70 Leonard Street
Shoreditch
London, EC2A 4QX
Nearest Transport: Old Street
020 7613 5346
Eyre Brothers Restaurant serve a variety of Mediterranean dishes as well as a wide range of drinks in their bar area. Catering for private parties of up to 30 guests is available upon request.
There are a lot of very big things at Eyre Brothers. The portions, happily, seem to be one of them. Less good is that the prices are too. Are they justified, though? Well, the jury's still out on that one.
The atmosphere of the dining room when we entered was calm and relaxed, and the service was polite and attentive without ever being intrusive. The room itself wasn't to my taste - there is something of the 70s office block about it. With plate glass windows running along the whole of the longest wall and looking out onto the street this is definitely a place to see and be seen. It's a venue in which to do business not to romance someone - it's certainly not somewhere to go for an intimate meal.
The food itself seems to be rather at odds to the visual style of the place. They offer big, hearty Mediterranean peasant food: enormous octopi tentacles, the size of babies arms are delivered to our table, with some recipients being rather intimidated by them. Pigeon breasts are slightly more delicate in appearance but not so in flavour which is still a pleasing richness, although they could have been slightly more tender.
A main course of lamb was a huge hunk of meat on the bone, but was fantastically moist, flavoursome and perfectly cooked, with herbs clinging to it's sticky outside. The potatoes on which it stood were also done beautifully and complemented the meat well. Some vegetables with it would have been nice, but having already spent £11 on the pigeon and £24 on the lamb it seemed like an extravagance too far.
These are my only serious gripes with Eyre Brothers: the food would have suited a top notch gastropub, along with the prices to match. But as great as the cooking was, it never quite seemed to be able to justify the cost or sit very comfortably in its surroundings.
Eyre Brothers is possibly Shoreditch's only grown-up restaurant so don't expect your usual hip Shoreditch hangout. The interior of the restaurant just oozes masculinity in all the best ways; low warm lighting, mahogany paneling and leather upholstered seats and banquettes. Like walking into an old world private club, it brings to mind cigar smoking, white linen suits and a certain benevolent gentleman. With large black and white photographs decorating the front-of-room partition the effect is one of nostalgia. However, Eyre Brothers also manages to be urban and modern and very relaxed at the same time. Take a girl here on a date. You won't fail to impress.
>Owned by the same brothers behind the Eagle, London's first gastro pub, Eyre Brothers focuses on modern Iberian inspired dishes. The menu is not extensive but is well selected making it difficult to choose. Revuelto - spanish style scrambled eggs with wild garlic leaves and terragon (8.00) were mouth-watering and inspiring. Breakfast is going to be much more adventurous from now on. This was followed by the grilled leg of spring lamb with batatas velhas -twice cooked potatoes in garlic, rosemary and olive oil. (17.50) The lamb was very tender and well seasoned but the potatoes were a little dry. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to desserts as the portions were very generous. Service was exactly as it should be, friendly and knowledgeable but not intrusive.
This was my third visit to Eyre Brothers and each time the experience has been absolutely memorable. And while the food is impeccable it is always the ambiance that lingers. It is like stepping into an old familiar book or film only you can't remember exactly what happened to whom or when. It is personal and timeless all at once.
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