Paul Brennan: “I genuinely have an affinity for burgers”
“We had a solid idea of what we wanted Flipside to be; everything from the menu to the black and white branding.”
We had a plan, an audacious plan: Flipside, Sligo’s urban burger restaurant, would feature on our first Vegan Sligo Food Tour 2020 in April serving up a 100% vegan burger! Well it didn’t happen this time due to the current pandemic, but with Flipside open again we urge you to try “The Gamechanger”, their 100% Vegan Burger (it comes as a salad too!) Mouthwatering!
The Gamechanger: Black bean and brown rice patty, vegan mozzarella, BBQ pulled jack fruit, pickle slaw, sriracha mayo and shredded gem on a Lyon’s Bakeshop sourdough bun!
Paul opened flipside in 2018 with his business partner, David Dunne. Why a burger restaurant we ask. “We felt there was a gap in the market for a burger restaurant in Sligo. Other pubs, cafes and restaurants all had a few burgers on their menus, but none were putting them front and centre” answers Paul, “we wanted to simplify the offering but do it to absolute perfection.” Did they have a role model? “We had admired similar businesses in Dublin and London at the time, and after a few trips to the Big Smoke and to London we had a solid idea of what we wanted Flipside to be; everything from the menu to the black and white branding.”
Where does his love for food come from? “My parents are great entertainers and culinary entrepreneurs. They ran the legendary Sligo restaurant “Reveries” for a decade and only closed it on my arrival into the world in 1990. My dad also opened the famous Beezies pub on O’Connell street in the 70s,” Paul tells us, “I’ve grown up around a lot of knowledgeable and inspirational food lovers.”
When the premises where Flipside is located became available, they jumped at the opportunity and within a few busy months the space was transformed from an empty shell to an urban burger restaurant. Asked how he feels after 18 month in business Pauls says: “Anyone with their own business will tell you it’s is not easy, it’s blood sweat and tears but all in all it has been a rewarding journey and we are proud that Flipside has become a firm favourite among both locals and visitors. We wanted Flipside to be a fun and spacious environment with great music and a relaxed party atmosphere and we think that we have managed to achieve that.”
We are very interested how they source their ingredients. Paul says his family (Damian and Paula Brennan) has worked with William Clarke Butchers for years, first in Beezie’s pub and later in Reveries. So it was only logical that Paul would follow in that line and together with Keith Clarke would come up with a secret burger formula, bespoke to Flipside. “It’s the perfect balance of seasoning and percentage of fat and lean cuts”, enthuses Paul.
FROM FARM TO FORK
What is the best meat then we ask and the answer comes quick: “Grass fed Aberdeen Angus beef!” Paul also acknowledges the long tradition of Clarkes butchers passed down through generations and the specific acquired knowledge for handling meat respectfully. “They are the experts and all that is left to us is the creation of the burgers.”
Flipside’s message is: From the choice of meat to the selection of herbs, the freshest veg, the homemade magic signature sauces, right down to the award-winning bun, we stand for quality.
In their first year they won the Best Burger in Connaught Award at “The National Burger Day” awards and received an 8.5/10 review from the esteemed Catherine Cleary of The Irish Times.
HERE IS PAUL BRENNAN UNCOVERED:
What is your favourite food? My favourite meal would be a roast leg of lamb with proper gravy and all the trimmings! Even though I own a burger restaurant I do tend to order burgers when out for lunch in other places too.
Finish the sentence: A chef is someone with a passion for food that can multitask and graft under pressure to produce the kind of food people love that they can’t achieve at home! Working with chefs is not always easy but creatively and collaboratively I’ve always really enjoyed it! I’m lucky from day one to have a talented team in Flipside and we really do have the best of craic, we are always having a laugh. It’s important to be able to have a release when the pressure is on.
The country you travel for food: I love classical French food and the delicious seafood in the south of France. I also spent some time in Australia working in a high-end French restaurant but also on a sheep dairy farm in the south west and the food and wine producers there were exceptional. My fiancée and I used to do the cheese deliveries on our day off, so we got to sample the absolute best meats, wines and cheeses the region had to offer. Australia being such a diverse and multicultural country had an amazing Asian and middle eastern influence in a lot of its modern restaurants, it really had a profound effect on me, I learnt a lot there.
Three things you always have in your larder/fridge. Shallots, parmesan, fresh pasta.
What is your most used gadget? At home it’s definitely my non-stick wok, I use it for just about everything. In the kitchen in Flipside we use the robot coupe a lot, it’s like having an extra pair of hands and when it comes to prepping veg there’s no comparison.
Do you read cookbooks and which one do you come back to? I like reading cookbooks more so than using them for recipes. The French Laundry cookbook from Thomas Keller’s revered restaurant is a beautiful book. Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was one of my favourite books as a teenager, and Flipside’s very first social media post was a quote from him. Marco Pierre Whites autobiography is a great insight into the life of a high-end chef too!
Who is your inspiration (not necessarily from the food world)? Hard working people inspire me. In the food world it would have to be David Chang. He’s a chef/restaurateur who owns the Momofuku chain in the US/Canada. I’m a big fan of Gordon Ramsay too.
What are you currently listening to? My friend Paddy who lives in Canada keeps me up to date with good new music and he’s recently got me listening to “Children of Zeus”. We play a lot of hip hop in the restaurant and we often use music as inspiration for our social media posts, it’s part of Flipside’s brand identity which we have worked hard to make very identifiable.
Something people don’t know about you? Before starting my own business, I had thought about working in the Fitness industry- I am a qualified personal trainer.
What will be hot in 2020? Hopefully a vaccine for the coronavirus!