All I want for Christmas is….
Posted: 28 July '10 by Kelly
Wagamama - coming to Belfast!
.. for Wagamama to come to town.. And guess what?! It is!! The much-loved Japanese restaurant will be opening in Belfast’s Victoria Square in time for Christmas.
Niall and I are so excited by the news! If you’ve been to a Wagamama resturant then you’ll know why – If not, then you are in for a treat!
I lived in Nottingham for a while and I was lucky enough to have a Wagamama at the bottom of my street – I originally ventured in when I couldn’t face another evening of cooking for one person, but after that I subconsciously found more and more reasons to eat there. I loved everything about the experience: the smells and sounds of the open kitchen when you arrive; being seated at the ‘communal dining’ long benches that replace the traditional table and chairs, creating an authentic Asian dining experience; and the arrival of the food, with steaming bowls of delicious broth and noodles being a specialty.
Wagamama is all about Positive Eating and Positive Living, a philosophy that they explain as “combining fresh and nutritious food in an elegant yet simple setting with helpful, friendly service and value for money”. The food is certainly fresh and you leave the restaurant feeling very virtuous (and satisfied) which is perfect if, like most of us, you love eating out but are worried about putting on weight.
Our favourite meals at Wagamama in Nottingham (and this is hard to pin down as there were many!!) were -
- ebi katsu – deep-fried prawns in panko breadcrumbs, served with a spicy chilli and garlic sauce garnished with lime
- edamame – steamed green soya beans with either salt or chilli and garlic salt
- miso soup and japanese style pickles
- seafood ramen – noodles in a vegetable soup topped with grilled smooth dory, prawns, squid and seasonal greens.
- teriyaki soba-grilled teriyaki beef on a bed of teppan fried soba noodles with curry oil, mangetout, chillies, bok choi and sesame seeds
There was also an amazingly gooey chocolate cake with wasabi.. I could go on and on and on as the menu really is delicious!! And the best thing is that everyone will find something they like – there are lots of chicken and rice dishes for those who aren’t as adventurous or who have a plainer palate. Knives and forks are available but it’s alot of fun trying to master the chopsticks.
Roll on christmas is all I can say!
50 new jobs for Belfast
Wagamama’s opening in the run-up to Christmas means that there will be new jobs in the service industry, including waiters and waitresses, administrative staff, line chefs, managers and supervisors. They’re currently recruiting for a Head Chef and Senior Management positions – CV’s should be submitted with a covering letter to chris@wagamama.ie.
Other information
“Wagamama” means “naughty/wilful child” although it is probably more accurately translated as “selfish”.
You can visit the Wagamama website at www.wagamama.com.
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We’re back in The Dog house
Posted: 07 June '10 by Kelly
The Barking Dog restaurant, Malone Road, Belfast
I had been in Dublin visiting Ciara for the weekend and hadn’t seen Niall for a few days so we decided to catch up over a meal and a few drinks. You might remember that we had been to The Barking Dog before and thought that the food was delicious, so decided to go back.
The decor is really cool, a mixture of French chic and rustic farmhouse with its vintage cups and saucers and the huge wooden dresser that holds all of the wine glasses. It’s quite informal too – a chilled atmosphere in which to enjoy a leisurely lunch or evening bite-to-eat.
We were shown to our table by a very pleasant member of staff which, after our last experience, was a welcome change. Looking down the menu we were pretty impressed – a good range of dishes which were added to by 4 or 5 daily specials.
After some deliberation Niall chose the Crab with creme fraiche on sourdough toast to start while I went for the Scallops with black pudding and cauliflower puree. Niall’s starter was OK, but I thought that it was quite bland! My starter was OK too – the scallops were cooked perfectly however the black pudding was wafer thin and the cauliflower puree lacked flavour… although I am quite spoilt because Niall’s version of this dish is the best I have ever tasted. It also has to be said that the portion size was quite measly.
For our main course we decided to have the ‘Cote de Boeuf’ with thick-cut chips, roasted tomatoes and bearnaise sauce (for two people). Now, maybe we have been spoilt by our experience at ‘Robert et Louise’ in Paris, but whenever you order this dish you do have certain expectations!
The first taste is with the eyes, they say, and this did look very promising. Served on a wooden cutting board, the chunky chips were stacked beside a large rib and the sliced beef, together with the juicy roasted vine tomatoes – a rustic feast just waiting for you to dig in. Whenever I think of Cote de Boeuf my mouth waters as I think of a seared, charcoal-flavoured crust and moist, flavoursome steak that melts in your mouth. Sadly there were none of these attributes present as we tucked into our meal.
