Simple and to the point decor. Enough to be comfortable but not so much that you'd want to linger too long.
What every restaurant needs (especially one named Bear!)
The decor is simple (though sometimes perplexing), lots of clean lines, hard wood and pared back fittings. Sort of like a classier more permanent version of its sister restaurant Crackbird whose dining room still has a few mementos from former occupiers! The staff seem to float around in a happy but efficient daze! It was smiles all-round when we arrived and were led to a seat by the window.
We'd already read the menu and made up our minds, a decision I later regretted, I omitted to read that you could add extras to the set dishes so long as you weren't awkward. After all, "chefs aren't morning people", but more on that later!
Delicious freshly squeezed orange juice.
Bear also has all the favorite Jo Macken homemade sauces
We started with some orange juice and while the price tag was a bit on the steep side at €3.95 it was good quality, freshly squeezed and delicious. It was perhaps the only thing on the expensive side, the brunch dishes themselves were pretty keenly priced.
Sausage and beans on toast. Now wouldn't a fried egg just look fab there?
He went with the grilled pork and black pepper sausages served with homemade baked beans and sour dough toast (€9.95), this dish would have been even more enticing with a fried egg on top. In fact everyone else seemed to be ordering it with an egg, damn it, I hate a missed food opportunity! It was still scrumptious though, big meaty sausages and wholesome, chunky beans. I don't think I'll be able to eat tinned beans after tasting these!
Boiled eggs with white pudding on sourdough toast and a (not so) spicy sauce.
I've never been able to open an egg properly but you can get the idea here, perfectly gooey!
I went for the boiled eggs with white pudding smeared sourdough soldiers (€8.50) As a child I remember having serious discussions with my sister about the nationality of our "soldiers". After all... you couldn't eat your own soldiers ... could you? This dish was sublime. Soft gooey egg slathered on meat encrusted thick bread, it's what brunch is all about really! It couldn't have been more downright perfect unless they'd come and served it up to me at home in bed!
Decent coffee!
The big windows at Bear are a perfect place to people watch!
We finished off with a couple of coffees and a bit of people watching out the enormous windows. As I looked across South William Street and Chatham Row it occurred to me that in Dublin we are surely eating ourselves out of recession? There's no nostalgia for bygone days when it comes to food, there might be glimpses of old favourites on menus but the Dublin restaurant scene is really striving forward in leaps and bounds and awakening our taste buds with old and new flavours alike. I feel lucky to be here to witness the wonderful things that places like Bear are dishing up. Long may it last.
Bear 34/35 South William StreetDublin 2 Website 01 474 4888
