Having heard good reviews about Browns restaurants in Derry/Londonderry, we thought last weekend was prime time to give one of them ago. We were on our way to the Playhouse Theatre, and luckily Browns In Town is only a ten minute walk away.
The outside of the building doesn’t do the inside justice. It looks a bit more like a wine-bar than a fine-dining restaurant, but once you are inside the tone is raised considerably. With atmospheric lighting and the most attentive and knowledgable staff I’ve seen in a long time (our glasses were continually filled with water and the waitress tried her best to give us detailed walking directions to the Playhouse), it’s clear from the outset that a meal at Browns In Town will be a memorable experience indeed.
After hearing the specials we had a look at the pre-theatre menu – a great deal at £17.95 for two courses, or £19.95 for three with supplements for a few dishes – before deciding on a few dishes from the a la carte menu too.
To start, we tried the Bruschetta with Goats Cheese and Onion Marmalade which is a great size and has a huge punch of flavour, the Soup of the Day which was an interesting white onion and ginger and the Browns In Town Chicken Wings which came served with a buffalo style hot sauce and were some seriously, seriously good wings.
The main courses came swiftly and the presentation was faultless too. My main of Chargrilled Treacle Marinated Rump Beef was tender and the treacle flavour complimented the chargrilled flavour perfectly. This was a special and was served on a bed of spinach, with a side of garlic chips. The chips were crunchy and cooked well and the garlic was flavoursome without being overpowering.
The sirloin steak was served medium and again was cooked perfectly, with an unusual yet effective pickled onion ring which is a novel, yet tasty twist. I also tasted the Pork Fillet which came served with a black pudding sausage roll.
This is what Browns do best – slight twists on classic dishes which are exciting and innovative yet still retaining the flavours you expect. I cannot fault one bit of the Browns experience, from the food to the service, this is definitely one of my favourite new places to eat.
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