Matsu Staplestown

🇯🇵 This week’s ST review: @matsu_kildare, an izakaya and ramen restaurant that has found its new home in the most unlikeliest of settings: @stkevinsgaa @saints_bar_and_food_ in Kildare 🍜

We write “Ken Komatsu’s two-page menu tells two different tales. The left side is more traditional and Japanese, anchored by eight different styles of ramen alongside side dishes like karaage chicken and rice bowls. The right side is more pub-grub with a pan-Asian accent — think teriyaki chicken wings, spice bags, loaded fries, chicken katsu curry and stir-fried noodle dishes.”

We continue, “While the food is really tasty, the flavour that lingers on our palate is one of potential. Not just for Matsu, which has a bright and delicious future here, but for the industry in general. Just last week a Drinks Industry Group of Ireland report remarked that Ireland has seen more than 2,000 pubs close (nearly 25 per cent of the industry) over the last 20 years — an average rate of 112 closures a year.

St Kevin’s GAA club offers the ideal blueprint. Across Ireland, many pubs have kitchens going stale, while community spaces like GAA or rugby clubs could make room for start-up food operations like this — drawing in a wider audience or even an entirely new clientele. This model could be especially valuable for immigrants, who may struggle to break into the business, to build a restaurant from scratch, allowing them to share space, even part-time, and showcase incredible international cuisines that could tempt the Irish palate.“

Full review over at @sundaytimesireland Less