The Sunday Roast Club is where it’s at
Much like many Millenial pursuits, seeing my friends has been something that I’ve had to plan ahead of time, jot into my calendar app and book well in advance. Over the years I’ve found that the concept of a club has been a very beneficial way to keep in contact with people, there’s something about the serialisation of meetings that aids meeting up. Also as a self-diagnosed stress-head, it’s nice to have another reason for people to meet up aside from just seeing me (whelp). Borne out of a Book Club, over the last year a couple of my friends have struck upon a new one, the Sunday Roast Club, whereon each Sunday every 6-8 weeks we meet up and have an absolute blowout meal that invariably tickles 90 euro pp mark and invariably makes us horrendously hungover of a Monday, a great club by all accounts.
Over the last year, we’ve been pretty decerning with our list of roasts, gathering them through the grapevine and debating the merits of visiting each in real time. While a lot of us have grown up with lovingly prepared overcooked and underseasoned Sunday dinners, this club has been a bit of a voyage of discovery into what that plate of meat and two-to-three veg can hold. We have hit up some of the best Sunday Roasts in the city and here they are (thus far):
4. Legal Eagle
€27
I would have known the spot on Inns Quay from whiling away evenings drinking pints and getting through yassified versions of what your granny would serve for tea, traditional Irish cold cuts, pickled veg, pies and game. The gorgeous space has since reopened this year and is serving up a rather different menu, of warming Mediterranean dishes and what is said to be one of the best Sunday roasts around. The space lends itself well to a roast, it’s a cosy, welcoming spot where you could definitely spend an afternoon reading the papers, chatting shite and drinking pints.
Now, don’t get me wrong there’s extra gravy offered and the black Angus was perfectly cooked (they don’t ask the customer how they want it cooked which I kinda respect), but there were a few difficulties with the heat/cooking levels on the other things on the plate, cold spuds, stuffing and some al dente parsnips mean this spot is trailing the list. There’s definitely an incredible Sunday Roast in these guys, they just need to work on their timing a touch.
3. The Old Spot
€28
There was a lot of expectation riding on the Sunday Roast from The Old Spot, over the years I had heard incredible things about the place from chefs and the fooderati. Indeed it is a proper treat to eat in the salubrious spot surrounded by off-duty financiers, veja moms, children called plúirín sneachta, bathed in the warmth of intergenerational wealth. While the roast was delicious, it was not satiating, the anthesis of what you want from a roast. The Yorkshire pudding was one of the best I’ve had, slicked, buttery and unctuous but the meat that was served was so thin you could nearly see through it. There are two options available for the roast which is pretty unusual, and my friend opted for the chicken which did seem a lot more generous, a peek over at her plate showed a great hunk of chicken thigh and breast.
2. Hawksmoor
€23
The mystique of Hawksmoor has long been documented since the international steak restaurant arrived on the scene earlier this year. So naturally expectations were excessively high once we sat down and admired the eye-catching light feature in the centre of the dining room. You are incredibly well looked after by gas and knowledgable staff who operate in the ‘old-fashioned’ style of dining service.
Accompanied by a whole head of roasted garlic that is satisfying to spill out on whether you intend it to on the plate, this is a solid roast. Stuffed almost to bursting, the stuffing is a must-get accompaniment to the meal so too are the classic steakhouse cocktails which are some of the best in town. The only letdown would be the wine, which we may have made a mistake by opting for a pretty watery young red as opposed to a punchy full-bodied number to accompany all that red meat. The roasties are where they absolutely excelled, managing to get them crisp on the outside and the consistency of the mash on the inside was incredible. Served with the unusual restaurant side but beloved of households around Ireland, the humble boiled cabbage, which was devoid of any traditional scent. With a touch of whimsey when the roast spud was placed inside the Yorkshire pudding.
1. F X Buckley’s
€22.50
Unofficially considered to be one of the best Sunday Roasts in Dublin, FXBs as they are known did indeed deliver. Instead of some thinly cut slices of beef, the meat you get here is more akin to a fillet steak cooked either medium or well, beautifully seasoned, moist and tender this truly was a quality bit of meat. The roasties were as good as you’d get at home on a Sunday dinner, not the crispiest but spuds with a bit more substance to them, a whole carrot and some tender stem broccoli. Accompanied by a little gravy boat and a separate pot of horse-radish sauce on the side. The one complaint would be the Yorkshire pudding which had gotten a little bit dry and tough, potentially from being prepared too far ahead of time.
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