ManicMammy’s Blog

On Wednesday afternoon, we were driving from Bandon to Ratoath in Meath when we decided to stop at the Midway food court in Portlaoise as both adults and the 5 kids were hungry, tired and in need of a break.

We have stopped there previously and enjoyed a decent meal for us all at Tapenade, its just off the motorway so very handy with plenty of parking. However recently all of Tapenade’s main courses have tended to be too spicy for the children and so they have elected just to eat O’Briens filled bread rolls. I would much prefer if Tapenade would offer at least one non-spicy/hot main dish like they used to and therefore keep all happy. Our gang previously loved their meatballs.

However on this visit we were pleasantly surprised to see that a Little Caesars Pizza outlet had opened.
The kids all decided there and then that they’d love some pizza. First, I must say we ordered way too much food. The pizzas come in one size, 14″ and they’re huge. Definitely one to share between 2 people is more than enough.

The service was very friendly and efficient and the pepperoni, hawaiian and cheese pizzas were fairly good. Thin crispy base and a fine serving of toppings. The kids and adults happily ate them. Conor also ordered some hot chicken wings. To be honest, he didn’t really like them: not hot enough and badly cooked, one side burnt.

The italian cheese bread was universally abandoned. No one liked the taste or consistancy of it.

Overall, I would say that the pizza outlet in this foodcourt is definitely a welcomed addition as it gives more choice to adults and children alike. The pizzas are huge and good value at €9. The staff were helpful. We’ll probably be stopping by again on our next journey from Cork to Dublin but this time we’ll be more selective in what and the amount that we order.