McGettigans, Dubai - Every Town Has An Irish Pub

A Friday just isn't a Friday in Dubai without attending a brunch in some form or another. From 5-star champagne fueled events to the cheap and cheerful, you can find it all. The standard brunch format is an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink 3-hour sprint which regularly deteriorates into a gluttonous, messy affair. 

The Friday brunch at McGettigans Irish Pub was therefore a breath of fresh air. For a set price, you could choose a main meal from a reasonably wide selection of standard and some more adventurous pub food and the meal came with three drinks (including Magners on tap which automatically elevates this meal in my opinion). There was no rush to consume as much food as possible and drink copious quantities of alcohol to maximise the value of the brunch. It was casual and relaxed - the way a brunch really should be.

Given we were at an Irish pub, I felt compelled to embrace the "Irishness" and ordered a McGettigan's fry-up to accompany my pint of Magners. The fry up came with the usual fried egg, hash browns, beans and mushrooms that you would expect. The white pudding and bacon were great - the black pudding was a little too much for me, but my Scottish companions eagerly snapped it up. I'm glad I wasn't starving because while it was a fair portion, it certainly wasn't huge. It ticked the boxes of what one should expect from a fry-up but didn't offer anything more. I am not sure what I expected, but I think I am sometimes left disappointed by restaurant experiences when I feel that I could honestly make the meal just as well as they did - I am no masterchef, but this fry up was pretty basic. Tasty, but basic.

Our other order was the fish and chips served with mushy peas and tartare sauce. The fish was good quality and nicely battered - just enough to give some weight and crispiness, without dominating the flavour of the fish. The chips were hot and crispy, just as chips should be.
While it didn't blow us away or leave us begging for more, it was good, honest food and a decent size serving.

AVERAGE

McGettigan's is no trateur or La Petite Maison - but that is not why you go there. You go there for a relaxed atmosphere, a place where you can enjoy a quiet drink sitting outside in the beer garden or take up residence in one of the comfortable indoor booths for the afternoon. It's brunch menu is simple and so is the food - but simple is not always bad, and it is nice to do away with the fuss of fancy brunches and just enjoy some good old fashioned pub food done well. Happy to recommend this place, but it has stiff competition in the land of the 5 star brunch!

The bill (for 2):
2 x brunch - 129 x 2 Dhs
TOTAL: 258 Dhs (Approx. US$70)

Restaurant address: Bonnington Tower, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Cluster J

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