SPOTLIGHT PROFILE: Donal Cahill, Thundercut Alley
I have great love and passion for the array of artisan producers and products available throughout Ireland at the moment; as indeed do the people behind these goods. I've always been interested to hear about how they got into what they're doing, why the love it and why we should too.
Along with some whimsical food questions, I'm attempting to peer behind the veil a little in these new instalments, I hope you enjoy them. This week, I chat to Donal Cahill (the man behind the hit My Meat Wagon in Smithfield) about his newest project, Thundercut Alley.
How did Thundercut Alley happen?
Thundercut alley started as a silly idea of doing a speakeasy dive bar restaurant which serves up high end flatbreads, simple pecks and bites and craft style cocktails.
I wanted to do the 2nd restaurant completely different to my first venture My Meat Wagon. As you walk by the restaurant, you think its an old looking retro meat ball sandwich shop. It serves up one signature sandwich "The Gutterball". The real restaurant is as you walk through the fridge door; it's like a 1980s dirty dive bar in New York.
The fridge door in gutterball opens from 12 for lunch on the weekdays and for boozy boogie Brunch on the weekends.
Do you remember the first thing you ever cooked?
Yes . Apple tart with my auntie. I used to kick football in her back garden then come in and make small little apple tarts with my grubby little hands using fresh apples from the little apple tree out the back. I remember because my pastry was terrible. But we still ate them all the same. Good times.
Did you always like cooking?
Yes. The first job I had was in a hotel in Portmarnock when I was 11. I used to do kitchen porter. I worked with my now wife and her older brother would have been my boss. I actually loved it and did it up to when I was 16.
I liked to ask a lot of questions to the senior chefs to see how they put different food and flavours together. Over the years of working in a kitchen I grew a passion for cooking and decided to study as a chef in DIT.
Do you have a signature dish?
It's not very fancy but, I suppose because all of this started out of a Burger van (Mafia Meat Wagon), it would have to be the My Meat Wagon Burger. I think I do a mean Burger and Fries... shopping trolley included.
What kind of food does Thundercut serve?
Thundercut Alley serves up:
Flatbreads pecks and bites fancy "ish" style and 16 signature cocktails. Some of our options include:
8 wood fired Flatbreads with Truffle Bechmel
Fillet of beef
Lamb cutlets
Black Tiger Shrimp
Smoked Poussin
Beet Salmon
Crispy Duck
Cured Meats
Artichoke and Creamed Spinage
We also do pecks and bites with the Flatbreads:
Sliders dipped and flipped in Gravy
Hot chicken thighs
Juicy Lucy lollipops
Devilled eggs n poppers
Magic mushrooms on toast
Loaded Nachos to name but a few
and
Salad Tray menu and fries menu
How would you describe the vibe of the place?
Dark dirty 80s new York style speakeasy masquerading as an 80s meatball bowling shop. The usual!
Where do you get your ingredients?Meats from FX Buckley, the vegetables herbs and fruit from Caterway, the fish comes from Kish Fish and the cured meats and cheeses from Little Italy.
The best part of having the restaurants in smithfield is that you can get the freshest ingredients from the smithfield market because it's right on your doorstep.
Take us through a regular day for you
Get Up early ish...Fall out of the bed. Bail in the shower. Dust off the cobwebs. Have the porridge, clear run of the day now. Walk the dog, sort out the plan for the day... do a list of what has to be done for the day.Sort out any messy emails. Collect veg and herbs from the market in The Little Green Van. Head to work. Stoke up the ovens and bring in deliveries. Ring the wife, argue about something stupid. Open up Start prepping for service. Have a coffee , quick cigarette. Question myself about life....Smoke meat, make bread. Cook, serve food. Cook serve food. Cook serve food repeat... Slow cook some meatballs overnight. Clean down kitchen. Have a skinful Guinness & 20 Camel. Fall in the door. Sleep in dogs bed. Get into own bed. Kiss wife on the head. Snore like a fog horn
Repeat the next day!
Where do you get inspiration for your dishes?
Trying different things in the restaurant and at home. Looking what other chefs are doing in Dublin and further afield. Watching late night cooking shows on the cookery channel with a few beers, a sandwich with my dog, Potato.
If you were a dish what one would you be?
A Meatball. Hard and well done on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside
For your last meal, what would you have?
