I’ve been to Eden Bar & Grill a few times for dinner and never been disappointed.  I particularly liked when they had Jamie Nancy and the Blueboys for their evening jazz.  Alas they no longer have live music, but they have always had good food and good cocktails. I was recently invited as a guest along with a wonderful group of bloggers (Jessika, Melanie, James, Timi, and Karli) to try out their brunch menu. I’m not going to rave about the place just because I was a guest.  That doesn’t do them any favours and throws any credibility I may have with readers out the window.  So with that noted, the below is an honest account of our little meet up.

First things first, brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 12 until 4.  Eden is a little bit like the Tardis from Dr. Who. It looks quite small from outside, but rest assured, once you step through the doors, it is quite the cavernous space with high ceiling towards the back and an impressive glass roof.  It also has a mix of table sizes.  Intimate tables for two and large, wide wooden tables for groups. From recent chats to friends with children I’d also give Eden a big thumbs up for being so child friendly.  They don’t frown at buggies. They welcome them in and the back space is perfect for parking the stroller so you can enjoy brunch without abandoning your kids. There is also a kids corner on the brunch menu, so they haven’t forgotten you there either. (pic above and below from Eden website to give you an idea of the space)

On to the menu.  Cocktails! Ranging from €8.50 to €10.00. Great price points and a nice mix. The food menu (I forgot to take a pic of that), prices go from €8.50 for a roast fig salad to €16 for steak and eggs. Lots of various €10 and €12 dishes in between which include eggs Florentine, the full Eden breakfast and poached salmon haddock.

Naturally I went with a cocktail to start and quite frankly it would be rude not to, regardless of who was picking up the tab. I said to the waiter, surprise me, and he did with a Gin Jam which was light, refreshing and amply fused with Gin.

For the main event I went with the lamb burger which was served with minted yogurt, feta cheese and triple cooked chips. Timi and I, declared we both hated those awful frozen chips you get in so many places and we were both delighted to see proper, homemade chips make it onto our plates.

So how was it?  Well I won’t lie, it was succulent, tasty and full of flavour. After several attempts at eating it as a regular burger and ending up with it all over my face, I resorted to the knife and fork method.  If you are going to order it, go hungry, coupled with the chips its quite a feast.  The chips by the way were excellent.

To give you a flavour of what else was being scoffed around the table, I took a couple of snaps of the other dishes.  I didn’t taste them myself, but personally I think they look great, the plates were cleared and there were happy faces to match them.  Below you will see the roast fig salad (€8.50) and soft scrambled eggs on brioche toast with smoked salmon (€9.50)

Ok I did say the lamb burger was a hearty meal but dessert always gets its own reserved spot in my stomach, the VIP area lets call it.  After feigning not being able to eat anymore for a good 2-3 seconds I promptly ordered the soft meringue roulade with strawberry, mascarpone and lemon sorbet (€6.50). I’m a fan of all things meringue. I didn’t speak much at this point. I hunkered down and spooned it into me like it was the last supper.

To wrap up I had an espresso martini. Again I had asked the waiter to surprise me so he went off menu and came back with that for me.  Delicious.

Overall verdict?  They do say food tastes better with great company  (which I was in) and whether that is true or not I’m not sure. What I am sure of is this, Eden do a tasty brunch. The service was excellent, and I don’t just mean to our table.  I was keeping a close eye on the other diners and they were treated equally as well. The surrounds are comfortable. The location is excellent.  I already mentioned the kid friendly aspect.  The only gripe I have is, sometimes it can be a bit loud, but then again, the high ceilings and aforementioned cavernous space has to come at some cost.  Give it a try yourself and see what you think.  Full menus found here!