Brewing up a revolution in Galway’s cafe culture

Lifestyle –  Judy Murphy samples the delights of an alternative social scene in the city’s speciality tea and coffee shops

A revolution has been brewing in the West End of Galway City in the past couple of years – but it’s a gentle revolution, one that entails sitting and chatting over top-quality and unusual tea and coffee.

The Secret Garden, which specialises in teas and herbal infusions from around the world, and Urban Grind Café, which offers a selection of specialist organic coffees, have cultivated an alternative social scene on William Street West, just off Dominick Street.

Both are on the edge of the city centre, away from its commercial hub, but both are thriving as they offer people fresh choices.

For Pádraic Lynagh, the decision to open a speciality coffee shop came when he returned to Galway after a decade in Australia.

The Monaghan-born chef had lived in Galway before emigrating – working as a pastry chef in the then Regional Hospital, before co-running the much-loved Taylor’s Bar and Hannibal’s Restaurant on Dominick Street – both since closed.

Australia has a reputation for superb coffee, thanks in large part to its many Greek and Italian immigrants, Pádraic explains.

“Even the corner shops have great coffee and the suburbs in Melbourne and Sydney all have places with in-house roasters.”

Pádraic had worked in food procurement in Australia and continued that work back in Galway. His base was a 35,000 square-foot windowless building, which he hated.  That, combined with his love of coffee, spurred him to set up Urban Grind, as he couldn’t find Australian-style coffee when he returned to Galway.

“I got samples that I liked from Australia and sent them to the top roasters in Ireland to get something comparable,” he says. “And we got a Good Food map of Ireland and travelled to different places and sampled loads of coffee.”

Pádraic’s wife Lisa has been involved in Urban Grind from the beginning, but these days she’s kept busy with their three children, who range in age from six to two

While Pádraic and Lisa were researching, they contacted former financier Colin Harmon of the renowned 3fe café in Dublin, who shared his expertise.

“Then 3fe started roasting their own coffee and we went with them when we opened in March 2014,” Pádraic explains.

3fe supplies Urban Grind’s Momentum blend house-coffee, as well as two single-origin coffees. The Momentum house-blend changes regularly, according to the coffee harvest.

“Wherever the beans are ripest, that’s what we have on sale,” says Pádraic. “3fe follow the harvest, so there are different coffees at different times of the year.”

The Momentum blend is used for Espressos, Americanos and milky drinks, while the two single-origin coffees are filtered using an AeroPress device. This easy-to-use manual machine, manufactured by the same company that invented Frisbee, is renowned for making superb coffee.

But care is required. Brewing coffee is like baking, says Pádraic.

“It’s a science. Timing and precision are important as they are with pastry.”