The natural thing to do

With the advent of Pier 59, diners and tourists in Derry no longer have to trek to neighbouring Donegal for their seafood fix. LCN has been talking to one of its proprietors, Una Kincaid…

Pier 59 is Derry’s only dedicated seafood restaurant – and it opened its doors just six months ago.

To many, it may seem odd that the province’s second city – and the former holder of a City of Culture title – has had to wait so long for someone to spot what many would say was a glaring gap in the region’s offering to diners.

It’s an oversight perhaps all the more difficult to fathom when you consider that a river rich in fish stocks, particularly salmon, flows right through the very centre of the city.

Nevertheless, it’s an omission that has now been corrected and such has been the success of this distinctive Strand Road eatery that the dining public in Londonderry are unlikely to be faced with such deprivation for the foreseeable future.

Owner, Una Kincaid and her husband, Joseph, might be better known to trade readers as the long-time proprietors of the Derry-based Sandwich Co. Manufacturing Co, which they set up in 1990. The business now consists of a manufacturing unit which supplies nine Sandwich Co. bars, seven of which are franchised and independently run. Joe continues to manage the Sandwich Co.  while Una has taken responsibility for Pier 59.

The new seafood restaurant began serving in December and according to Una Kincaid, business has been brisk:

“It’s going very well for us,” she confirmed recently. “The public has responded strongly to what we’re offering here and we’re very happy to have made the decision to go ahead with Pier 59.”

Una said that the idea of a seafood restaurant was something that she and her husband had always talked about and when the premises next door to The Sandwich Co. became available – at no. 59 Strand Road – the decision was taken to make their dream a reality.

In fact, this isn’t their first foray into the restaurant trade, in the 1990s, they transformed their Strand Road sandwich bar into a Mexican eatery called Jalapenos, which operated successfully for three years, managed by Una’s sister, Jeanette.

“It did well for us, but it was more of a weekend business, Thursday to Sunday. We didn’t have an alcohol licence so it wasn’t really paying us well enough for our effort and we felt we wanted to concentrate on our sandwich bars,” said Una.

Head chef at the new seafood restaurant is Stephen Forbes. Formerly of Café del Mondo in Derry and Rathmullen House in Co. Donegal.

Stephen spent three months travelling through the kitchens of India and it was his enthusiasm for seafood that led him to Pier 59. He’s a keen forager and Una says that she is thrilled with the new tastes and flavours that Stephen has introduced to the kitchen, particularly his wild garlic cream.

“The team of chefs that we have is so talented and they really proved their value when we opened during the busy Christmas season,” added Una. “Our ethos is ‘pier to plate’ and we source as much of our fish as we can from Greencastle and Donegal. Vegetables and herbs are also locally sourced and we are delighted to be able to offer handcrafted butter made right here in Derry.”

Una went on:

“We’ve had wonderful feedback and great comments on Trip Advisor, it’s a pleasure to bring out the food,” added Una, who comes originally from Letterkenny in nearby Donegal. “We had a lady in last night from the US and she told me that she’d just had the best meal of her life – and she was 70 years old!”

Described by Una herself as “quite glam”, Pier 59 can accommodate up to 50 diners at a time and on Friday and Saturday nights, tables in the restaurant are usually turned twice. It has a long, New York-style bar which runs the length of the premises with seating for up to 20 customers. Bright, inspirational colours and contemporary styling create a relaxing and casual ambience in the venue and a less formal approach to the dining experience. Mirrors positioned behind the bar run the length of the room, adding an airy feel to the space and creating the impression that the venue is always busy, even when things are quiet.

Menus at Pier 59 are changed weekly and recent improvements in the variety of fresh fish available in the north-west are being reflected in some of the newer dishes on offer.

Pier 59 takes its place in a battery of new, higher end restaurants that are emerging across Derry as the city adapts to fill its unaccustomed role as a tourist destination:

“It’s fair to say that we’re developing quite a reputation for good food,” remarked Una. “Along with the Sooty Olive and Browns, which are going very well, you have Kevin Pyke doing some amazing things with street food from his van at the quay, you have a lot of good places to eat, such as La Sosta, the Italian restaurant, the Primrose Café and even a Lebanese restaurant, Cedar on Carlisle Road. There is a lot of choice now and we are definitely moving forward.

“We’re also getting a lot of tourist business, I think because we are the only dedicated seafood restaurant in the area and previously, tourists were surprised that they had to go all the way to Greencastle to visit Kealy’s for their seafood. We’re a lot closer, it seemed like the natural thing to do.”

Among the challenges that Una lists are the need to maintain the consistency of the offering at Pier 59 and the need to build the business while retaining talent among its staff:

“It’s worrying,” she admitted. “We’ve had the recession, but things are not moving as fast as everyone would like,” added Una. “Although Derry was never really in a good position, I don’t think we felt the lows as much as other cities – and we didn’t have the highs either. We were lucky to have the City of Culture in 2013, which really encouraged so many businesses to struggle on in 2011 and 2012. It was amazing to be part of it because it really showed what heart this city has. We have a wealth of history, wonderful people and Donegal on our doorstep. Also, a lot of very talented chefs who are going to put this city on the culinary map.”

Una went on:

“There has been talk lately of 100 extra student places at Magee [UU campus in Derry], and that is so important for the growth of the city, as is an improved road service to Belfast. The problems that we currently  have with unemployment here are not sustainable. We need jobs for our young people, it’s disappointing to have so many of them working at the restaurant with degrees, they really should be building the careers that they want for themselves.”

As for the future, Una says that driving public awareness of Pier 59 and its offering will be a priority. There may also be some extension to the kitchen facilities in the long term, but the immediate objective, she said, was to build on what was already in place and ensure that the team is happy:

“In two years’ time, I would like to have another Pier 59 and I am open to suggestions as to where that might be, but this time, it would have to be somewhere that has a sea view..!”