Crepes and gelato at The River Cafe

Fancy a crepe, or an ice-cream? Or better, a crepe with ice-cream, or with lots of other goodies? writes Brian Byrne.

Well, the new gelato and creperie service at The River Cafe is now open, and is offering all the above, along with fresh scones and cakes and coffee, open until 8pm in the evenings.

Noel and Katrina have been working on the idea for some time, and in the process redesigned part of the Cafe to accommodate the new counter and equipment.

"We only lost one seat," says Noel, who had spent a considerable time watching how the original booth seats in the area had been used. Inefficiently, as it turned out, and the changed layout is already working much better.

The ice-cream is all organic, and gluten-free, sourced in Carlow. The crepes have involved a bit of a learning curve, but Noel is confident now that the early trials have worked out any glitches and they're going to be a popular addition to the Cafe.

The later opening time is designed to extend the range of customers, and Noel feels it will attract a younger group of people after the normal daytime business has ended. A take-away service is part of the offer.

In a couple of weeks, Noel and Katrina are going to open the new facility on Sundays, perhaps from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. "We found last year that opening the full service on Sundays wasn't viable, but this coffee, crepes, smoothies and ice-cream might just fit."