There are so many good things to say about Fallon and Byrne, I’m sure anyone who has visited will wholeheartedly agree with me. There’s the outrageously gorgeous food hall where I want to buy everything and of course the superb wine cellar which is every wine lovers dream.The very same cellar will let you pick up a bottle and enjoy it there and then on Mondays and Tuesdays for only €1 corkage. Yes that’s quite unheard of.  I’m studying wine at the moment so let me tell you it’s great for ‘research’.  They also have a restaurant upstairs and a function room on the top floor and now this is starting to sound very fan boy or sponsored.  I’m happy to report it’s not sponsored so it is very much fan boy, however, and finally getting to the point, they did recently kick-start a Sunday Brunch in the wine cellar and invited me as a guest to try it out. Naturally I accepted and popped along for a 1.30 sitting.  It runs 11 to 3 by the way.

The wine menu is of course extensive and there is something to suit everyone’s tastes and pocket.  I had a glass of French Sauvignon Blanc which would usually be €10.50 and its a decent size glass too.  Other whites range from €7 to €12 depending on what you are looking for. Henry was driving so stuck to the water.

Eggs benedict will no doubt be a firm favourite on the brunch menu.

His brunch dish of choice was eggs benedict (€10.95).  It was two sizeable free range poached eggs with English muffins, hollandaise sauce, mixed salad and you could then choose from Portobello mushroom, baked ham or smoked salmon. He went with the smoked salmon. The presentation couldn’t be faulted. The eggs were cooked exactly like they should be and the hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy. It might have needed just a tiny bit more tang to make it really sing, but still excellent. For the price its a great size dish and having a choice between salmon, ham and mushroom is an added bonus. It will no doubt be a firm favourite on the brunch menu.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

For my choice I went with the Angus beef brisket sandwich (€13.95).  First of all can I just say its the first time I’ve seen it on a brunch menu and being a meat lover I zeroed in on it straight away. Served on a wooden board on a buttermilk bun with BBQ sauce, celeriac, golden raisin slaw and mixed leaves.  I treated it like a build your own brisket sandwich and piled the slaw and mixed leaves and red onions on top of the brisket and licked my lips.

Brisket as Tender as a love song by The Righteous Brothers

It was simply superb and I’m so glad that it was because I would have been broken-hearted if I ordered it and the meat was tough and lacked flavour.  The exact opposite was the case. Tender as a love song by The Righteous Brothers and a taste that made my eyes roll and the juices drip down my chin and I didn’t care who seen it.  A word of warning here. Grab at least two napkins because if you are eating this with your hands rather than the more dainty option of knife and fork, you will be needing to wipe your face after each bit.  It’s filthy good and I loved it and its so welcome on a brunch menu and basically go try it immediately if not sooner. (I’m clearly excited about this brisket).

Angus Beef Brisket Sandwich

Angus Beef Brisket Sandwich

Sides

The Verdict

It’s easy to gush about good food when the establishment serving it know what they are doing.  Fallon and Byrne are not the new kids on the block.  They are a very reputable pillar of the food world smack bang in the middle of Dublin and its no surprise that their venture into the world of Sunday brunch is a success. They have great ingredients, talented chefs and they combine both to please the customer.

Yes I was a guest on this occasion, but I’m a long-standing customer so the way I look at it is this; Sunday brunch is just another, in a long list of reasons to keep being a customer.  I would like to give special mention to the staff. Every encounter, whether it be the food hall, the wine cellar or the function room, is always a pleasant one.  They are pleasant and professional and so many times wonderful service staff are unsung heroes’.  So my sincere thanks to them.  Would I return to Fallon and Byrne for brunch?  I think the above answers that for you.