I must be incredibly slow on the uptake, but I was unaware that Queen of Tarts, my favourite coffee and cake shop in town, had languidly expanded and opened a fabulous new twin restaurant in Cow’s Lane. I left a friend waiting for lunch the other day, as I sat stubbornly in the wrong shop.
It was lovely, sitting outside in the Spring sun, wondering which favourite to choose from my favourites on the menu (everything). I had a gorgeous Goat’s Cheese and Tomato Tart, with Foccaccia Bread, Salad, Cous Cous and Red Cabbage Coleslaw on the side. It was €8.95, but it was a massive portion and utterly yummy. My friend has the Baked Cheddar Cheese Tart, and ate it wilfully in front of me, ignoring my jealously.
However, she did not allow herself cake afterwards, and I did. And the cakes are ALL delicious, but I had the Fresh Warm Plum Tart with Cream, and it lit me up inside for the rest of my day. The sisters who own it, Regina and Yvonne Fallon, trained as pastry chefs in New York, and their skill is evident throughout their cafes. You can tell they make a huge effort to use the best ingredients (not a wilted piece of lettuce sight), and this even comes down to their choice of coffee: Lavazza. It’s one of the nicest post-lunch coffees in Dublin actually.
So, if you haven’t been to Queen of Tarts for a while, then it’s time to revisit.