Restaurant Review: Wuff, Benburb Street, Dublin 7

I really enjoy eating out and dining in restaurants that I haven’t been to before. Although I predominantly write dinner reviews, I also love documenting my brunch experiences and I am always on the lookout for new places to try. Luckily, brunch seems to be hugely popular these days so there are plenty to choose from. Whilst brunch has taken Dublin by storm there are fewer spots offering it outside the capital and, as I live down the country, I am at a slight disadvantage. As a result, when I get the chance to indulge my brunch lust I jump at it!

 

Wufftini

I recently spent a weekend in Dublin and, on the recommendation of a friend who knows the restaurant well, decided to pop into Wuff located on Benburb Street, not far from Smithfield Market in the heart of the city, to try the brunch offered there.

 

The first thing that strikes you as you walk through its doors is that Wuff is popular. When we arrived shortly after it opened for the day most of the tables were taken and we were fortunate to get the last remaining one. The restaurant feels effortlessly cool and with its bare stone walls, barred windows and sparse wooden tables you almost feel that you are dining in the heart of Queens or Greenwich Village.

 

As we sat there and took in our surroundings we noticed that a queue was forming outside, full of eager diners waiting for tables. Despite the demand for tables we never felt that we were being rushed during our meal, although the service was definitely brisk and efficient. Wuff doesn’t take bookings for brunch so it is well worth getting there early if you want to eat without queuing first.

 

Small Irish

The menu contains all the brunch stalwarts that you would expect to see and also offers a small selection of cocktails… which we felt compelled to sample! My Wufftini was light and full of the fresh early morning flavour of pink grapefruit juice and also included some Grenadine. It was topped up with Cipriano Prosecco and was suitably easy-to-drink for that time of the day. Eithne’s Bellini – made with peach purée and also topped up with Prosecco was another refreshing drink that went down easily.

 

Although tempted by both the Pulled Pork Sandwich (€11.50)which came served in a Waterford Blaa and the Steak Sandwich with Sundried Tomatoes, Onion Marmalade and Cheese (€12.95), I decided to go for a Small Irish (€7.00) which included a large free-range pork and leek sausage, bacon, a fried egg and came served with toasted sourdough bread. Whilst the egg was faultlessly cooked; yielding up its runny interior when pierced with a knife and the bacon was perfectly acceptable, the hero of this dish was definitely the wonderfully flavoursome pork and leek sausage. I think that I would return to Wuff again for this alone – I loved it.

 

Eggs Benedict

Eithne’s Eggs Benedict was another well-executed dish although purists would quibble at the accuracy of its description as the inclusion of spinach would more normally classify it as Eggs Florentine. This aside, the poached eggs were perfectly cooked and nestled invitingly on some wilted spinach and toasted brioche. An excellent hollandaise sauce contained the right amount of acidity to cut through the richness of the overall dish and was absolutely delicious. At €8.95 (or €9.95 with bacon which was the way Eithne had it) this was a competitively priced especially when compared to what some other restaurants are charging for eggs benedict in Dublin.
 

To finish we shared a Warm Sweet Waffle (€6.95) which came with a generous sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts, fresh strawberries, a couple of scoops of vanilla ice-cream and loads of chocolate sauce. This was sweet and sticky and tasted absolutely heavenly. This was the perfect end to an enjoyable meal.

Warm Sweet Waffle

On one hand the brunch menu in Wuff is a little predictable, but the service is good, the surroundings are comfortable and most importantly the food, which is reasonably priced tastes delicious. I would have no hesitation in recommending Wuff’s brunch and look forward to re-visiting and eating some of the other dishes on the menu.

 

Our bill for two came to €47 including cocktails, coffees and optional gratuity.
 

Wuff

23 Benburb Street

Dublin 7

 

Telephone: 01-5320347

Website: www.wuff.ie