Any Given Food | A Food Blog by Ken McGuire

With the sounds of Jose Gonzalez playing in the new speakers fitted in the roof, I work my way through a hazelnut latte as I type, having digested a pork and chicken terrine (shot below) with salad in the newly refurbished and now reopened Food Hall at Kilkenny Design Centre. It’s Wednesday February 22nd and having closed the space recently for development work, the doors have been finally reopened to a new dining experience for those seeking a sit down sweet, drink or lunch or food on the go if you’re in a rush.

Walking in the door from the Castle Road where silver and pink star balloons adorn the flowers outside, you’ll face a selection of fresh breads, croissants and cakes to have here or at home.

There’s huge hunks of fresh coffee cake, chocolate cake, big rocky road slices and more on the cake counter but it’s lunch I’m after where the main counter houses a nice size pork & chicken terrine, various wraps, sandwiches, salads, tartlets, and more. Soup of the day, from what I overhear, is Carrot & Ginger with a mint option available for takeaway.

There’s also an open Goatsbridge Trout sandwich (which the guy in front of me ordered), a Food Hall toastie, a baked ham, leek and wild mushroom puff pastry, oriental chicken noodle salad and more besides visible on the chalk board hanging on the wall.

My lunch of pork & chicken terrine, €8.95 with mixed leaves and coleslaw, served cold. Tasty.

What might look small and crowded when you come in to the Food Hall with a busy queue in front of you actually opens up into a large seating area with seating for 20 and plenty of room for buggies, wheelchairs and the likes. A selection of artwork from Wexford artist Simone Walsh also hangs in the main dining area, the original works available for purchase with prints also available in the main Design Centre shop.

Fancy a spot to read on your lunch break?

But it’s not just the sit down meals that they’re doing. A quick look in the fridges shows plenty of fresh made soup, lunch and dinner options available to take home and cook including a tasty looking marinated chicken and roast vegetable dish, baby potatoes with shallots, chick & brocolli crumble and more.

Tastefully Yours BBQ Sauce, just some of the products available to buy at the Food Hall

Homemade soups and chowders available to take home.

I had a chat with one of the staff over a hazelnut latte (the coffee and machines are Bewleys) and got the lowdown on how things have come to develop over the past few months, how the first day of trading was going and where things are headed for the future.

The Sweet Table in the main dining area. Lifted from the Kilkenny Design Centre facebook page. Turns out someone spotted by typing at lunchtime.

Chef Edward Hayden has been working with the restaurant’s own cooks to put some fine polish on the menu options being served up and there’s a real drive to only use local produce on the menu. They’re also planning to use the space for some tastings, demos and music evenings (there were two music nights in the restaurant upstairs during last year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival, long before the refurbishment works went into play) and they’ve extended the opening hours from 8.30am out to 6.30pm, seven days a week.

Edward Hayden Marmalades, available to buy along with Edward's books at the food hall.

Lunch was really enjoyable. I get in, have some good food, a good coffee, get to work away on the laptop and there’s more than enough there to bring me back. It’s a bright and airy space, high ceilings, plenty of natural light, dining room for (I estimate) 24 people before you look at moving to the restaurant upstairs.

You can follow the progress of the food hall and get some more pictures from their opening today on the Kilkenny Design Centre Facebook page.