First Look: JP McMahon's new Kombu Ramen and Bao Bar – ‘I don't know how to do anything else. I like opening restaurants'

Irish Times

09-07-2025

It's all systems go in the dining space at the
Druid Theatre
in
Galway
, as
JP McMahon
prepares to open his latest venture. Highly regarded for his strong Irish menus at Michelin-starred restaurant
Aniar
, JP also owns the more casual Cava tapas and wine bar.
Always on the go, JP holds a PhD in drama and theatre, he paints, and has published several cookbooks and books on Irish food.
'My daughter asked me why I'm opening another restaurant. I said I just don't know how to do anything else. I like opening restaurants.'
When former resident
Éan
closed its doors towards the end of 2024, it left a gap in the city's casual dining options. JP entered into discussions with the Druid Theatre about taking over the food operation and a deal was struck in April which gave him the green light to start preparing for the opening of a casual eatery in the middle of Galway city.
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'I'd wanted to open a Japanese restaurant since 2019, but Covid got in the way of early plans for a restaurant and townhouse on Dominick Street Lower. In hindsight, that might not have been a bad thing,' he says.
Why a Japanese-style restaurant?
'I love cooking different flavours of food and teaching them in my cooking classes. Over the years I've spent in the kitchen, I got more and more into Japanese cooking and ingredients, mainly a result of developing dishes for Aniar. Kombu will be an homage to Japan in the same way as Cava is an homage to Spain, and will be a space where people can pop in and out.'
As some of the beautiful stone walls at the Druid Theatre are protected, JP has been limited in the changes he could make to this lovely space. Local artist Tracey Moca has been commissioned to bring life to the diningroom and bathrooms with vibrant graffiti art, which will match the urban hip-hop style playlist from friend and fellow chef Matt Orlando.
Art by Tracey Moca features on Kombu's walls. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
Head of operations Abigail Colleran outside Kombu on Druid Lane. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
The biggest change, however, has taken place in the kitchen, which has been replaced by a custom-designed layout designed to match the menu and ensure that food gets to customers as efficiently as possible.
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'I learned this lesson a long time ago – not to work bric-a-brac style, adding on piecemeal to existing kitchens. It doesn't work in the long run. I wanted an efficient kitchen that is also the best possible environment for my staff. We use induction hobs, which means lower temperatures, making it easier to move and an overall nicer environment. We will, however, still have a charcoal grill to give that special charred finish to yakitori and other dishes.'
Sections on the menu include bao buns, noodles, rice dishes, yakitori skewers, small plates and sweet things. And while this may look as expected for a casual Japanese-style restaurant, JP and head chef Gabriel Ossani just can't help showing their fine-dining background.
Head chef Gabriel Ossani hard at work in Kombu. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
Pork belly from Andarl Farm is marinated in sake, soy and mirin for 14 hours before being cooked and finding its way into pork belly bao or ramen. Other eye-catching options include Sichuan-inspired Dan Dan noodles, smoked eel rice and the cult katsu sando or crispy Japanese pork sandwich. For dessert, diners can choose between a bao bun filled with chocolate cremeux flavoured with wasabi salt or soft-serve ice-cream topped with crumbled meringue and delicate dried fruits.
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Prices will range from €7.50 for a vegetarian maitake mushroom bao all the way to €19.50 for beef chef teriyaki. It was important to JP to ensure that customers could have options under €10 for a quick meal. Desserts will come in around the €9 mark.
The food is accompanied by a short curated list of organic, biodynamic and natural wines, developed in conjunction with JP's existing suppliers, in addition to sakes, beers, soft drinks and non-alcoholic options.
There is room for about 50 people indoors, with 35 seats available for reservation in the main diningroom, with another 15 high-top tables kept for walk-ins. An additional 10 diners can be accommodated outside on a walk-in basis, weather permitting. Dogs are welcome inside and out.
Kombu will initially open five nights a week, Tuesday-Thursday 5pm to close, Friday 4pm to close and Saturday 3pm to close. There are plans to launch a Sunday brunch, including cocktails, after the summer months, and the long-term goal is to open seven days a week.
Kombu opens on Friday, July 11th