A Very Carefully Considered Café on Drury Street

Drury Street is the street that just keeps on giving, boasting some cracking cafés, restaurants and independent shops and boutiques. One of the newest additions to the street is a beautiful new cafe with an unusual proposition.

The Considered Café is owned by Dunnes Stores and is a cross between a gourmet café and a homeware store selling the Dunnes Stores Helen James homeware range. I’m not sure if the motivation to open this place was an attempt by Dunnes Stores to ease into the restaurant scene, or a clever marketing tool to sell their latest homeware range, but either way, it works.

I popped in on Monday at lunchtime with a craving for something comforting and delicious, and it seems like I picked the perfect spot as the menu features old favourites like hot pots and grilled cheese sandwiches. I went for the grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough with fried leeks, gruyere cheese and pickles. I was only waiting a few minutes at my table (decorated with homeware from the Helen James range, of course) before my grilled cheese sandwich came out. It was a picture of pure food porn with melted cheese oozing out the sides. It came with a little kale salad that had lovely fresh pomegranate seeds and roast squash through it, the delicious albeit token healthy salad made me feel a little bit better about devouring the cheesy toastie.

The toastie was simple but delicious, the leeks and pickles in it made a nice change from your average grilled sambo. It was definitely the comfort food I needed on a rainy Monday. The whole menu sounded great with things like tomato and lentil soup, and Moroccan inspired hot pots and wholesome cakes on offer. It’s the perfect place for something simple but tasty. The vibe there was really laid back with nice, chilled out music playing in the background. There isn’t a whole lot of seating there, but it’s worth sitting in if you can.

I’d imagine they up-sell a lot of homeware items in there, the whole café is one big advertisement for the Helen James homeware range. The stock they hold is stunning with beautiful castle iron pots, brass cake moulds and wooden kitchen accessories lining the walls. Eating in this café is definitely a strategic way of selling the whole lifestyle concept behind the brand. Jars of marmalade, crockery and kitchen towels are displayed alongside cookies and cakes, making it very tempting to pick up a few bits with your lunch order.

But, no matter what the intention behind Dunnes Stores’ latest venture is, the food is good and so it’s definitely a spot to consider checking out on your next lunch break.