True egg-cellence at 51 Cornmarket

We arrived at the snug surrounds of 51 Cornmarket on a fresh afternoon at lunchtime.

Inside was busy while outside was full. The outside is well set up with a roof and three sides enclosed keeping customers comfortable even at this time of year.

Run by exciting young chefs Anne Zagar and David Devereaux, 51 Cornmarket has a focus on local produce and brunch-type food cooked at a high standard. They opened the doors only weeks before the first lockdown, but they’ve still managed to make it a fixture in the city.

The menu is very interesting and varied; it’s not your usual cafe. Eggs are something of a theme across the menu with hollandaise or eggs featuring on a multitude of dishes. Our eggs and Hollandaise sauce were very well executed.

I couldn’t resist the sound of one of their signature dishes. Duck & Waffle features confit duck served on a buckwheat waffle with a poached egg, hollandaise and a tomato and orange salsa.

The duck was really well cooked and every bit was delicious. The buckwheat waffle was surprisingly tasty - I was worried it might taste a bit healthy! The tomato and orange salsa worked well with the richness of the duck, so much so that I would have liked more of it.

My companion had one of the autumn midterm specials. She got mushroom croquettes with a king oyster with hazelnuts and a poached egg with a mushroom duxelle. I tried a croquette and it was delicious. It was reminiscent of a gourmet Dutch bitterbollen - a fried breaded stewy meatball.

We also got a serving of chips, which were perfection - they were dry and very crispy on the outside, and perfectly fluffy on the inside.

For desert we shared a slice of baked Basque cheesecake which was utterly delicious - probably the best baked cheesecake I’ve ever had. The texture was stunning - soft and yielding but just firm enough - no easy feat to achieve with a backed cheesecake. It was gloriously light and the gentle flavour was great.

Each dish was very well prepared and real care and attention went into each element.

Prices range from €9.50 to €16.50 with the majority of dishes around a very reasonable €12.50. The food is incentive and interesting while remaining in a brunch style.

If you love brunch food - and you really should - this is a great place bursting with dishes made with great attention and skill!