Daffodil Mulligan - Review - Old Street - London - The Infatuation

"Go to Daffodil Mulligan for nights where great food is just the beginning, but drinks and dancing are the real destination. Evenings start with a Kerrygold-washed Jameson aperitif and excellent steaks, and end in the basement bar, Gibney’s, preferably with live music and a few new friends. The dining room at this Old Street Irish spot is sexy, in the kind of way that a blacksmith’s workshop might be—black walls, candles throwing shadows, and hunks of meat cooked over open flames and delivered to tables nestled next to industrial steel posts. Friends pile in, ordering pints of Guinness before they’ve fully sat down, and dates cosy up on the same side of banquettes, draped over each other in dimly lit corners. In general, the meaty bits of the menu are best—steaks sourced from Ireland and served with onion rings that could double as hula hoops, a rich veal and anchovy lasagne with a bubbling top, and sweet, smoky sugar pit pork that dares you to do away with cutlery. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Food Rundown Ember Bread A bread course that’s worth ordering. The blackened, charred bread looks cool and comes with a rich aioli. But this course also comes with malty soda bread with salty butter—and we like that even better. Seabass Ceviche Refreshing and light, unlike, well, practically everything else on the menu. We liked this as a starter before delving into some of the heftier mains. Pomegranate and lime added some nice zest before the beef fat parade. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Cauliflower Bhaji They serve these bite-sized, vegetarian bhaji downstairs at Gibney’s too. We prefer eating them there. The slightly rustic, bar snack-style dish seems out of place among the other refined dishes at Daffodil Mulligan. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Veal & Anchovy Lasagna If you, like us, think the best bit of a lasagne is the crisp top and charred edges where the cheese has caught, and you appreciate an extra showering of parmesan just because—you’ll love this. It’s saltier and richer than your average lasagne, with the right amount of sauce to keep things moist, without being a sloppy mess. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch 400g Bone In Sirloin The chefs at Daffodil Mulligan know their way around a steak. It’s the thickness of a decently sized novel, has a caramelised crispy crust, and it’s juicy and pink. Get the chimichurri sauce. We also love the XL, not-too-oily onion rings that this comes with. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Sinéad Cranna