Dave Mullan - Fish & Bean - Fabulous & Beautiful
“At Fish & Bean we want to bring our customers top quality dishes, by carefully choosing which suppliers we work with. Where possible our produce is locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable. Our aim is to reduce waste and we endeavor to make our business as environmentally sustainable as possible.”
Back in July 2021 we paid our first visit to Fish & Bean Seafood Restaurant in Rosses Point and this was our first review:
“We finally made it to Rosses Point to check out the latest culinary hot spot Fish & Bean Seafood Cafe, and it did not disappoint! Fabulous fresh fish and chips, great coffee, super service and a fantastic location! Dave and his young and energetic team have created a great destination for foodies! Highly recommended and we will definitely be back!”
And we have been back several times, for lunch, for dinner or a simple take away.
Fish & Bean is a dedicated seafood restaurant
Opening a restaurant during a pandemic is a laudable triumph and talking to owner and chef Dave Mullan on a recent visit, he told us that during the first Covid 19 lockdown (2020) “we had the idea for a Seafood Truck, as we love seafood and there was no dedicated seafood restaurant near Sligo town.” And while scouting around for a location to park the truck “by accident we came across the Yacht Club in Rosses Point. They suggested we operate a hatch from the Yacht Club and the idea grew legs and took off”!
As for so many chefs the recent pandemic challenged Dave and his team in many ways: “We opened as a restaurant last September (2021) under covid restrictions, the weeks prior to this we were operating as a take away only. November and December were extremely difficult months for us with all the Covid restrictions, but it has taught us to be very tight with our costs, be proactive in promoting our business, and also to cut out what is not working early, streamline our business and not to try to do too many things”
“We want the fish and seafood to be as fresh as possible, using quality ingredients, sourced as locally as possible.”
Dave has trained as a chef in Killybegs’ Culinary Arts College and Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery School. And he is well travelled: “I worked in the Channel Islands, Dublin's mermaid cafe, Shanahan’s on the Green in Dublin, London and Kinsale in Cork, before returning to work in Sligo.”
The philosophy behind Fish & Bean is simple: “We want the fish and seafood to be as fresh as possible, using quality ingredients, sourced as locally as possible.”
When we ask what inspires his creations, Dave says: “It’s my experience over many years working with seafood, some testing in the kitchen with the team and also the environment around me.”
Dave and his team are highly skilled when it comes to combining flavours to bring out the best of the locally sourced produce: “We use only the freshest fish here at Fish & Bean, much of it caught in the waters outside our door and landed straight into our pans each day by our resident fishermen. And for our additional fish we chose Albatross Seafoods based in Killybegs Co. Donegal for the quality of their catch.
”Oysters and wild mussels are supplied directly by the Wild Atlantic Oyster company in Lissadell, Sligo Bay. Crab and lobster are from Joe Henderson in Rosses Point.
“All our meat is sourced from the Burns family farm located at Moneygold Co. Sligo”, explains Dave, “they supply us with the highest quality meats which are reared in a unique micro-climate between sea and mountain pastures.”
Sean & Bob from Knocknarea Farm in Strandhill, just across the bay, supply chemical free vegetables and salads each day. Dave is full of praise for their quality: “By using only natural growing methods the vegetables from Knocknarea Farm are always densely packed with taste, flavour and most important, nutrients.”
Other local suppliers are Velvet Cloud yoghurt and cheeses and White Hag Beer.
As we head into Summer 2022 we hope Fish & Bean get a clear run to showcase Irish seafood and local ingredients and make Rosses Point another food destination in Sligo.
Here is Dave Mullan Uncovered
What is your favourite food? Seafood!!
Finish the sentence: A chef is someone who likes to please people.
The country you travel for food: Spain, in particular Barcelona and surrounding towns, amazing seafood tapas.
Three things you always have in your larder/fridge? Cheese, chorizo, garlic.
What is your most used gadget? Microplane and thermomix.
Do you read cookbooks and which one do you come back to? Yes, I have hundreds, very interested in Joshua Niland at the moment, Rick Stein and Nathan Outlaw.
Who is your inspiration (not necessarily from the food world)? My wife Áine and daughter Éabha.
What are you currently listening to? The Pretenders and ACDC.
Something people don’t know about you? I spent a good deal of my childhood in Australia, we lived in Sydney and Adelaide.
What will be hot in 2022? Asian flavours.
What others say:
“Rosses Point is famous for its natural leisure offering in the form of coastal walking trails, an open-air swimming pool or even a brisk stretch out on the water sailing. Fish & Bean is there to welcome famished guests back with a tasty and wholesome meal after a day of adventuring.” (Good Food Ireland)
“Fish and Bean is exactly what people dream of finding on the Wild Atlantic Way. Chef Dave Mullan has created a little bit of heaven by the sea at Rosses Point. Simple, superb seafood served with style plus a view to die for.” (Georgina Campbell)
“When it comes to seafood you won’t find any better man behind the stove than Dave Mullan.” (Lucinda O’Sullivan)