An expansive drink menu, experimental dishes and a seating that gives vibes of a pub from the Emerald Isle, The Irish House stands out. By Kritika Dua
With quirky quotes adorning the rugged brick walls, high seating chairs, a well-equipped bar with an array of glasses defying gravity and a calm outdoor seating, The Irish House is the perfect place to unwind with your colleagues after a long day of work for it has an excellent selection of drinks. The restrobar boasts of the Irish elements ambience-wise as it has shamrock (a young sprig of clover, used as a symbol of Ireland), beer barrels, Irish proverbs et al.
With a wide array on offer which includes everything from Irish Whiskey to cocktails including the starter Irish tea party (whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, triple sec and mint tea), elegant Sparkling passion (sparkling wine, passion fruit extract and mango juice), warm your hands with winter’s call (whiskey and spiced apple juice) served hot, this place can leave you sloshed.
In the food selection there are a range of appetisers — burgers, pastas and grills. I started with the crispy sriracha rigatoni pasta. The crumb fried rigatoni pasta was stuffed with sriracha cheese and served with creamy ranch. True to its name, the crumbly texture came to the fore as I bit in and was followed by a burst of the creamy goodness of sriracha cheese which matched well with the flavourful dip. The dish was on the spicier side and can be munched on with drinks.
Next on offer was skewed cottage cheese, grilled with moderately spiced cottage cheese and baby corn skewers, topped with pineapple butter sauce (reduced pineapple juice mixed with butter). While the server had said that it would be sweet and spicy but it was rather way to sweet for my taste. What added to the the disappointment was the undercooked cottage cheese. The drink, sparkling passion proved to be the saving grace as it had wine, passion fruit extract, infused with the right amount of sourness that balanced the sweetness of the mango juice.
The house speciality grande nachos got nothing right. The nachos were undercooked, tasted like papad and reeked of oil. What made them even more bizarre was the addition of ajwain. There were many things wrong with it at different levels — served with veggies and cheese, the quantity of which was way less than expected. Interestingly, the dips — salsa, avocado-based guacamole and sour cream turned out to be better than the dish itself.
Served in a highball glass, seven island iced tea is the perfect drink to get wasted, as it had vodka, rum, gin, triple sec, tequila, peach extract, topped with red wine. I could feel the punch with every sip. I paired it with open farmhouse, a pita bread with toppings. It was hot due to the spicy pickled smoked peppers sauteed with baby corn. The sweetness of the caramelised onions was toned down by balsamic vinegar. The bread was topped with a generous helping of mozzarella and cheddar. Had it been toasted well, the dish would have been elevated to a different level as its softness didn’t compliment the dressing.
It was the original Italian spaghetti that became the highlight of the afternoon as it was undoubtedly one of the best versions of the dish that I ever had. For once, the chef got everything right. A combination of canned Italian tomatoes, garlic and basil tossed with perfectly cooked spaghetti and garnished with goat cheese. I paired it with smoked wisdom, it had whiskey which had cranberry infused tea, topped with rosemary smoke, winning over with the strong yet sweet fragrance of rosemary. The cranberry infused tea took it a notch higher. The drink was more on the sweeter side so those who prefer less bitter drinks can go for it.
I completed my brunch with the Irish river dance that was served in a beer mug. A layered dessert with gooey brownie, fused with beer, brownie bits, dark chocolate bites, chocolate truffles, chocolate coated cookie bits, caramelised nuts, topped with caramel sauce and ice cream. But infusing the brownies with beer was not a good idea. Rum would have been a choice. Overall, the dessert was toothsome and a must for chocoholics. The redeeming element was the service that was spot on and the server had a pleasant smile, armed with an impressive array of information about the dishes.