I’ve been hearing loads of buzz about Brother Hubbard on Capel St in the papers and on social media; and when I droppped by to check it out for lunch recently, it was clear I wasn’t the only one – every table was full and there was a ten minute wait for a seat.
The menu is quite short, just a few sandwiches, soup and salads. I felt like something light and healthy so ordered their soup, which was described as: “green soup (broccoli, parsley, mint) with a surmac yogurt and a touch of chilli, served with our special recipe Arun sourdough bread and our spread, with dukkah” – €6.50.
It was clear from that description that this is a cafe that pays special attention to food. When it arrived, I thought the bowl was a little on the small side for €6.50, but everything was so good that I didn’t really mind. The soup was fresh and beautifully green, and the yogurt and chilli was perfect. When I make soup at home, I often put a swirl of yogurt and a sprinkling of spice on it and have often wondered why so few cafes bother to do the same. The tart yogurt was a perfect accompaniment to the soup.
The bread and dip was also a perfect pairing. This one was a hummus with aubergine, seeds and a dusting of some hot spice and was really delicious. It was another clever idea that made the bread into something that was both more substantial and more interesting than plain old bread with soup.
It was a lovely light lunch for €6.50, the service was friendly and quick and it’s a really nicely-designed place. I’m looking forward to going back and trying out their sandwiches and salads. Brother Hubbard is at 153 Capel St; a sandwich with a side salad is €6.90, sandwich and soup is €9.90. Recommended, even if you have to wait 10 mins for a table.
Friday 29 June, 2012 at 1:51 pm
If that’s meant to be a picture of ‘beautifully green’ soup then you really need to stop instagramming your food photos.
Friday 29 June, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Looks absolutely delicious Jean! Must check it out.
Monday 2 July, 2012 at 9:29 am
Those prices are breathtaking, is it 2005??
Monday 20 August, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I worked around the corner from Brother Hubbard’s until recently and while the soup and sandwiches were nice they do not justify their price especially if you have to pass Soup Dragon’s offer of Soup & Bread for €3 on the way up Capel St. The service was very chaotic with people running in all directions and I was left standing at the counter for a good 10 minutes while they poured me a soup and packaged a pre-made sandwich, which is off putting when you only have 30 mins in the first place!
Friday 30 November, 2012 at 11:45 am
I LOVE THIS PLACE! I was idly googling them as I’m a big fan of their work, and then I came across this little string of ignorance…
I’m based a lot of the time around the corner from Brother Hubbard’s and go in every chance I get, to get my latte fix and possibly the best brownies I’ve ever had. And that roast beef and horseradish sandwich! I’m counting down the minutes till lunch now. I can’t tell you what a joy it is to visit a food business that isn’t staffed by mean-faced, indifferent employees. Yes it can get very busy at lunchtimes, and yes it can seem like they are under pressure. But you know what? They deserve to be busy. Given the quality of the food you’re getting, some of the friendliest customer service I’ve ever experienced, and people who are actually grateful for your business, it really is worth waiting for.
If you want to have your cake and eat it, then go to some other crummy establishment nearby. Perhaps you’ll have a little more change left over by the time you’re done, but you’ll have done nothing except experience some dull and uninteresting food, and justified the continued existence of a place that is at times downright hostile to its customers.
I often receive international visitors from our other offices, and frankly it’s mortifying the lack of decent, unfussy and non”themed” lunch options to bring them to. Brother Hubbard’s is raising the standard of casual lunching in our city. The guys at Brother Hubbard’s are doing something impressive and should be applauded, instead of criticised for not catering to the meanest of the mean, who expect vending-machine speed and pricing from their food.
But I guess what else can you expect when so many of us have been conditioned to think “Cheap” is more important than “good value”. If cheap is all you’re concerned about, bring a packed lunch, quit your moaning, and let the people who actually want to make a change do exactly that.
Nothing like a good rant to get the appetite going – now I know where I’m going for lunch!
Friday 30 November, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I think that’s somewhat of an over-reaction to some minor criticism from one commenter on a post which heaped praise on Brother Hubbard’s.