The Irish House at Quest Mall in Kolkata opened mid last year and ever since, it has become one of my favorite places to hangout in the city. I love the ambience, the decor, the feel of the place, the retro music and these guys make a pretty mean Mexican Mojito. I must admit that I always go there during Happy Hours which is from 4 pm – 7 pm every day (don’t judge me but the 1+1 offer is way too tempting) and I’ve never really eaten much except nachos, tacos and fries. On Saturday, I was invited by The Irish House for brunch along with a few fellow bloggers and I got to taste some dishes from their pretty extensive menu and I was impressed. Not only do they make excellent cocktails and serve great draught beer, their main course items and desserts are good too.
I started off with my favorite Mexican Mojito. I actually wanted to try something different that day but I had woken up at 8 a.m which is more or less midnight for me (I work night shifts) and I needed the kick of alcohol, jalapenos and ginger to wake me up. If like me, you prefer your cocktails to be spicy and not sweet, do try the Mexican Mojito. It is my favorite.
Along with the mojitos, we had the Veg and Non-veg Grande Nachos, a huge platter of tortillas smothered with refried beans (veg) and chicken (non-veg), Mexican cheeses, jalapenos and fresh peppers served with guacamole, sour cream and tomato salsa. This is also a dish that I keep on ordering every time (always the non-veg version) I’m at The Irish House. It’s tasty, it’s filling, it’s messy and it’s so good.
We were also served ‘The Irish Lions’ Chicken Tenders, said to be a favorite of the rugby team from the north. These are Golden Fried Chicken Supremes served with Irish House trademark dips. Then came the main course. A vegetarian Hunter’s Penne with creamy pesto sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms and parmesan. I am a hardcore non-veg but loved the Penne. Was delicious! Next, we had Beer Can Chicken, farm roasted chicken served with roasted potato and greens. Perfectly cooked and a great meal in itself.
After two mojitos, two grande nachos, the chicken supreme, the Penne and the chicken, I was stuffed till the neck but then I had heard good things about their pies and had to try out the Irish Lamb Pie, the traditional pie made with slow cooked lamb in red wine and herb jus with tubers. I loved the filling of the pie but I found the crust too ‘crusty’ and hard and was finding it tough to cut into it. I think I’ll skip the Irish Lamb pie when I come in next and try the Steak and Kidney Pie. That apparently is much better.
What’s a meal without some decadent desserts and we had two. First up was the delicious, rich and sinful Dark and White Irish Chocolate Torte and next was the Baked Cointreau Cheesecake with Tangerine Sauce. The Torte hit the ball right out of the park (I can be slightly biased towards anything chocolate though). I found the cheesecake to be bland but everyone else loved it. Like I said, I’m biased!
The Irish House is a great place to hangout. The food is good, the portions are large, they are not stingy with alcohol and the Happy Hours are the icing on the cake. Plus, they organise fun events quite regularly so do follow their social media accounts for updates. I love the place and I hope the atmosphere, pricing and quality of food and drinks do not change.
The Irish House 5th Floor, Quest Mall 33, Syed Ali Amir Avenue Kolkata – 700019 Disclaimer – This review was done on an invitation from The Irish House. Views expressed are not biased.Before signing off, here’s a pic of the girly gang of bloggers who were in ‘high’ spirits after the sumptuous brunch!