Evening Standard
David Ellis reviewed a “new Irish-British bistro open only for lunch, specifically lengthy, boozy ones” – although he sniffed at the idea that a proper long lunch was possible in the 12 noon-2pm time-slot he was allocated.
Even so, he warmed to the archly retro atmosphere of the set-up – booking by phone, cash-only payments, and Belfast-born chef/co-proprietor Hugh Corcoran’s very personal opening gambit of asking “Now, would you like a drink?” rather than handing over a conventional list.
The food also had “a touch of the 1982s” about it, and the choice was pretty limited, especially for veggies, while the quality of the cooking varied from “sometimes middling” (in dishes that were under-seasoned) to “very good leek and potato soup” and a “guinea fowl pie with a thick suet crust, plenty of bacon and excellent leeks”.
David’s verdict? For all its shortcomings and eccentricities, “I loved it here, adored it… I get it. But you might not.”
David Ellis - 2024-11-03