Although it had been cooked to our request (medium/rare), it had not been seasoned well enough and was actually quite bland. I got very bored of the dish after a few mouthfuls and just didn’t want anymore. The bearnaise sauce was a bit of joke too – there was absolutely no tarragon in the sauce which had a milky, buttery, non-flavour.. it was horrible!! Once again the portion-size just wasn’t generous enough for two hungry diners – while it may have looked impressive, the majority of the serving was the large rib-bone, after which there were only 4 slices of beef. The best parts of this dish were the thick-cut chips and the tomatoes which, for the £42.50 price-tag, is a bit rich.
For dessert I had the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and Niall had the chocolate and pear tart. My sticky toffee pudding was OK, but it wasn’t very ‘sticky’ and the only discernible toffee presence was the sauce that had been poured around the pudding on the plate. Niall’s dessert on the other hand was delicious, with the pastry being light and crisp and the chocolate rich and gooey. It worked perfectly.
| Starters: | |
|---|---|
| Crab and creme fraiche on toasted sourdough | £6.95 |
| Seared scallops, black pudding, and cauliflower puree | £8.50 |
| Mains: | |
| Cote de Boeuf (for 2) | £42.50 |
| Sundries: | |
| Buttered green beans | £3.00 |
| Dessert: | |
| Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream | £4.95 |
| Chocolate and pear tart | £4.95 |
| Total: | £70.85 |
Our verdict
The letters “O” and “K” on my keyboard have almost been worn away from this one review alone.
The food was very average, the portions were quite small, and the cost was fairly excessive. It’s such a shame because there is a lot to recommend about The Barking Dog and I want to like it.
The waitress was really polite and couldn’t do enough for us without being too over the top.
I do hope the food gets better as it could be an excellent restaurant.
The Barking Dog
35 Malone Rd
Belfast,
BT9 6RU
T: 028 90661885
E: barkingdogbelfast@googlemail.com
W: www.barkingdogbelfast.com
You can also see The Barking Dog on Google Maps.
Categories: Northern Ireland > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
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Currying favour at the Bengal Brasserie
Posted: 19 October '09 by Kelly
Bengal Brasserie
On Saturday night Niall and I headed out to the Bengal Brasserie on the Ormeau Road for a long-awaited curry.
We’ve been going to the Bengal Brasserie for ages – from when it was a shabby-but-much-loved place down near the Ormeau bridge, to the latest incarnation as a contemporary, plush new eaterie at the Newtownbreda end of the road. Despite the radical change in appearance, the quality of the food and the service has never faltered.
The perfumed cloud of Asian spices had our mouths watering as we made our way to the entrance and, on entering the almost permanently busy restaurant, we were welcomed by a member of staff who took us to our table – while we eyed the largest bottle of Sangre de Toro we’d ever seen the whole way! It should probably be said at this point that the service at the restaurant is just great – friendly, very helpful with food combinations and amounts (you’ll be tempted to order all of the side dishes on the menu!), and extremely courteous – opening the door for you as you leave and wishing you a good night is a nice touch, as is the slight nod of recognition for a returning customer.
As good as the staff are, it’s the food that’s the star – there’s something for everyone on the menu: sweet and creamy Kormas; sizzling Tandoori skillets; and fiery vindaloos. Ordering some poppadoms with sauces and relishes is a must, giving you plenty of time to look over the menu – my favourite relish is a tangy, onion-y concoction that is very more-ish, but all four offer something very different and disappear quickly.
I was surprised with the wine list the first time I saw it, in all honesty. My experience of these things in curry houses is a bad one, without exception. But the Bengal Brasseries list is pretty good – some New World, some Old World – plenty to choose from. We opted for a punchy Cote du Rhone from the always-dependable Chapoutier stable – a fantastic red that was able to stand up to the myriad flavours in the dishes without overpowering them.
For our starter I ordered the King Prawn Sukka (meaty king prawns on a chapati with a rich tomato and chilli sauce) and Niall ordered the Chicken Pakora (strips of chicken in a light, spiced batter). Both were fantastic – just the right amount to whet your appetite for the meal yet to come – and left us disagreeing over who had chosen the best.