Pint of Guinness, a slow-smoked Beef Sandwich and a packet of King crisps. And a sneaky little purple snack bar
You can follow Donal's food porn on Thundercut Alley's Facebook Page or on Instagram.
All photos from Instagram.
Along with some whimsical food questions, I'm attempting to peer behind the veil a little in these new instalments, I hope you enjoy them. This week, I chat to Donal Cahill (the man behind the hit My Meat Wagon in Smithfield) about his newest project, Thundercut Alley.
How did Thundercut Alley happen?
Thundercut alley started as a silly idea of doing a speakeasy dive bar restaurant which serves up high end flatbreads, simple pecks and bites and craft style cocktails.
I wanted to do the 2nd restaurant completely different to my first venture My Meat Wagon. As you walk by the restaurant, you think its an old looking retro meat ball sandwich shop. It serves up one signature sandwich "The Gutterball". The real restaurant is as you walk through the fridge door; it's like a 1980s dirty dive bar in New York.
The fridge door in gutterball opens from 12 for lunch on the weekdays and for boozy boogie Brunch on the weekends.
Do you remember the first thing you ever cooked?
Yes . Apple tart with my auntie. I used to kick football in her back garden then come in and make small little apple tarts with my grubby little hands using fresh apples from the little apple tree out the back. I remember because my pastry was terrible. But we still ate them all the same. Good times.
Did you always like cooking?
Yes. The first job I had was in a hotel in Portmarnock when I was 11. I used to do kitchen porter. I worked with my now wife and her older brother would have been my boss. I actually loved it and did it up to when I was 16.
I liked to ask a lot of questions to the senior chefs to see how they put different food and flavours together. Over the years of working in a kitchen I grew a passion for cooking and decided to study as a chef in DIT.
Do you have a signature dish?
It's not very fancy but, I suppose because all of this started out of a Burger van (Mafia Meat Wagon), it would have to be the My Meat Wagon Burger. I think I do a mean Burger and Fries... shopping trolley included.
What kind of food does Thundercut serve?
Thundercut Alley serves up:
Flatbreads pecks and bites fancy "ish" style and 16 signature cocktails. Some of our options include:
8 wood fired Flatbreads with Truffle Bechmel
Fillet of beef
Lamb cutlets
Black Tiger Shrimp
Smoked Poussin
Beet Salmon
Crispy Duck
Cured Meats
Artichoke and Creamed Spinage
We also do pecks and bites with the Flatbreads:
Sliders dipped and flipped in Gravy
Hot chicken thighs
Juicy Lucy lollipops
Devilled eggs n poppers
Magic mushrooms on toast
Loaded Nachos to name but a few
and
Salad Tray menu and fries menu
How would you describe the vibe of the place?
Dark dirty 80s new York style speakeasy masquerading as an 80s meatball bowling shop. The usual!
Where do you get your ingredients?Meats from FX Buckley, the vegetables herbs and fruit from Caterway, the fish comes from Kish Fish and the cured meats and cheeses from Little Italy.
The best part of having the restaurants in smithfield is that you can get the freshest ingredients from the smithfield market because it's right on your doorstep.
Take us through a regular day for you
Get Up early ish...Fall out of the bed. Bail in the shower. Dust off the cobwebs. Have the porridge, clear run of the day now. Walk the dog, sort out the plan for the day... do a list of what has to be done for the day.Sort out any messy emails. Collect veg and herbs from the market in The Little Green Van. Head to work. Stoke up the ovens and bring in deliveries. Ring the wife, argue about something stupid. Open up Start prepping for service. Have a coffee , quick cigarette. Question myself about life....Smoke meat, make bread. Cook, serve food. Cook serve food. Cook serve food repeat... Slow cook some meatballs overnight. Clean down kitchen. Have a skinful Guinness & 20 Camel. Fall in the door. Sleep in dogs bed. Get into own bed. Kiss wife on the head. Snore like a fog horn
Repeat the next day!
Where do you get inspiration for your dishes?
Trying different things in the restaurant and at home. Looking what other chefs are doing in Dublin and further afield. Watching late night cooking shows on the cookery channel with a few beers, a sandwich with my dog, Potato.
If you were a dish what one would you be?
A Meatball. Hard and well done on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside
For your last meal, what would you have?
Pint of Guinness, a slow-smoked Beef Sandwich and a packet of King crisps. And a sneaky little purple snack bar
You can follow Donal's food porn on Thundercut Alley's Facebook Page or on Instagram.
All photos from Instagram.
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