70 Leonard Street
EC2A 4QX
Tel: 020 7613 5346
Date of Last Visit: Thursday, September 22, 2005
The Victims: David, Ben
The Damage: Unknown, but assumed to be in the 40 gbp a head range
David was back in town and it was time to amuse him. We know he likes to go out around Old Street. I got out the list of restaurants I offered him last time, and Eyre Brothers was on the list.
Ben and I headed over, after salivating over the olive recipe on the Web site. We arrived and took some seats at the bar. We were brought the olives. And yes, they were good. Lemony. Zingy. Firm. Wonderful.
I have skipped our entrance though. Eyre Brothers is very pleasing to my eye. It is wood. Lots of wood. There’s a retro 70s olive and wood thing going on. I like it. David, being the astute one he is, noticed that they had used flooring on the ceiling, which would have saved them money. I only noticed that it was all wood. And I liked it.
At the bar, I ordered the beer. It was the black beer. And it was good. The waiter warned me that I would not like it, but being the (apparently contrary) person I am, it was just what I was looking for. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ben went with the Portugese wine. It had the right combo of zinginess and spice and fruit. David eventually arrived, and we were–sadly–forced to leave the bar.
We all ordered starters. Mine was chickpeas, peppers, and anchovies. It was good. The anchovies were the saltiest I had ever tasted, and I appreciate a good anchovy. David’s starter was fantastic…it was squid and corn and something. It was spicy, but mild. An amazing combination of ingredients. Ben ordered something with chorizo and it was a lot of chorizo. But he enjoyed it.
For mains, Ben and I went with the paella. I am normally a sucker for paella. But somehow, I managed to miss that this was VEGETARIAN paella, so although I found my entree tasty, it was so not what I imagined. David went with a seafood dish and he totally licked his plate clean.
For dessert, Ben and I again went with the same dish: the ice cream with caramel something or other. It was absolutely fantastic. It better have been homemade.
The Verdict: Loved the vibe. Service could have been a bit more paying-attention-ish. But it was lovely. I liked it. I’d go back. And you should too.
