Restaurant review: Soulful homeliness and a welcome sense of place in dishes at Spitalfields
Leslie Williams: "Spitalfields was well worth a revisit, especially in a bitter miserable month like January."
So, where is the coolest part of Dublin? Well, Stoneybatter is one obvious answer. Phibsborough is another. But the Liberties might shade it for me.
This ancient part of Dublin developed after the Normans built Dublin Castle and put a wall around the city; residents were an important part of the city but under a different jurisdiction and not subject to city taxes.
The Liberties was where the tanneries, smiths and craft workers congregated and also the distilleries and breweries; the latter tradition continues with Teelings, Roe & Co, Guinness, Pearse Lyons and Hopkins & Hopkins.
The community spirit remains strong with markets and family-owned shops on Meath Street still thriving (there are four butchers) and antique shops on Francis Street.
Vegetable shops have disappeared across much of Dublin but Meath St has an excellent one, there is Vicar St. music venue, NCAD art college, Space Jaru Korean, Fusco’s chipper (one of the best in the city), Variety Jones for fine dining, Two Pups and Assassination Custard for uncategorisable deliciousness. In the heart of all this is Spitalfields Pub Restaurant.
I last reviewed Spitalfields in September 2019, shortly after it opened. It seems like a lifetime ago. Stephen McAllister’s menu arrived fully formed, full of instant classics, most of which are still on the menu today.
Yes, this is a pub but at front-of-house is Declan Maxwell, the multi-award winning restaurant GM, so you know you will feel minded; of course, he figured out I was coming in despite my booking under a distorted version of The Engineer’s name.
It was blustery and wet outside but Spitalfields was warm and welcoming. Still very much a pub, its classic 19th-century panel ceiling is still intact and there's lots of dark and blonde wood. The open kitchen downstairs is like a theatre set while upstairs (where we sat) has a more traditional pub atmosphere.
A pint was in order I felt, while herself went for a salty, tangy glass of Fino (€7.95). The whiskey and cocktail list is solid and the wine list is eclectic with everything from Ch. Mouton-Rothschild (€1,700 per bottle) to wines on tap. This being the week before January payday, glasses of fruity bright Nero d’Avola on tap did us very well.
I decided not to order classics I had had on previous visits such as the cock-a-leekie pie (€68 for 2) or the beef cheek and oxtail Parker House roll (€20), but some things, such as the devilled eggs, could not be passed up. Topped with Goatsbridge caviar, this added a briny freshness to the lightly pungent creamed egg yolk on its pristine wobbly base.
Four bitterballen meatballs were tender and juicy and came with a properly lively Coleman's mustard mayonnaise for dipping, an inspired match we both felt. Bitterballen are a Dutch bar snack, a nod to the Dutch Billy gable fronted houses that can still be found in the neighbouring streets.
Grilled scallop with café d’Coombe butter (€9) had a caramelised exterior and a luscious centre while the disc of butter on top melted in nicely adding salty herbal accents. The scallop shell got surreptitiously licked clean by the Engineer, let that help explain how much she liked it.
Confit duck (€17) had been broken down into nodules of tender, sweet meat which were offset with spicy pungent black garlic and slices of kumquat to give an ‘à l’orange’ accent.
By now we were filling up, having completely over-ordered but The Engineer did make a solid dent in her savoy cabbage and ricotta lasagne with chestnut mushroom ragú.
This was a properly creative vegetarian option with a ‘meaty’ rich sauce balanced by the lighter tones of the ricotta and cabbage. Triple-cooked chips were admirably crispy and of course we ate nearly all of them.
Venison and bone marrow pithivier with butternut squash (€38) looked nicely dramatic with the puff pastry shaped in a dome around a large chunk of marrow bone. Inside the pastry sat soft pulled venison in a sweet jus, mouthfuls of which I contrasted with lumps of trembling bone marrow.
Herb-crusted slices of nutty butternut squash added heft to the dish. Both these dishes are new on the menu and are fine additions.
For dessert, a rich chocolate cremeux with salted caramel and peanuts (€13) satisfied a chocolate craving, but, in retrospect, I think I should have gone with the millefeuille of pear with lime custard ordered by our neighbours.
The Engineer’s Irish coffee was an even better choice given the Arctic conditions outside the door.
Spitalfields was well worth a revisit, especially in a bitter miserable month like January. Despite McAllister’s technical prowess there is a soulful homeliness and welcome sense of place in his dishes here. No wonder it was jam-packed on a cold January Tuesday.
- Dinner for two plus wine and beer cost €170.85
