McGettigans in Fulham is the newest addition to Fulham Broadway. This home of shamrock pleasure is family owned with an extraordinary tale of success with lots of extras. Majella, H&C News star chef, food and venue photographer and myself, not so galloping gourmet sampled McGettigan’s version of the craick.
Whilst Jim McGettigan opened his first pub in the 1960’s in Dublin, the story of the McGettigan’s Irish pub brand began in Dubai in 2010. It takes quite an engineering feat to believe that an Irish pub brand, which has never been opened before begins its life in Dubai.
It must have been a huge challenge to start in the alcohol phobic state, where you have to have a licence to drink alcohol at home and be the age of 21 to drink in the licenced hotels and clubs. However this is where they started and have since opened in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Singapore, New York and 3 in Dubai at Jumeirah Lakes Towers. They have now also opened back home in Letterkenny, where Jim set out from, as well as other Irish cities. Now that surely is a feat of incredible Irish reverse engineering!
However long gone are the days when an Irish bar was contained to pouring Guinness and the Craick. McGettigans is an altogether more sophisticated, contemporary version.
We were welcomed into the bar by Steven, who has recently been recruited from the family’s Galway outlet to run McGettigans in Fulham. It is quite a statement of brand continuity in itself to bring a manager over from Ireland to run your newest addition.
The pub is very intricately constructed. It looks and feels like a pub, but also breaks up into several different areas, which serve several purposes at once. A private function can be sectioned off in one area, whilst concurrently, the natives can watch the Gaelic football or hurling in another. One Direction’s Niall Horan took advantage of this feature recently watching a GAA game with a group of his friends.
A close neighbour to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, there are an incredible 11 sound adjustable screens in this pub, across 4 or arguable 5 different sections. So on match days, it is easy to imagine this venue packed with home fans (no away fans this close to the stadium) enjoying the Irish hospitality.
There is even a pink area, which offers a softer possibly more female orientated approach and the wall of contemporary photos and library are comfortable backdrops for sitting areas.
The food and drink offer a varied choice to satisfy all types. The wine list offers a wide selection of wines, which are eclectic enough to include Picpoul de Pinet, Gavi and the red wine of the moment, Argentinian Malbec. Certainly enough for a wine lover to choose from, if that is your thing.
Steven persuaded me to try a new lager from Guinness. Now this is a challenge on two levels, lager, not my choice on most occasions, and Guinness, I’ve had lots over the years –too familiar. Nonetheless I took half of the recommended, new from Guinness, Hophouse Lager. I was pleasantly surprised, its gentle mildly aromatic hoppy flavour was quite refreshing and likeable.
Majella had a glass of Prosecco served with strawberry, her @pavlovaandcream twitter feed reported ‘Love it, it’s always prosecco o’ clock in our book! :)’
The menu is as uncomplicated as is required for this multi functional pub with a mix of hearty dishes such as Barnsley Chop, the ubiquitous burgers, yet different dishes butterbean and beetroot hummus, alongside traditional sticky toffee pudding and apple and blueberry crumble.
Majella and I were promptly served with our food, which was beautifully presented and just delicious. Goat’s cheese and beetroot salad was just the right amount, and Majella’s chilli and lime squid was lightly cooked and, according to her, delightful to the end.
McGettigans is a wholeheartedly modern Irish, Pub and Sports venue in the intensely competitive West London market. It delivers on many fronts and its design and commitment to a wide variety of different customers is both laudable and intelligently done. Under Steven’s management I am sure that customers will be well served by this new Fulham addition.
The McGettigans website gives lots more insight to what’s in store for visitors
So a BIG thank you to Steven and team, Majella and I had a mighty fine time, slainte!
Alistair Morrell
Hospitality & Catering News, Wine Content Executive