Wining and dining without gracing pub nor restaurant

When I suggested to a friend we venture to town for a bite - my treat to reciprocate for her kindness - she immediately looked at me aghast. In town, at night, with all those crowds milling around?

This was somebody who used to be the life and soul of any party that she graced.

When I suggested we go try some wine bars that serve food that she may not have been to before, she brightened. We would have no booking, no plan, just hope there was space for us at the bar – a wine bar sesh, as it were.

After a quick drink in Galway’s smallest pub – the beautifully-renovated TJ Clarkes, which is about to open its own wine bar next door opposite Tigh Neachtain’s – we headed over the bridge to Daróg’s on Dominick Street.

Formerly the home of Tartare run by Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon, this was taken over by his sister Edel and her husband Zsolt Lucács 18 months ago.

Daróg was awarded a Bib Gourmand in this year’s Michelin guide, which denotes 2 good quality, good value cooking” whhile Zsolt was given a special award for best sommelier in the UK and Ireland, with the judges remarking: “He is an engaging, dedicated man who is clearly so passionate about the wine list he has curated here. His recommendations are knowledgeable and thoughtfully considered, then communicated to guests in a refreshingly unpretentious way that makes them feel relaxed and comfortable.”

The busy Friday night we popped in, Zsolt had no time to either engage or say hello but the previous week I had sat down with the couple who have morphed this tiny space into one of the best-known wine bars in the country.

Edel, a native of Maynooth and graphic designer, followed her brother to Galway for a year and never left - another brother Gerry owns the Italian Il Vicolo. Zsolt, born in Hungary, raised in Germany, came to Galway two decades ago and worked in Sheridans on the Docks before moving to Aniar, which won its first Michelin star under head chef Enda McEvoy and has retained it ever since under owner JP.

Pictured: Zsolt Lucács and Edel McMahon, owners of Daróg and aLa Viña owner Geraldine Garvin with chef David Bouza.