quayhouse | LOVE me says FOOD

Couple weekends ago now, I took an weekend trek out to Connemara. You may have seen on my excessive flood of instagram photos that inundated you. Had I known how breathtaking the views would be and how long the journey was from Dublin, I may have planned to stay another day. On Friday afternoon I travelled four hours from Dublin through Galway to the very west of Ireland, in Connemara. I was off to Dillisk!

Dillisk, Irish for sea weed or kelp; was the exceptional dining experience constructed in an old boathouse near Cleggen in Aughrusbeg. From talking to the locals in town, the project has experienced great success every weekend of the summer.

I arrived in Clifden, and the lovely lady from the Quay house met me and personally drove me down to the B&B. She really went over and above, even pre-booked a cab to take me out to the Dillisk. The whole 20 min drive to Dillisk, my jaw was literally on the ground. I mean, every turn in the road between the hills and ponds was quintessentially Irish. It was surreal. The driver said “If you think this is great, oh you haven’t seen nothin’ yet”.

Seriously, I would rip my heart out and give it to you. THAT is how beautiful it was, sure, it’s dramatic but really. There were moments I had to just open my (asian) eyes just a little wider, take a deep breath in and think, this… this is, breathtaking, beautiful, and no words should be able to describe this sky or the sunset. What an ethereal mood that night. The conversation, the music and singing, the surrounding low tide combined with the courses of fine, foraged, slow-cooked food. There was just something about the whole experience that was raw and yet very polished. I hope the photos give you a bit of an idea, but honestly they can barely capture the emotion that I was feeling that moment. – thankfulness & grace.

Katie & Jasper, the curators of this food project have beautiful vision, followed by an amazing execution. The creativity flows through the walls of this surreal experience. However, they make it look effortless and authentic, just like having friends for a nice meal at their family home.

From the little details of the drawn map of Connmere to the compost lavender-filled loo with with a view of the landscape, thanks for sharing a beautiful dream with us.