The newly-opened Brasserie 15 on Tullow Street, Carlow
Their chefs come from well-established local restaurants
Brasserie 15 is fabulous for lunch, an early dinner or a big night out
AN EXCITING new addition to Carlow’s choice of restaurants has just begun with the reopening of Brasserie 15 on Tullow Street, Carlow town.
Under new ownership, Brasserie 15 offers high-quality cuisine, serving lunch, early bird and dinner menus in a real restaurant experience. The team behind the new-look restaurant is owner William Fitzsimons, who has four decades in the business, including working in The Ritz and The Waldorf hotels in London.
His catering company Good Nuf to Eat runs the restaurants at racecourses in Gowran Park, Wexford, Tramore and Kilbeggan, so when the opportunity came to open a stand-alone restaurant in a beautiful space like Brasserie 15 came along, it was a chance that couldn’t be missed. He and his wife Michelle have been in the restaurant and catering business for decades, while their daughter Kate is now following in their footsteps.
“We’d been looking for somewhere to open a restaurant and when this came along we couldn’t let it go past us. We wanted some place where we could create a restaurant that would complement our existing business, so when this opportunity came along, we took it,” said William.
The Tullow Street premises, which formerly housed Lautrec’s Restaurant, has been redecorated with soft furnishings such as comfortable banquettes and chairs, so diners are invited to relish their time there, while the kitchen has been completely refurbished. Light fittings, tableware, cutlery, delph and glassware were all hand-picked by William and his team. A state-of-the art coffee station will deliver barista-standard hot beverages, while waiters will look smart in black and white shirts, waistcoats and full-length aprons.
“This is a restaurant experience that we want people to enjoy. We’ve put
time and thought into everything so that it’s just right,” added William.
Executive chef and right-hand-man is David Walsh, who has been by William’s side in the whole venture. They have brought on board two chefs from well-established Carlow businesses – head chef Stephen Doyle, who has worked in Dinn Rí and Teach Dolmain, and sous chef Arel Wisniwski, also from Teach Dolmain and the former Beams Restaurant on Dublin Street. Stephen’s daughter Shauna is alongside him in the kitchen as she’s just starting out in her career as a chef.
“As chefs, we all have different backgrounds and experience with food so we’re bringing those influences together in our menus. We have some classic French touches, but we also have Italian influences as well. We’ve spent a long time putting the menus together, so we have good choices for our customers,” continued William. “Our menus will move and grow as we listen to what our customers want and like. Our chefs are looking forward to it.”
The lunch service will run from noon to 4pm and will be ideal for local business lunches, work colleagues and family and friends for a quick bite to eat or a longer, more leisurely time out. It features light, tasty tartlets, quiches, frittatas and main courses, while the specials will change on a daily basis. An early bird menu will offer a good-value two- or three-course option before a full dinner service at night. The dinner menu is luxurious enough to warrant special occasions, while also being ideal for parties with family or friends. Expect delicious starters such as fresh mussels, Dublin Bay prawns, Caesar salad and chicken wings, while the mains are split into chicken, steak, fish and pasta. Desserts are all deliciously indulgent and gorgeous – an entirely fitting end to a beautiful meal.
William and his team have sourced the ingredients from suppliers they have used for years, so they know their produce is top quality. Suppliers include Kish Fish in Dublin, Doyle Catering Meats from Rathoe, vegetables from Ger Deegan in Kilkenny, dairy from Avonmore and other ingredients from catering suppliers Sisco Foods.
General manager is Caroline Geoghegan, who has almost 30 years’ experience under her belt, having worked in the Clubhouse Hotel, Kilkenny for all of her working career.
“We’re nervous but really looking forward to the challenge. We can’t wait to meet new customers, make new friends and work with our new team. It’s exciting to be part of this,” smiled Caroline.
“While we were getting everything ready, people were popping in to see what was happening and to wish us luck. There’s a lot of excitement around this,” added executive chef David.
“We have a brilliant team here and we’ve worked hard. The amount of local interest in our restaurant has been fantastic. People are curious and are looking forward to coming into Brasserie 15 and we can’t wait to welcome them,” said William.
Brasserie 15 is open seven days a week.
Monday to Wednesday from 4pm to 10pm
Thursday from noon to 10pm
Friday from noon to 10.30pm
Saturday from noon to 10.30pm
Sunday from noon to 8.30pm
