Being a coeliac on a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean that you can’t eat out in some really impressive restaurants. After all you can still eat meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, rice, potatoes and gluten-free substitute foods. Restaurants in the Boyne Valley are very passionate about food and have some great farm produce and seafood, as well as some incredibly talented chefs and some gluten-free dining options too!
During my time in Drogheda I had the pleasure of dining in Scholars Townhouse Restaurant, who have a fantastic gluten-free menu on offer and the best chef in Co.Louth two years running (2015 & 2016). This charming restaurant was also awarded 2016 Best Hotel Restaurant County Louth by the Restaurant Association of Ireland, so I knew we were in for a real treat.
As the name suggest, the restaurant is situated in a renovated town house oozing character and charm.
I couldn’t believe how many GF’s (gluten-free) indications were on the menu. More than half the dishes were followed by a GF in bold font. It’s as if they knew I were coming. Sometimes gluten-free options can be dull, boring or bland but this wasn’t the case in Scholars Townhouse, the chef created the perfect flavour balance.
Salmon and Fig (GF)
Cheese & Onion €9.95 (V)(GF)
Coolatin cheddar & rosemary tart with red wine shallots, cherry vine tomatoes, 21 year old aged balsamic, spinach & radish salad.
Scholars Smoked Clogherhead Mackerel €9.95 (N) (GF)
Smoked in house over applewood with tomato, kalamata olive, basil emulsion, foccacia crostini & David Heffernan’s micro herbs.
Pan Fried Clogherhead Cod €23.95 (GF)
Glazed Sweet Corn, Ballymekenny Farm Potato Duo, Salted Lemon Cured & Tenderstem Broccoli.
Grilled Fillet of Irish Hereford Beef €32.95 (GF)
Cooked to your liking with pomme salardaise, sautéed wild mushroom, & garlic butter.
Lemon Meringue
Shortcrust pastry, lemon custard filling and a fluffy meringue topping.
Black Forrest Gateaux €6.95 (GF)
Black forest gateaux with a Scholars twist.
Head Chef Matthias Ecker, has a simple philosophy; he sources the best seasonal ingredients and then applies simple techniques to enhance and extract the best flavours for each of his dishes. And he truly does an incredible job at it, the food was colourful and fresh, the combinations of produce and flavours were exciting and presented beautifully – like art on a plate. It’s no wonder Scholars Townhouse Restaurant was the first restaurant in Drogheda to receive rosettes and the second in Co.Louth don’t cha know!
Liven up your gluten-free diet with an unforgettable dining experience in this charming, award-winning restaurant in Drogheda. I’ll definitely be back to treat my taste buds to some more culinary delights.
Stephanie
Thank you so much for the lovely review. I noticed an error which is actually our fault here at Scholars, our head chef is actually Matthias Ecker, Micheal Hunter has moved on although I realise know it is in our brochure. Any chance you could tweak it so I can start tweeting. Again apologies for the false information. I love your page by the way.
Regards
Mark Mc Gowan
Hi Mark,
You’re very welcome, we absolutely loved our experience 🙂
I’ve amended that error. Delighted you like the site. Thanks 🙂
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