The founders of London’s first gastropub, The Eagle in Finsbury, moved on to open the ultimate in Portuguese and Spanish cuisine, the restaurant that bears their name in Shoreditch. With a signature attention to detail they can, it seems, do no wrong.

The Venue
It looks as if it might have been a showroom or warehouse of some description, this long, low-ceilinged room in one of the quieter parts of Shoreditch. There is an air of sophistication about the Eyre Brothers’ restaurant but Robert and David have made it user-friendly with a lack of formality coupled with a sure sense of pure professionalism. The design of the room perhaps reflects this passion in the choice of mahogany panelling and brown leather chairs, the colours of a rich and fruity port or the dark hues of fine sherry. On the walls are elegant modern pictures and photographs of famous jazz icons. The only cavil is the odd choice of background music which seems neither Spanish nor Portuguese but just regular lounge bar funk. There is, though, a lounge and long bar (as well as the main restaurant) where you can drink and sample some of the house tapas specialities if you’re not planning on having a full meal.

The Atmosphere
Serious dining requires a serious although not solemn approach to the food and Eyre Brothers has its own clientele who know exactly what they want. It’s probably not a place for the casual diner who has never sampled Portuguese cuisine before because here you will find dishes you may never find anywhere outside of Iberia or even Mozambique. This is not to say that there is a snobbish approach to the menu here, but it does call for some knowledge when it comes to ordering.

The Food
If you are meeting at the bar or just want a snack, you can order some superior tapas dishes (£4 - £7.50) such as marinated guindilla peppers, salt cod croquetas, prawns in garlic, chilli and olive oil, chorizo sausages and marinated anchovies or sardines. If you really want to push the boat out, have a glass of sherry and some jamon Iberico Bellota which, even at almost £17 a plate, is the best Iberian ham ever. You’ll also find it in pride of place among the first courses (£6.50 - £12.50) in the restaurant. However, there is so much more that you’re spoilt for choice.

The red onion, red wine, tomato and thyme soup (£6.50) is way ahead of the classic French onion soup in the tasting stakes. Beautifully cooked, soft onions are melded with the wine and tomatoes while the thyme, a strong herb, is the deliciously prominent flavour. However, it is also offset by the definite kick of black pepper as an aftertaste. The grilled and boned partridge on a casserole of seasonal vegetables (£9) is an eye-opener too, a succulent cut of tender game, served with pancetta ham and again the flavour of thyme in a vegetable stew, making it a true winter warmer of a dish.

The main courses (£15 - £27.50) include calf’s liver with sage and pancetta, duck breast with rosemary and black pepper, espetada Madeirense of skewered aged rump of beef marinated with bay, garlic, butter and olive oil, and grilled fillet of acorn-fed Iberico pork marinated with smoked paprika, thyme and garlic. However, one of the restaurant’s permanent specials are the grilled Mozambique tiger prawns piri-piri. Equally remarkable is the monkfish with black pepper and lemon, roast tomatoes, garlic and sweet marjoram, black olives and capers (£19), with delicious chunks of the solidly packed white fish in a magnificent sauce packed with the flavours of all those fine ingredients. Caldereta of hake (£19.50) is a huge bowl of fish and seafood, a stew packed with clams and tiger prawns as well as the pieces of hake, still an often underappreciated fish. The whole dish is suffused with saffron and finished with potatoes and peas to make a perfect taste of Iberia.

Desserts and cheese (£5 - £7) offer figs and blackberries (£6) poached in spiced port and served with clotted cream, a not too over the top dessert. However, the toucinho de ceu (£6) is a cholesterol-laden sweet, soft egg custard, a bit like creme brulee but without the brulee, very rich and very creamy and served with a crisp lemon pastry leaf and vanilla ice cream. This is what puddings should always be about.

The Drink
The list of drinks at Eyre Brothers is a staggeringly good one, exhaustive almost. From a long list of cocktails, many rare old sherries, ports and Madeiras, through vermouths and pastis, to dessert and fortified wines and digestivos, beers and spirits, there is undoubtedly plenty of choice. A good selection of wines available by the glass range in price from £4 to £10, whilst bottles offer up to about thirty each in the whites (£16 - £65) and the reds (£16 - £130) plus a few rosados and cavas, and they are all either Spanish or Portuguese wines. The choice of Champagne is Churchill’s favourtite Pol Roger (£55 - £81). Finish the meal with a good Armagnac (£5.50 - £7.50) and you will leave Eyre Brothers with a definite glow.

The Last Word
Eyre Brothers must be the last word in Portuguese and Spanish cuisine. It simply cannot be faulted and the brothers themselves obviously care so much about the food and their restaurant that nothing is allowed to spoil their well-nurtured reputation for serving only the best.

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