One day last week I decided to take a cheeky afternoon off, so Mr M and I took ourselves off to Browns in Old Jewry for a leisurely lunch. Eating out in the evenings and at weekends is all well and good, but there’s always something extra special about time off during the week while everyone else is still at work.
Browns offer a two-course set lunch between midday and 7pm during the week, reasonably priced at £12.95, with an additional £4 for a third course. I hadn’t made a booking, but we didn’t arrive until after 2pm, and the restaurant is quite big, so getting a table wasn’t a problem.
The restaurant itself is really attractive inside – there’s a long bar that runs along most of one wall, high ceilings and large mirrors, making for a bright and airy feel. There were still quite a few diners when we arrived, and a large group at the bar, so the atmosphere felt quite buzzy.
Once we were sat down, we were given both the main and lunchtime menus. We both ordered from the lunchtime set menu and I went for smoked haddock fishcake while Mr M chose the honey roasted butternut squash soup to start. We both chose the steak frites for our main, which is an extra £1.95, cooked medium rare as recommended by our waitress.
To drink, we ordered a glass of prosecco each (an afternoon off should be celebrated after all) and a bottle of South African merlot to go with our steak.
The starters were both excellent. The fishcake had a lovely fluffy texture inside and the sea herb mayonnaise it was served with was delicious. Mr M was also very positive about his soup, saying it was very tasty and he particularly liked that the bread it was served with was warm, so we assume freshly baked.
By the time we had finished our starters, the prosecco was gone and we were ready to dive into the merlot. It was absolutely beautiful and while I don’t often pick up on the subtleties of wine that you read about in the tasting notes, there were definitely some berry flavours coming through.
Our steak arrived and was also really good. The meat was cooked nicely and had a satisfying texture, the chips were chunky and delicious and the baby watercress went well with both. It was all a very pleasant surprise considering the price.
We had agreed when we sat down that we wouldn’t have a dessert as both Mr M and I probably eat too many sweet things as it is. However, our resolve weakened by the merlot, not only did we order dessert, but also a sweet wine to go with it.
Mr M ordered the sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream and granola and I plumped for apple, cherry and almond crumble, both from the main menu and £6.50 each. Of the two dessert wines on the menu, I asked the waitress which was more red and we ordered two glasses of that – the Royal Tokaji blue label from Hungary.
Both desserts were excellent. Mr M loved the sticky toffee pudding (one of his favourite desserts) and thought the granola added a nice twist. The crumble was also delicious and the sweetness of the cherries complemented the tartness of the apples really well. The dessert wine was rich and sweet, the perfect end to our lunch.
Not only is Browns a great place to while away an afternoon off, but the set menu lends itself really well to work lunches, if perhaps you’ve got a birthday in the office or some other special occasion. The bar area is also a nice space if you’re just after drinks, and the cocktail menu is fairly extensive.
The bill came to £125 including 10% service charge (all of which is distributed amongst staff), most of which was down to the drinks. Service throughout was efficient and professional, the food was great and the set menu is great value for money so I would definitely go back to Browns.
Albatine x
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