Take a 'Sonder' on down to the Best Cafe in Donegal

Chef Martin Anderson during the busy lunchtime service at Sonder.

THE dictionary defines the word ‘sonder’ as “the realisation that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own”.

Philosophical stuff indeed.

Fortuitously it also happens to be the best part of an anagram of Anderson, as in Martin Anderson, the owner of Letterkenny’s Sonder Restaurant.

He is the guy behind the counter of the Port Road premises, working relentlessly every day to turn out dish after dish of mouth watering food.

Martin’s talents as a chef and his ability to juggle cooking with guiding his staff while also interacting with his customers have just netted him the title of ‘Best Cafe in Donegal’ at this year’s Irish Restaurant Awards.

And it is not hard to see what swayed the judges.

On a busy Tuesday lunchtime I got a hands-on insight into what it takes to be the Best Cafe in Donegal.

The answer is a lot.

From noon onwards the flow of customers is steady and few of them, if any, want exactly the same thing.

Some want the chowder while others want a wrap, an omelette, one of the lunchtime specials or something else from the Sonder menu.

Chef Anderson’s famous seafood chowder.

And it is all done right there before your eyes. Every dish is cooked and served up as you watch, effectively banishing any concern you may have over health, hygiene or safety.

Of course none of this happens by magic. The chicken doesn’t cook itself, the surfaces don’t clean themselves and the floors don’t mop themselves.

That all happens outside of normal office hours when us punters are still in our beds or sitting with our feet up after a tough day at the coal face.

From 6.30am Martin is on the premises, preparing the food for the day ahead. Everything is readied from fresh with the vast majority of ingredients bought locally from outlets like Ballyholey Farm Shop, Raphoe.

It is that level of graft, dedication and micro-management that is required to build an ordinary business into an award winning one.

Incredibly, Martin Anderson has achieved ‘Best Cafe in Donegal’ status in under two years, having only opened Sonder on May 20 2016. He previously ran his own catering company which gradually morphed into the restaurant he runs today.

Chef Martin Anderson carves up something special.

And it never stops. Half an hour after noon and the hungry customers keep coming. On to 1pm, 1.15pm, 1.30pm and still they arrive. In fairness it was a stroke of genius opening an eatery on a business park that houses several retail outlets and sits yards from Letterkenny Institute of Technology which has 5,000 students on its books. But it is one thing to have a ready made clientele, it is another to hold on to them. At the end of the day Letterkenny is not exactly shy in numbers when it comes to places to eat.

The trick though is to first attract them and then keep them, something Martin has obviously achieved.

“I’ve been coming here three or times a week for the last two years,” says customer Vincent Kennedy.

As to what keeps him coming back, he adds, “Guaranteed quality every single time. You know every time you come in here you are guaranteed quality food.”

Running a restaurant at a time when people are more focussed than ever on their health and on what they eat is not without its challenges. Gluten free, dairy free, sensitivity to wheat – it is very much a case of different strokes for different folks and they are all need catered for.

“There is no deep frying here at all apart from our chips,” explains Martin. “No oil is used in our preparation and something that is unique to ourselves is our pesto – gluten, dairy and fat free.”

It is an impressive operation and one that runs virtually like clockwork, mainly because everyone knows what they are doing – from manager Aisling O’Donnell to prep hand Molly McLaughlin to Gilbert, the busiest kitchen porter on the Port Road.

With beads of sweat building on the forehead of this reporter, who masterfully managed to deliver six dishes to the right tables without dropping a single one, another regular customer, Mary Fowley, strolls in.

“I keep coming back because it has the best food in Letterkenny. Good food and you get a welcome when you come in. What more could you want,” says Mary.
What more indeed.

Good food, great service in warm and pleasant surroundings. Keep it up and there won’t be room left on the walls for those awards.

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