Anna Haugh wants every dish at Myrtle to tell a tale. With its doors now open, guests have the opportunity to experience some authentic flavours from the Emerald Isle through Anna’s brand new ‘A Taste of Ireland’ menu.
Over the past four months, Anna Haugh has delved into her Irish-heritage, working away on her appropriately named ‘A Taste of Ireland’ menu.
With more than twenty year’s experience working in renowned establishments such as Phil Howard’s The Square, Pied a Terre and Paris’ Hotel Lotti, Anna Haugh knows a thing or two about creating amazing dishes. For her ‘A Taste of Ireland’ menu, she’s channelled memories from her childhood days in Dublin and incorporated produce from small-scale farmers based in her homeland.
Anna, along with her cousin and General Manager, Daniel Haugh is inviting guests to experience a celebratory journey of then and now, with the seven-course ‘A Taste of Ireland’ menu and their new a la carte.
A closer look at Myrtle’s ‘A Taste of Ireland menu’
Myrtle’s new menu is a fantastic celebration of Irish produce involving produce sourced from each county, history and the people and places Anna has met and visited over the years.
The ‘A Taste of Ireland’ feast starts with Bia Beag (Gaelic amuse-bouche), followed by plates of Clonakilty black pudding, wrapped potato from Cork and smoked scallop, Taylors of Lusk garlic, crispy Gubeen Chorizo from an Irish charcuterie producer in Louth.
For a celebration of one of Ireland’s most loved pies, guests are taken to Kerry, with marinated lamb, dingle pie chervil and broad bean purée, before stopping off in Wexford, with a sea buckthorn granita and ending in Clare, with the ancient Gaelic Carrageen moss pudding, made with seaweed and Guinness chocolate sponge, surrounded by a chocolate Irish mist.
Each dish at Myrtle Restaurant tells a tale; Anna’s paté cherries with hazelnuts and toasted potato bread is an ode to her days living in Paris, roaming early morning markets in spring, picking at cherries and thinking of family back home.
Stories of homes across Ireland sharing brown bread pudding around dinner tables inspired Anna’s brown bread soufflé with hints of peach and treacle, served with an ice cream sandwich.
The banana bread petits fours with walnut cream and candied walnuts is a nod to Anna’s father; as a boy living in Ringsend, he came across a boat filled with unripe bananas; a coveted item in 1960s Irishtown, he nicked the bananas and ran home, to hide them in his mammy’s hot press.
Panicked that his secret would come to light, he roped in his brother (Daniel’s dad), and they proceeded to eat all the green fruit, only to be discovered rolling around the banana peels by Anna’s grandmother, Annie.
Anna works with Irish based handcrafters for crockery and glassware, from Dublin based Brookwood pottery; Galway Crystal and Mullingar Pewter, used for their wine goblets.
At lunchtime a special three-course chef’s menu is available, Tuesday to Saturday made up of three daily changing courses, decided by Anna and what produce is available on the day. Myrtle’s lunchtime chef’s menu is priced at £22 on Tuesday & Wednesday and £32 Thursday – Saturday.
The safety measures at Myrtle Restaurant
To keep diners safe, seats will be reduced to less than half, the full front of the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows will be retracted, and dining space is available outside. Staff and guests will take all necessary precautions; staff will wear face masks, there will be regular sanitising of hands and surfaces, and reduced table contact will be implemented.
Guests will be given sanitised hand towels throughout the experience. Within the kitchen, there will be no sharing of kitchen utensils and regular sanitising. The upstairs dining area will be reserved for private dinners, for those looking to celebrate reunions and smaller gatherings outside of their homes, within their own space.
Myrtle Restaurant – Where and how?
For more information on Myrtle Restaurant, booking details and Anna Haugh, visit www.myrtlerestaurant.com.
Address: 1A Langton St, Chelsea, London SW10 0JL.
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