Review: The Pig’s Tale, Gorey, Co. Wexford

I took my boyfriend to Seafield House in Wexford recently for his birthday, and we had a wonderful break made even better by our little pit-stop in Gorey on the way down. We decided to stop for a quick lunch before finishing the last few miles of our trip. Walking up and down Main Street, absolutely nothing was appealing to us until we spotted a doorway and stairs leading up to The Pig’s Tale.

The room was bright and airy and, for a Sunday afternoon in a town that seems to have a shortage of nice places to eat, it was pretty quiet. The lunch menu is simple, serving gourmet sandwiches, pasta dishes and “taster” plates, and lots of other options to choose from. We were in a bit of a rush – there was rugby to be watched ! – so we didn’t have any starters but options included a delicious sounding Cannellini Bean Bruschetta (€4.95) or Prawns Pil-Pil (€8.95) a personal favourite of mine.

Jim had the Cod and Chips w/Minted Peas (€11.95). For such a prevalent dish so many places get it wrong and over-batter/breadcrumb the fish but this was fantastic; they had added herbs in to the breadcrumb mix and it was light and perfectly cooked.

I went for the Homemade Burger, €10.95, which was served with chips and a small rocket salad. The burger was amazing, and I don’t use that word lightly. Well, I do, but not this time! It was a manageable size, unlike most gourmet burgers where you practically have to dislocate your jaw to take a bite, and the burger patty itself was moist and full of flavour. It came on a floury bap with some good quality cheddar and a smear of bbq sauce. It didn’t need much else. If I’m going to complain about anything, the salad was over-dressed, everything on my plate was swimming in oil because of it, but at least it was good quality olive oil.

The two girls working the floor on our visit were both ridiculously pleasant and seemed very happy, always a good sign. With two very frugal tap waters our bill came to €22.90 not including service. I’d love to go back for dinner, but unfortunately it’ll be a while before I pass through Gorey again, though it’ll be well worth the trip when I do.