Harmony, or at least silence, was restored when the main courses appeared. Niall’s Lamb Palok is a big favourite of ours – a mild enough curry based on LOTS of spinach and slices of garlic, with tender portions of lamb. My Murg (chicken) Bhuna is a tomato-based dish – some heat, a little sweetness, and lots of those aromatic tumeric and coriander spices – and just delicious. The two dishes were very different, and made a nice contrast – Niall’s earthy spinach curry against my tangy tomato dish. Both dishes came with portions of rice, which I like – it’s a slight bug-bear of mine that, in some restaurants, rice has to be ordered in addition to the curry – a kind of “hidden” charge. We also ordered a Keema Naan (flat-bread with marinated, minced lamb between the layers) and Palok Bhajee (more spinach, but totally irresistable).
Unsurprisingly, we didn’t manage a dessert, despite repeated, wistful glances at the menu.
Saying our goodbyes to the staff, we walked off into the night, happy and contented.
| Starters: | |
|---|---|
| King Prawn Sukka | £3.95 |
| Murg Pakora | £3.95 |
| Main Courses: | |
| Murg Bhuna | £7.45 |
| Lamb Palok | £7.45 |
| Sundries: | |
| Keema Naan | £1.95 |
| Palok Bhajee | £2.95 |
| Bottle of Cote du Rhone | £22.50 |
| Total: | £50.20 |
A fantastic restaurant that others have called “the best curry house in Belfast” – and we’d be hard-pressed to disagree.
A restaurant to introduce your friends to – for which they’ll be eternally grateful.
Bengal Brasserie
455, Ormeau Road,
Belfast
County Antrim
BT7 3GQ
t: 028 90647516
w: www.bengalbrasseriebelfast.co.uk
You can also see the Bengal Brasserie on Google Maps.
Categories: Northern Ireland > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
2 Comments
Restaurant Review: Bo Tree Restaurant
Posted: 30 July '09 by Niall
Bo Tree Restaurant
In the middle of a long week at work, with our spirits dampened by the daily down-pour, Kelly and I went to the Bo Tree Restaurant on Belfast University Road. We’ve been several times before but this was the first time that we’ve gone with notebook in hand and with our “reviewers” hats on!
I’ll start by qualifying this review – it’s probably biased. I love Thai food and the Bo Tree in equal measure.
The decor of the restaurant is fairly spartan – white walls, simple layout, and basic seating – but there are enough wall hangings and statutes to let you know that you’re in a Thai restaurant. I’d recommend going slightly later than we did – when it starts to get dark the candles on the tables make it a far more relaxed and cosy atmosphere.
The service was (as always) impeccable – the waiting staff are always polite, knowledgeable about the food, and very attentive without being intrusive – and are always on-hand to fetch another chilled Singha beer to put out those fires caused by the (excellent) Green Curry!
The highlight, however, was the food. As I said, both Kelly and I really enjoy Thai food (come to think of it, is there any food that we don’t enjoy!?) – and we certainly weren’t disappointed on this visit to the Bo Tree either. Our starters were deep-fried jumbo prawns in panko and small dumplings filled with minced pork, garlic and water chestnuts – and our mains were Gai Pad Ped (stir fried chicken with curry paste, Thai herbs and lime leaves) and Phed Pad Ped (stir fried duck with curry paste, Thai herbs, lime leaves and baby aubergines), with side dishes of noodles and Pad Thai noodles respectively. Regular top-ups of the chilled Singha beer were definitely needed with my dish.
Now, a word about the desserts – don’t expect the sugar-y, chocolate-y, cream-filled confections you get at our Western restaurants. Thai desserts are all steamed custards, banana, coconut, and sesame seeds – but that’s right up my street. Kelly, on the other hand, always goes for the ice-cream – in this case four scoops of chocolate ice-cream with dark chocolate pieces and wafer straws.
Despite the fact that the prices for the desserts were a little expensive, we left the Bo Tree Restaurant considerably happier and more content than when we entered – which is about all you can ask of any restaurant!
At last – an authentic Thai restaurant in Belfast..
| Starters: | |
|---|---|
| Khanom Jeeb | £6.50 |
| Kung Chup | £7.25 |
| Main Courses: | |
| Gai Pad Ped | £8.95 |
| Kueytiew Phol | £3.50 |
| Phed Pad Ped | £8.95 |
| Phat Thai | £8.95 |
| Desserts: | |
| Chocolate Ice-Cream | £4.20 |
| Saug Kaya | £5.20 |
| Sundries: | |
| 3 Singha Beer | £11.90 |
| Total: | £65.40 |
Bo Tree Restaurant
31 University Road
Belfast
County Antrim
BT7 1NA
Tel: 028 9024 7722
w: www.botreethai.com
e: info@botreethai.com
You can also see Bo Tree Restaurant on Google Maps
Categories: Northern Ireland > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
