While the food scene has really improved in Dublin, the city still lacks pubs with great food. In terms of gastropubs, there's L. Mulligan Grocer and then quite frankly I can't think of anywhere else. Well thankfully another great option has arrived; the Legal Eagle.
I found out about the opening of the Legal Eagle on Twitter, when one of my favourite cafes (@147deli) mentioned them on twitter. It's also really close to Mr. FFID's work and not too far from where we live, so we naturally checked it out the first week it opened on a Friday at lunchtime.
Successful restaurateur Elaine Murphy (The Winding Stair, The Woollen Mills and The Washerwoman) is behind the Legal Eagle so I expected good things as I like all of her restaurants.
The Legal Eagle has some beautiful interior features and it feels like a cosy pub where I'd happily find shelter from the rain and eat some comfort food to warm up the belly. There's a good choice of craft beer on tap (20 of them) and also an interesting wine list that includes organic and biodynamic wines. There are huge jars of pickled eggs on display, charcuterie hanging in a corner and a wood fire oven at the back. You can see the staff plating up the sandwiches and salads behind a display of appetising freshly baked breads.
As in all of Elaine Murphy's places, there is a focus on Irish products and the provenance is listed on the menu. The weekday lunch menu features dishes from the counter such as soup with homemade sourdough, Ballycotton smoked salmon on brown porter and treacle bread with crab cocktail, pickled cucumber and leaves, Killybegs tuna salad and more. They also have Irish potato flatbreads from the wood fire oven, including a cabbage and bacon flatbread with parsley sauce which sounded deliciously Irish. There's also a choice of dishes from the kitchen like rabbit, bacon and cider pie and snacks from the bar, including Irish fish and the meat platter.
Mr. FFID went for the ploughman's board (€10) which had slices of Irish farmhouse cheese (I'd say it was Hegarty's cheddar), several flavours of pickled eggs (one is beetroot and other turmeric I'd say), apples, a celery stick, pickles, delicious piccalilli and fresh sourdough bread with butter. A great colourful little platter which did the job and was a nice change from a sandwich.
They have a different roast in a roll every day of the week and Friday was roast beef day, served with three organic vegetables salads (€11). The bread was a beautifully soft and fluffy turmeric roll, with a bright yellow colour.
There was a generous amount of succulent roast beef slices with horseradish and beetroot and apple relish. It was a very satisfying sandwich with winning flavour combinations. There was a substantial portion of salads which were good too; a potato salad, one with some greens, leeks and grapefruit as well as one with dill, cucumber and chicory. I came hungry but this feed washed down with a glass of Scraggy Bay from Kinnegar defeated me and I ended up too full to order a dessert.
My first visit of the Legal Eagle was very satisfying, the food was quality and the service was pleasant. I know I'll be back for more as it's on my side of the river, especially to see what the atmosphere and the food are like in the evening time.
Dublin needs more places like the Legal Eagle, let's hope it inspires more people to serve good food in pubs.
Disclaimer: this is an independent review, I paid for all my food and drinks
The Legal Eagle
1-2 Chancery Place
Inns Quay
Dublin 7
The Legal Eagle's website
