During a visit to Blackrock Cottage it becomes abundantly clear that the people responsible for your immaculate experience have a great love and passion for what they do. In order to get to know more about their incredible team we got the opportunity to speak with General Manager and Master Sommelier, Mathieu Teulier. Read on for more…
The experience of Blackrock Cottage begins the moment you arrive outside the cottage. The aroma of home baked goods and fresh coffee is heavy in the air, accompanied with delighted shrieks of sea-swimmers and chatter of people enjoying Salthill’s famed al fresco vibes. The cheerful setting can’t help but put you in a giddy mood for the dining experience that lies ahead.
The award-winning experiences that Blackrock Cottage has earned its reputation from is in thanks to the combined forces of Head Chef Martin O’Donnell and General Manager Mathieu Teulier. So, we felt that it was about time to meet and introduce you to one half of this dynamic duo; Mathieu Teulier.
At a young age, Mathieu knew exactly what he wanted to be, a barman, and for him it was only a matter of time before he could be one. Leaving school at 14 to begin work as a waiter, he fell in love with the industry and credits his first job with supplying him with skills that he values to this day; “if I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be here today.” From there he moved into another restaurant which offered him more experience in the world of refinement and fine dining. It was here when Mathieu came to the life-changing realisation that “suddenly barman wasn’t my thing anymore, it was wine.” With his career path and future decided, Mathieu spent 5 years studying culinary and sommelier before making his move from France to Ireland and being directed into a role at Ashford Castle. As we chatted, Mathieu could still recall feeling in awe when he saw Ashford Castle for the first time, and spoke in his appreciation of his time there, saying; “I think it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Over the course of his time at Ashford Castle, Mathieu got to truly hone and grow his wine expertise, with all this new knowledge under his belt he returned to France for two years to work in the role of Head Sommelier when he then decided to make the journey back to Galway once again to begin work at the highly acclaimed Twelve Hotel in Barna. In the 15 years he spent at the Twelve Hotel, Mathieu met and began his friendship with Head Chef Martin O’Donnell. 16 years later, the pair are still working together and have developed a working bond that is irreplaceable. Mathieu says of it; “he knows me and I know him and I think that we work well together. It’s a case of ‘I know what you’re thinking without saying anything.” Adding that; “We can serve 150 people without talking [to each other] and it’ll all be fine.” Together, Martin and Mathieu work to create gorgeous pairings between wine and food to ensure that all guests to Blackrock Cottage enjoy an experience that will leave them talking about it long after their visit.
We had a few more questions for Mathieu so let’s dive in to all he had to say;
Q. What is the favourite award you’ve won?
A. Last year, when we won the Best Newcomer in Ireland at the Irish Restaurant Awards. We weren’t expecting it. Martin was beside me and when we won we were so happy. Especially, as we were not even a year in and we had won a big award like that! A few years ago, in The Twelve we won ‘Best Wine Experience’ and it was the same [feeling], because that was always my goal - to win best wine experience and we were so happy when we won it, but I think with Blackrock Cottage it meant more because this was us who did it. It was us who made it happen so it meant that bit more.
Q. What makes a good sommelier?
A. I don’t know. Being a sommelier is for life. It's being someone who is always learning all the time, as there’s always new things going on. Someone who was the best of their field for ten years can get caught by someone else who just arrived to the field last year, so it really is changing so much.
Q. What is the best part of your job?
A. It’s not the wine itself, it’s the combination between the wine and the food. I’m not someone who will drink a whole bottle on its own, I won’t enjoy it but if you give me a côte de boeuf with it then I’m all over it. Recently, I had the chance to pick out some really expensive bottles and I’ll never just ‘let’s open a bottle and drink it,’ no, I try to make sure to bring the best pairing together.
I try to excite the guests as well, I’m not about to give my guests the classic wines that you can find everywhere, because you can find them everywhere. For me it’s all about finding the little producer that nobody knows about and is doing wine as good as the big houses. I’m really about bringing wines to our menu that nobody knows about.
When I’m tasting new wines, the names of regulars come into my head because I’m like ‘this wine is for them’ - that’s it. The guests have to trust you and you have to trust the guests because you are here to give them an experience that they won’t have anywhere else. It’s the expectation of what is it going to be tonight and this is what I love about it.
Q. What are your favourite wine and food pairings on the menu at the moment?
A. All of them.
I don’t have a favourite but I will recommend different pairings to different people based on their preferences.
Q. Outside of Blackrock Cottage, where do you go for a glass of wine and dinner in Galway?
A. That’s tough, there are so many places.. Kai. Cava. Daróg - I haven’t visited it yet but it’s on my list! Daróg, I think, is the place to be at the moment. At these three places you know you are going to be happy.
To book your table for your evening meal at Blackrock Cottage visit their website HERE or visit them in person for breakfast, lunch or dinner at their seaside location next to Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill.
Photos by Julia Dunin Photography.
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