My friend T-Shirt Arms (TSA) had celebrated his 40^th birthday in Hugo’s back in December.  While he didn’t rave about it he did say it was an enjoyable experience. The complimentary hand lotion in the gents got more airtime than the food but then again he has terribly precious non manual labour hands that need to be regularly moisturised.

As it turned out I had arranged to meet TSA for lunch. The venue I left to him and as luck would have it he booked Hugo’s.  I immediately looked at their website to check the menu (I assume everyone does that).  Having missed breakfast and already been to the gym I was salivating at the offerings on their lunch menu.

It was close enough after Christmas for them to still have twinkling lights in the window which gave a festive feel on a cold day.  I had arrived slightly before TSA and was promptly seated by the friendly staff.  I did happen to notice a rail of coats which I assume is for customers but nobody offered to take mine.  Then again, I didn’t ask either!  The interior was warm and welcoming with dark woods and simple but elegant table dressing.  Hugo’s is not so big that it feels empty of character but not small enough that it feels cramped either.

TSA joined me a few minutes later and we got stuck into catching up.  The eager waiting staff were quick off the mark asking if we were ready to order. I had already decided in advance that I was going to go for their ‘Lunch Boards’ option which consisted of chicken, beef or pork sandwich with a bowl of soup or side order of fries.

I went for the chicken and bacon ciabatta with herb mayonnaise and the soup which was celeriac. The soup was the right amount of creamy with a very slight spice to it. There was only a hint of garlic, a bit more would have been nice but none the less it was warm and tasty and perfect for a cold day. The ciabatta was simply delicious.  Lightly toasted and the chicken was tender and moist with just the right amount of herb mayonnaise that it wasn’t too overpowering.

TSA had the pulled pork with fries (fattie) and although I didn’t manage to get a picture it looked great and an empty plate tells me it must have tasted pretty good.  A round of tea and coffees finished us off nicely. Lunch at Hugo’s was thoroughly enjoyable and great value too.

Out of curiosity I had to visit the bathroom to check out the aforementioned hand lotion.  Turns out it actually was quite nice. A Scottish brand. It would have been nice to see an Irish one but enjoyable none the less if hand lotion is your thing.

https://www.hugos.ie