I was recently invited as a guest to try out the new brunch offering at The Dylan Hotel. So on a warm but cloudy Sunday morning I grabbed a fellow diner and headed off to see what was on offer.
Having already stayed in the Dylan Hotel some years back I knew what to expect in terms of its lavish surroundings and opulent styling. They were only starting to get busy when we arrived and we settled on a table on the front terrace rather than the back courtyard.
The only draw back for me here was the atmosphere. It’s a great terrace and comfortably furnished and is certainly a place to sit and stay a while, especially when the sun shines, but it lacks a bit of background music to go with the brunch. Personally I’m not a fan of blaring music while I’m trying to eat and chat but over a leisurely brunch a bit of easy listening jazz or lounge music goes perfectly. Might be something they could look at adding.
Outdoor Terrace (Front of Hotel)
As it was brunch I wanted to try something a little different to the standard fry and there was plenty on offer on the menu. A mix of eggs cooked a variety of ways, salads, meat from the grill etc. There was also a selection of brunch ‘eye openers’ available including the old favourite Bloody Mary. The prices are pretty decent too and range from €7 for the simpler dishes to €16.50 for the grilled ones.
Menu
I settled on the burrito (€9.90) with a Firecracker cocktail (€12) to go with it. My guest was somewhat less adventurous and opted for the safety of the Dylan Breakfast (€11.50) and a pot of tea. Granted he was driving but I was raging he didn’t try something else, purely so I could try it out.
Burrito
Burrito
My burrito I have to say was very tasty and very filling and ate every bit of it. A warm tortilla filled with minced beef, black beans, cumin, chorizo and topped with fresh avocado, salsa and natural yogurt. I like my burrito’s quite mild so this suited me perfectly. If you were in favour of a hotter experience I would suggest mentioning at the time of ordering and no doubt you could be catered for.
Burrito
The Dylan Breakfast, very ample, consisted of toast, two sausages, two eggs, black and white pudding, a potato scone, bacon and a grilled mushroom. In fairness its hard to go wrong with a traditional fry and it was perfectly enjoyable. The Dylan as a hotel is quite quirky and unique and I’d like to see a bit more of that character injected into their signature fry up. Perhaps a choice of sausages, garlic, spicy etc. and some tasty relish to go with it or a choice of regular or fried or French toast. As I said it was perfectly enjoyable but an option to elevate it that little bit more might give it a nice edge.
The Dylan Breakfast
My Firecracker cocktail was exactly as described, a FIRECRACKER!! fresh raspberries, red chilli infused vodka, which they make themselves and a white chocolate liqueur. Most definitely the stand out of the morning and most certainly it belongs under the Eye Opener section of the menu.
Firecracker Cocktail
Internal Dining Space
Brunch at The Dylan has very little to find fault with in fairness. The food was good the service was excellent (to all tables) and the surrounds were comfortable. A couple of little extra touches, like the background music and a more personal stamp on the menu, for me, would certainly make it a Go To Place.
Note: I was a guest of the hotel and under no obligation to write about it. All opinions are my own and the feedback is an honest and true reflection of my dining experience.
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