A few weeks back we took a run to Skibbereen to see if there was anything special in the Farmer’s Market with the Taste of West Cork Food Festival being on. Sadly it seemed to be the usual fare with a few great stalls including the awesome Gubbeen stand along with the standard crusties selling knitted bodhrans. We were very disappointed and I’ve only just realised from reading the web-site that the big food event was on the Sunday - damn damn damn.

We tootled off to Union Hall for some grub and had three pubs to choose from. We randomly selected Dinty’s which is a lovely airy pub and was not too busy yet (around 12.30). The barman was friendly and good with the kids and I grabbed a few menus off him. I was immediatley very disappointed by the selection of seafood for a few reasons. They call themselves a seafood restaurant, they have a picture of lobster on their sign outside, they are 20 yards from an awesome fish shop and wholesalers (Antcar) and they are in a fishing port!

I went with fish pie whilst Catherine and the kids all had plaice plus a few rounds of chips. I have to hand it to them, they broke the current record holder for getting fish to people in a pub who have kids by a couple of minutes. Up until now that record was held by the Bosun in Monkstown which is a fantastic pub/restaurant. I think Dinty’s did it in under 4 minutes which meant the kids didn’t even have a chance to think about misbehaving. They know their stuff in this place.

My fish pie was good but the plaice was superb - top top quality and ultra fresh from what I could see. A few leaves on the plate were dressed well but they shouldn’t have bothered with it for the kiddies. Chips excellent.

Lunch/Dinner for two adults and 3.5 kids plus one pint and soft drinks came to over €60 which I found pricey. By the time we were leaving the place was mobbed and with good reason. Recommended for good solid food. Next time we’ll try the other places and compare.

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