Mongoose

What should we know about Mongoose?

It's the much delayed second site from the Michelin-starred team behind Variety Jones, in their former, smaller location on Thomas Street. Originally slated to open three whole years ago in 2023 after VJ moved to a bigger, shinier premises a few doors down, a shock fire in the new site sent them scrambling back to the old premises, while repairs, refurbishments, and arguments over who should be liable for the fire damage dragged on and on.

It took until early 2025 until they could move back into the new restaurant, and they settled in there for a further 12 months before resurrecting plans for the more casual, affordable Mongoose, currently only open from Sunday - Tuesday, so the team are working a seven day week! They're hoping to expand days once they've got a more solid, Mongoose-specific crew, and if you're wondering about the name, it was another of the aliases used by infamous criminal Roger Thomas Clark/Variety Jones (read that story here).

Owner/chef Keelan Higgs describes the Mongoose offering as "simple food" at "a good price", with "a more casual approach to cooking. Two - three things on a plate, not overly complicated, a lot of it cooked over fire." With Variety Jones very much in special occasion territory, is it any surprise that a more affordable, casual offering from the same team would blow up from it's first sitting?

Where should we sit?

If it's a warm day, try to sit as close to the door as possible. There's no A/C in here and those tables at the back beside the kitchen are in a sweaty, humid eco-system of their own. On the plus side you do get a birds-eye view into the kitchen - just keep some iced water on hand, either to drink or pour down your top.

The Variety Jones chef's table for two remains - two seats sitting directly at the pass - and because of the shape of the room, most tables are for two, so if you're a four or six you'll need to be more prepared to secure one of the few larger tables.

What's our first drink?

White port and tonic if you know what's good for you. Failing that go for a Vermouth for Spanish vibes, or a glass of pet nat, because when is that ever a bad start to a meal.

Let's get down to business. What MUST we order?

Talk about impossible questions. If you, like us, enjoy All The Food, passing on anything here will be difficult - a table of four - six is the only way to try it all and not feel mugged off. Grilled baby turnips with cods roe and a pool of rich olive oil (€11) is the kind of simple, Mediterranean, expertly salted opener that walks the walk after all that talk.

If you see white asparagus (€11.50) you'll need them too, the tender, silky spears caramelised on the grill but retaining just enough bite, and what genius came up with a Hollandaise x Tartare sauce hybrid!?

Padron Peppers (€10) must be different too. Not content with just being smoked up on a hot grill, doused in olive oil and salt, they come topped with even more flame-licked flavours from roasted red peppers in a sharp vinaigrette. This is live fire BBQ levels of smokiness.

Bread (a very good focaccia, €2) is one of the sides, but they'll bring it before your pastas arrive so it can use it to mop up the sauces (finally some respect paid to La Scarpetta).

On reflection they're probably just saving us from ourselves, because otherwise we'd all have our heads in these bowls rabidly licking the last drop. If you leave without ordering the Parmesan agnolotti with butter and black pepper (€16) we don't want to hear about it. Filled with a Parmesan custard that bursts into your mouth on biting, this is one of the best things we've eaten this year - we had to order a second, and stop ourselves going for a third.

Also appearing to have been made by the hands of angels is the featherlight gnocchi with walnuts and sage in a brown butter sauce (€15). The potato dumplings are so light you'd barely register them in your mouth, with all the perfumed sage, and crunch from big chunk of walnuts. Any leftover butter doesn't stand a chance against that focaccia (or a spoon, or your finger).

Sausage and fennel ragout (€18.50) with fettucine is the white kind, all chunky meat, teeny diced veg, warmth and sweetness from the fennel, and sitting in yet another pool of buttery sauce, that yet again not a drop of will remain on the plate once you're done.

There are generally four meat and fish mains, with a fifth option of a whole chicken to share (limited numbers available). We had a chunky, flaking tranch of halibut on the bone (€25), which came with anchovy and chilli spaghetti topped with breadcrumbs, and .... ? You guessed it. A buttery sauce. If you're wondering at this stage if this was getting to be too much pasta, and too much butter, we're here to tell you the answer is no. It turns out you can't have enough of either. Another bread order might need to be on the cards.

Our other main was a couple of lightly spiced lamb koftas (€17.50), with braised onions and one of the most interesting accompaniments we've seen on a plate - polenta cooked with buttermilk and nduja. The work of a mastermind, our groans were embarrassingly audible tables over.

Sides of "spuds" (€5) and "salad" (€6) are refreshingly simple - baby potatoes doused in herby butter, and the good salad leaves simply dressed.

Desserts at Variety Jones have always been on the simpler side, cake in one form or another, and Mongoose is rowing in with the same format. A classic sticky toffee pudding (€10) came swimming in the requisite amount of sauce, topped with rich Jersey milk ice-cream. When you've had a meal this good you may as well continue the excess into dessert.

A second of deeply-coloured brown butter cake (€10) came in a pool of macerated Irish strawberries with vanilla ice-cream. There will be no complaints about either, from anyone.

A simple cheese course of Cremeux De Bourgogne (€10) came with Variety Jones' hallmark seeded crackers, and the warm temperature of the room meant the soft cheese was spreadable - bonus.

How are the drinks?

There's a limited but tight drinks list, and the value they're offering in the food doesn't follow through here, with margins of the Michelin-star variety. Glasses of wine are priced from €13 - €20, with bottles only starting at €50. At those glass prices, if you're ordering more than one glass per person you'll get far more value by the bottle.

There are four aperitifs, each picked for maximum refreshment (hard to beat that white Port and tonic though), and our Ameztoi 'Rubentis' Txakoli Rosé (€54) with its slight sparkle was all too easy to knock back in an attempt to cool off. There's nothing we wouldn't want on this wine list though, and there's a couple of Whiplash beers and premium soft drinks too.

And the service?

Depdning on your table size and time of booking you're given different time limits on your table. Twos seem to be only ever given 90-minutes, whereas fours can be allocated one hour and 45 mins - two hours depending on the time of booking. We were four and luckily weren't asked to move until closer to two hours - we wouldn't have had time for dessert otherwise.

Food came promptly but nicely spaced out, sometimes delivered by the chef himself, but drinks service was less focused, and a few times we were left with empty glasses as food arrived, scrambling to wave someone down to take an order. There was also a blankness when we asked what the cheese on the cheese plate was, with guessing at first, then going into the kitchen to ask when we pressed. Another body on the floor might have made all the difference.

What was the bill?

Just over €80 a head, for no shortage of food and a couple of drinks each. That's also including a 12.5% service charge so that is the actual final figure.

What's the verdict on Mongoose?

While we're not quite buying the "simple food" philosophy (try making a lot of this at home and see how simple it is), to have a more casual, accessible offshoot from a Michelin-starred stable is a special thing, and to say Mongoose has delivered on their promises would be underselling what's happening in here.

We're always cautious when places start out offering particularly good value. A lot of the time, once the reviewers have been in, price creep takes hold and the value that everyone shouted about slowly disappears, but if Mongoose can keep these prices, for this standard of cooking, it's going to entail Chubby's/Uno Mas/Grano levels of pre-planning to get a table.