Gastropubs At Home And Abroad
The Best Bar Food in the World –
Bar Food has come a long way, with the best bar bites rivaling restaurants for taste and innovation. Where should you go next?
Once upon a time, pub food was either soup and a sandwich, or possibly something thoroughly fried and frequently served in a basket. Things have changed, and these days gastropubs even feature in the Michelin Guide. With the elevation of bar food to gastronomic standards, what makes a gastropub different from a restaurant?
According to The Merrion Hotel’s Executive Chef, Ed Cooney, “eating in a bar is immediately relaxed because it tends to be more informal. You have the buzzy background atmosphere and people are coming and going.” The best gastropubs have intimate nooks, and larger spots for groups, which makes sense if some are sipping, some are grazing, and, Ed notes, “you can always change your mind and order a full meal on a whim.” He adds that it’s generally easier in a bar to have a more chilled attitude to group sizes. “People drop in, pull up a chair, and tables merge in a way that would be harder to manage in a restaurant.”
Inside the Georgian wine cellars
Ed has been putting his mind to all things gastropub as he has been creating a new seasonal menu for The Cellar Bar. “I wanted to play with the idea of bar food,” he says. “But add an extra twist. So you’ll find favourites such a paté on toast, but it’s made with chicken and Foie Gras, and served with brioche and red onion marmalade.” Then there are Parmesan and Truffle Fries, and Organic Smoked Salmon Tartare with a freshly boiled Hen’s Egg. Or try the Fish and Chips, and it will be locally caught Irish fish, and the minted mushy peas are something special. Light dishes include Skinny Soup and a vegan Super Salad of quinoa, baby spinach, pomegranate and toasted seeds.
Larger groups can order sharing platters, and as The Merrion’s Cellar Bar is housed in the former wine cellars of the original Georgian mansions that make up the hotel, there are plenty of tasty alcoves to make your own. And that’s another thing about the best gastropubs – they’re usually in historic and atmospheric spots. Add fine wines, local beers and a range of classic and bespoke cocktails, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a great night – and the Cellar Bar is not alone in elevating bar bites for today’s diners.
Gastropubs around the world
Winner of Estrella Dam’s hotly contested Top 50 Gastropubs in the UK list for the third time, The Unruly Pig is owned by Brendan Padfield, who bought the Suffolk spot after a three decades-long career in law. Joined by chef Dave Wall, the Pig has more than sixty wines available by the glass, and menus that change with the seasons. It helps that it’s in a gorgeous 16th century building in a classic rural setting. Expect a mixture of British and Italian dishes, including lobster tails, stuffed sea bream, and steak tagliata, alongside nibbles of arancino and focaccia.
Chicago’s The Duck Inn, features in the Michelin Guide. Chef Kevin Hickey cooks in a stylish and modern spot in the Bridgeport Warehouses. The kitchen is semi-open, and serves up what has been described as “working-class fine dining”. There’s a nice outdoor seating area too, hosting full pig roasts on Sundays from June to September. Expect Foie Gras Tartine, Duck Wings with Japanese Sauce, Stuffed Quail, and Hot Dogs that truly elevate the “Art of the Dog”.
The gastropub is really an Anglophone thing, so it’s no surprise that the only French entry on the Michelin list of fifteen top spots is run by English chef Edward Delling-Williams. After starting off working in a Bristol pub, he trained at the St John in London. Now, his Presbytere in Normandy is close to the bar’s own farm, where fruit and vegetables are grown for the table. There are Sunday roasts, roast beef, whole fish and shellfish, and light salads such as a cucumber and mint confection to drool over on a warm Normandy afternoon. Of course there are fine wines and, because this is Normandy, there is excellent cider too.
Kinsale in Co Cork has a well deserved reputation as a gourmet capital, and The Bulman benefits from an idyllic location, right on a little harbour a short way out of town. Catching the sunsets, locals bring fish and chips down from Shirley’s van, up the hill, where the family cook fresh off the boats. You can pick up pints at the bar, and eat on the harbour wall. But inside, The Bulman does its own very excellent food, with an emphasis on local and sustainable. Look out for seafood chowder, oysters in season, and smoked salmon and crab on homemade brown bread. The restaurant is upstairs, with bar bites on the ground floor. Check ahead for dining, as it has been known to revert to a pub on certain days, when all you’ll get is peanuts.
The Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel is open from Tuesday to Thursday from 4pm to 11.30pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 1pm to 12.30am. Booking advised