are lighter and more suited to the sweet fillings. From a long list of temptations, we shared a simple butter, sugar and lemon crêpe (€3.75), and it’s surprising how the simplest of classics really hit home.
The fact that less is more became evident when my crêpe of chocolate almonds and whipped cream (€5.50) arrived. It seemed like an overdressed Elizabeth Taylor next to the elegant Grace Kelly classic (the piped cream didn’t help).
We also shared a special of the day (€3.75) a crêpe served with home-made caramel, which was another star turn.
The bill included three espressos and came to €93.65 between three, working out at about €31 each.
Fafies is one of few eateries delivering quality ingredients in the lower price range. If the jitters on the stock markets have left you worried about the fatness of your wallet, Fafies could be just the place for your Big Fat Tuesday pancake.
Read online Reviews for Fafie's at Menupages.ie
http://www.menupages.ie/search/restaurants/fafies.aspx
Fafie’s Galettes Limited
2 Lower Kevin Street, Dublin 8
Tel:(+353) 01-4763888
e-mail: info@fafies.com
www.fafies.com
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