Kai Cafe & Restaurant
About the Restaurant
Kai, meaning food in Maori, is the brainchild of chef Jess Murphy, who, with her Irish husband David front-of-house, has converted this former tearoom/café to a rustic, bare wood, flagged-floor, stonewalled café and restaurant.
In shades of green and grey, with a central glass conservatory roof and plain furnishings, Kai is a most unusual dining space. In fairly basic surroundings, which may not appeal to everyone, Jess displays her talents for cooking that are unashamedly dedicated to the very best of local foods, cooked in her own inimitable manner. She cuts no corners in seeking out the very best raw materials and then cooking them simply with a minimum of fuss.
Chef Jess Murphy, originally from New Zealand but has been in Ireland for many years. Murphy worked with Kevin Thornton in his Michelin restaurant, then Ard Bia and of course Bar 8 where she was awarded Best Chef in Connacht this year.