Bistrot 1798 named after famed Races of Castlebar
Tom Gillespie
A FRENCH chef with a love of history has named his bistrot in memory of the 1798 Rebellion and its connection with the Races of Castlebar, when French troops, under General Humbert, routed the English Crown forces.
Michel Nagy and his wife Marzena opened Bistrot 1798 at Linehhall Street, Castlebar, in March 2020, just before Covid struck.
They were able to survive through the lockdowns serving takeaway food.
The new 20-seater bistrot serves authentic, local and fresh food in the heart of Castlebar town. It is is the culmination of a lifetime's love for food.
Michel’s passion for food began at 16 in the heart of Paris in 1994. Since then he has cooked across the world – around France, Corsica, Switzerland and Australia. He came back to France and decided to come to Ireland in 1999.
He worked in Ballina, Monaghan and Belfast before making Castlebar his home.
Now Bistrot 1798, located on Linenhall Street in the county town, is a meld of French cooking, Irish cuisine and locally sourced produce.
Michel said: "We decided to open our own business in Castlebar before St. Patrick’s Day in 2020, just as Covid came in. We were lucky that we did takeaways to survive.
"Since August we have been fully open and we have been depending on word of mouth.
"We do a very extensive menu which can be seen on our big in-house blackboard, and we change the menu from time to time. But everything we do is all fresh. I am cooking for such a long time and I love it."
Michel specialises in fresh fish – monkfish, turbot, brill, plaice, hake, smoked salmon, mussels and oysters, when he can get them.
He added: "We also specialise in beef cheeks and pork belly. The beef cheeks are so soft you do not need a fork but a spoon to eat them. I cook them slowly for three hours in wine and vegetables."
At Bistrot 1798 they have a wide range of French wines – white, rose, red, sparkling and Champagne. There is also an extensive takeaway menu available at Bistrot 1798.
Michel continued: "We put our menu on Facebook because it changes weekly. All our food is fresh. We do not use frozen food here. Customers are very happy because we do something different.
"When we opened we did not have any customers. Now we have a good client base."
HISTORY
Referring to the bistrot's name, Michel explained: "I love history and I knew all about 1798, General Humbert and Killala. Our logo is the harp for Ireland and the rooster for France."
When I visited Michel and Marina, among the items on the in-house blackboard were: leg of duck confit, red onion jam and mixed leaves; Bistrot 1798 seafood chowder; warm goats cheese and tomato fondue tartlet; scallops and prawn, spinach and tomato casserole in creamy garlic sauce; smoked salmon and avocado salad in brioche bun; pork belly, sweet tomato puree; slow cooked beef cheek, port and cognac gravy with mash and vegetables.
Also featuring were: rack of Irish lamb, red wine jus, champ potato and vegetables; honey glazed duck breast, peppercorn sauce, mash and vegetables; vegetarian dish of the day; medallions of monkfish, pink peppercorns and red pepper coulis; and turbot with mussels and creamy lemon sauce.
Bistrot 1798 is open on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 9.30 p.m., and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m., and they can be contacted on (094) 9044624.
For parties of four or more, Michel recommend making reservations at least two days in advance. If you have queries or would like to make a reservation, make contact on the above number, by direct message on Facebook, or by emailing bistrot1798@gmail.com.
"Due to our small capacity, we have a 10% service charge on groups of eight or more dining with us," Michel concluded.