We visited this relaxing yet elegant gastropub in Brooklyn for a brunch. It looked quite large from outside, sitting on a corner not. They had a nice big outdoor seating too, that goes around the pub.
The inside was really nice, had the feeling of antique with the old photos on the walls and books atop booth seating. I really liked the way it looked, cozy, homey and welcoming. The dining area was actually smaller than it looked from the outside, but it still had a good amount of seating.
They had a nice wooded bar to the right of the entrance, fully stacked and ready to serve the brunch crowds! The shape of the bar created a few additional counter seating, creative way to utilize the space. The bar area also had a few table seating too.
We had a reservation, and they had one of the booth reserved for us. They had curtains between the booth seating, so if you wanted or needed a bit of privacy from the booth next to you, you could close the curtain. It had the antique wall decoration at each booth, mixed with modern light fixture. Simple yet relaxing. They had real cut flowers at each table which was a nice touch.
They offer bottomless brunch every weekend, or you can just get whatever that makes you (and your tummy) happy! We wanted cocktails that was not included in the bottomless brunch, so we didn’t do bottomless. I ordered Scarlet Flip ($12), made with Aperol, fresh lemon, egg white, and procecco. It was very refreshing! Kind of fruity and not so sweet. Bubbly and elegant, I really liked it!
My hubby went with The Halpenny ($13), made with Irish whiskey, galliano ristretto, fresh espresso, and cream. It had very strong espresso flavor. Wake you up with an aromatic punch! It also had a nice sweetness to it. Cream on top was nice and creamy…
To start off, we ordered their Buttermilk Biscuit ($4) and Mac & Cheese ($14). They don’t have complimentary bread for brunch, so if you want some type of bread, you should get their biscuit. One biscuit came with one order, but quite large size. Almost as big as the Mac & Cheese. And it was super moist and soft, warm and fluffy like a cloud that is ready to rain down some rainbow drops! Blueberry jam was really nice too. Loved it!
Mac & Cheese ($14) was so much smaller than we expected. It is made with gruyere cheese and white truffle oil. Even though it was small, but packed with great flavor!
It was totally cheesy goodness! It had a great truffle flavor and aroma, especially as you get towards the bottom of the pot. This little pot of gold was creamy, filling, and satisfying.
Once we saw the size of the Mac & Cheese, we felt ok about adding a second appetizer that we really wanted to try. We ordered Scotch Egg ($14), made with bacon, cheese and biscuit crumb. It was sitting in a shallow pool of golden liquid sauce. The egg was perfectly cooked, which was really excellent! The meat swaddling the egg had crunchy exterior with juicy inside. It had more noticeable texture, as the meat was rather roughly grinded, providing more meaty, satisfying bite. The creamy sauce was nice, and the herbs added extra flavor to the dish.
For main, we both felt like burger on this day. I chose Impossible Burger ($17), as I am a fan of impossible burger since when I first tried it at Hopdoddy Burger Bar. At Putnam’s, their burger comes with vegan cheddar, avocado, red onion, tomato, bibb lettuce, house pickles, and vegan aioli, served with handcut fries.
This patty was more thin and flat than the ones I’ve had elsewhere. Regardless, it was still very tasty, packed with flavor. Veggies were fresh, and the buns were nice and soft. Patty was cooked in the way that it had nice crispy exterior but not too crispy, while keeping the inside juicy.
My hubby went with more of a “real” burger, Putnam’s Burger ($16). This one is made with dry aged short rib, lettuce, tomato, onion ring, and house pickles. Also served with handcut fries. They had an option to add few more ingredients for additional cost, such as cheese, bacon, sunny egg, and/or avocado. My hubby added cheddar cheese, bacon, and egg, which made this burger a whopping $22! When it came out, it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!!!
When you get a burger like this, the question is always the same – how in the world are we going to eat this??? Well, my friends, one bite at a time…that’s the only way to do it! The egg was perfectly cooked to give us a bit of egg porn, but no too mush so that it would get completely messy. The patty was thick and cooked just the way we requested. Onion ring was quite impressive on its own, huge with nice height, lightly fried with a good crunch! The bacon was meaty and cooked til it is firm, but not too much, just right. Needless to say, it was super filling and satisfying.
Their handcut fries were not shy, it did push itself into the spot light. They were soft and potato-y, just the way I love them! They were almost “juicy” and so addicting… I could’ve had a huge bowlful of these babies!
As you can imagine, we were stuffed. We had some leftover that we wanted to take home with, and our server did that for us. She asked if we had any room for dessert and we all kind of giggled and laughed, because we knew we couldn’t handle… Besides, they only had ice cream. If they had some fantastic, amazing, incredible dessert, then who knows… LOL. Instead, we got one of their signature Irish Coffee ($11). It was much bigger than we expected, but it was not concentrated, so that made sense. Still, it was nice and strong, warm and went down smooth while producing the feeling and chill and relaxation after a big meal. The cream on top was nice, but with the size of the drink, we would’ve wanted a bit more cream.
The bathroom is located at the back of the bar. Go through the door with the bathroom sign, say hello to interesting animals watching over you, and head downstairs.
Then you will see dark wood doors near their kitchen (be careful of fast walking staffs with dishes in their hands). They had two bathroom stalls in the ladies bathroom, not very big and kind of dark (I lightened up the photos).
But, I discovered a really cool space down here. To the left of the staircase as you are coming down, there was this massive barn sliding door. A staff was just coming out, and I asked if I could take a peek. He said “No problem” so I walked in…and what did I find??? Super cool looking, dungeon looking space! It is actually a multi-furnace bunker, all renovated and ready for some party!!!
You can reserve the room or maybe the entire space for a private party down here, which would be so cool! They do have a bar down here for this space only too. I would love to attend some interesting party happening down here…
Back to our brunch. Our server. McKenna was super nice and friendly, polite and welcoming. She took a good care of us. It was a satisfying and fun brunch. We don’t usually go to Brooklyn for brunch, but definitely worth the trip! This place had such warm, relaxing atmosphere, we had a really good time. We would love to go back for more of their upscale cocktails and tasty food!
Putnam’s Pub & Cooker – 419 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205