The Irish House, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel

I have been to the Colaba branch of The Irish House once before for lunch and loved the food. On this second visit we decided to try different offerings on the menu. So the choices were Hunter's Penne, The Russian Czar, World's Best Onion Rings (I ain't kidding folks! That's how the dish is named) and plain garlic bread (the server did inform us that it was available with cheese or olives if you so desire).

After we placed our order the food didn't arrive for a long while. It wasn't that crowded but none of the other diners were served either. Just when I started wondering if the server had forgotten about us, he made an appearance and apologized for the delay saying that owing to some glitch in the printer the order was delivered late to the kitchen. Whatever happened to the good old method of shouting orders across to the kitchen staff! :-)

In due course we were served. The pasta consisted of penne (of course!), grilled chicken pieces in pesto sauce, mushrooms, parmesan shavings and tomatoes that the menu described as being sun blushed (whatever that means!). There was nothing missing in it but I think Indigo's penne in pesto stands head and shoulder above this version. And I would have loved some more of those 'sun blushed' tomatoes in the dish!

Hunter's Penne

 

 

The Russian Czar was mushroom stroganoff with asparagus risotto. Though the menu promised that the risotto would be crunchy, I didn't find it so. The dish was a little too bland for my taste. I ain't going for this one again for sure. The garlic bread was fresh, soft and very tasty.

Russian Czar

But the onion rings were simply spectacular. I don't know about the world but they were definitely the best onion rings that I have eaten so far in my life. 'The Chef Special Barbeque Sauce' didn't have any barbeque flavor in it though. It tasted like ketchup. :-( I also loved their presentation of the dish. Instead of piling the rings in the dish in a haphazard manner, they had arranged them neatly and the sauce was served in a little spoon instead of in a small bowl as is the normal custom.

World's Best Onion Rings

So, except for the onion rings, I am unlikely to go for any of the dishes again in future. But I will tell you this, if pubs in Ireland are anything like this eating joint in the decor department, I am definitely going there soon :-)