Jessica Margurte Murphy will be cooking with Team Norway on the 21th of October See full program
Jessica Margurte Murphy
Head Chef at Kai Restaurant
Kai Restaurant is nestled between a church and a gay bar on Sea Road in Galway’s Westend. Galway is known for the unique characters that live there as much as it is now famed for its food, pub scene and café culture. The building, which was home to a florist before New Zealander Jess arrived over 5 years ago has been transformed into what is now Kai.
‘Kai’ is the Maori word for food and in 2011 they opened their doors with a simple formula: Work with high-quality produce, preferably organic or wild, sourced locally and cook intelligently.
Kai Restaurant cosy environment means that as soon as you walk through the door, you feel like it’s a home from home. The space evokes memories via their food being drawn from memories that Jess collects. Another philosophy that she lives by is the fact that dishes always need to be visually appealing as well as tasting fabulous. “”You get that by buying quality. What we get is the Rolls Royce of ingredients and create unforgettable flavours and tastes.”
From Monday to Saturday from 9:30am, freshly brewed coffee and their in-house bakes make the world a better place for visitors. With the stove fired up in the colder months, Kai Restaurant is a place that people go to read the paper, have a warm scone or croissant and have a morning meeting with a friend or neighbour. There is no Wi-Fi – it’s not a place where you want to be on your phone, unless you’re taking pictures of the beautiful interior or the food that is being served. Lunch is served daily from 12 noon to 3pm and are six dishes to choose from, which change daily. Dinner is a feast of locally sourced fish, game, meat all served with the freshest and seasonal vegetables.
Sustainability and ethical sourcing is paramount to what Kai is all about so what’s in season will be on your plate.
In 2016 Kai was named as one of the Top 50 places to visit and in the top 3 places to eat in the world by Lonely Planet Magazine. Jess and the team have won awards every year for service, food and for creativity in the kitchen.
Awards include; Food & Wine Magazine’s best restaurant, Food & Wine Magazine’s Best Chef in Connacht, Best Casual Dining at the Hotel and Catering Review Awards and in 2016 Kai won best Service at the Food & Wine Restaurant Awards. 2017 has Kai Restaurant off to its winning ways claiming Best Restaurant in Galway with the Restaurant Association of Ireland.
Jess looks forward to sharing her ideas – and her dishes at The Great Nordic Feast.