‘West’ is best
Posted: 24 June '10 by Kelly
West Sandwich Bar
I find that it’s quite difficult to get a good, quick lunch in Belfast City Centre and I’m normally left wandering around looking for something fresh and tasty to eat. Then my friend Orlaith suggested that we try West Gourmet Sandwich Bar on Castle Street..
First impressions were good – it was rammed full of hungry people wanting to be fed, which is always a good sign. We managed to grab a table and flicked through the menu. All the food is laid out like a ‘deli’ style sandwich bar so you could see what you were going to eat before you ordered, which I like (although it did mean that I kept changing my mind – everything looked so tasty!!). The menu was quite extensive and filled with tasty sandwiches, wraps, toasties or salads to choose from. They even do all day breakfasts, soup and chips etc.
The friendly waitress came to take our order and after much deliberation I ordered a ‘blackened’ chicken salad sandwich on wholemeal bread while Orlaith went for the Mexican chicken salad. We sat back and watched our meals being prepared and salivated as the plates made their way to our table. The service was incredibly fast which is great when you only have an hour to spare.
My sandwich was huge, a real door-step, which was just what I wanted as I’d had no breakfast. Filled with spiced chicken along with lots of fresh salad and mayo, it was really, really good. You get a side order of nachos and coleslaw which is a nice accompaniment. I have to mention the wholemeal bread that “West” used for my sandwich: I’m a bit of a bread-afficionado and this was some of the best I’ve ever tasted – deliciously nutty and thick!
Orlaith’s salad was massive – they certainly didn’t skimp on the chicken (nor on the jalapeno peppers and salad leaves, for that matter).
Our verdict
I’ll definitely be going back to the ‘West’ for lunch.
The menu is cheap and is quite wide-ranging (you’ll need a serious number of visits to work through the list). The average sandwich ranges in cost from between £3.50 and £4.50 depending on the filling, and you get plenty of for your money.
As with any lunch-time alternative, the speed of the service is essential – something that West is extremely good at, without sacrificing friendliness.
Just writing about their sandwiches has made me hungry again – which tells you just how good they are.
Other information
West Gourmet Sandwich Bar
28, Castle St,
Belfast,
County Antrim
BT1 1HB
T: 028 9032 5649
You can also find West Gourmet Sandwich Bar on Google Maps.
Categories: Lunch in the City
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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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The writing is on the wall.. We love Graffitti!
Posted: 12 April '10 by Kelly
Graffitti, Ormeau Road, Belfast
It’s quite difficult to find a place to go for a relaxing late breakfast on a Sunday where the food isn’t dripping in grease, so we were delighted when we discovered Graffitti.
Located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We would usually go for breakfast but have also been there for lunch and dinner before and it has never failed us. Graffitti is also a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) restaurant, so it’s very handy for a cheaper night out.
I love eating here on a Sunday morning as it does my favourite breakfast (outside of what Niall makes me at home, of course!!) – the Ciabatta Breakfast is 2 slices of toasted ciabatta, bacon, free-range fried eggs, grated parmesan and tomato chutney.. And it is delicious!! I always look forward to going in on a weekend and ordering it. Niall usually orders the Italian Omelette or the Mushroom Breakfast, both of which look very tasty too.
If this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea they also serve more conventional things: scrambled or poached eggs, muesli, a full ulster fry, and so on.
As I said before we have been there for lunch and dinner also and have always been more than happy with the food. It serves tasty salads, sandwiches, home-made soups and the specials are always worth a go. Mum and I had lunch there last week – I ordered the pitta-bread with lamb and tzatziki with salad while mum had a beautiful fish cake which, to be honest, could have fed us both!!
Graffitti has been open for 25 years and serves up tasty home-cooked food, it has its regulars and we often see some local ‘celebs’ having their lunch or academics pondering the meaning of life over a coffee with their colleagues. If its fine dining you want then i’d suggest you stay away from Graffitti. With its bohemian decor, laid-back waiters and people talking for hours over a coffee you’d think you’re in somebodys dining room rather than a restaurant, which in my book is a good thing.
| Breakfast | |
|---|---|
| Ciabatta Breakfast – Fried eggs and bacon on ciabatta with tomato relish | £6.25 |
| Mushroom Breakfast – Fried eggs and mushrooms on toasted soda with balsmic syrup | £5.50 |
| Sundries: | |
| Pot of tea for one | £1.60 |
| Cup of Illy coffee | £1.90 |
| Total: | £15.25 |
The details
The Ciabatta Breakfast really is delicious. Parmesan with eggs and bacon might sound slightly strange but believe me it works, especially with the home-made tomato chutney! Niall and I often try and re-create it at home, but there is nothing better than having it cooked for you AND having someone else to do the dishes!!
Niall’s Mushroom Breakfast isn’t my cup of tea but he absolutely loves it. The free range fried eggs with mushrooms on toasted soda bread with balsamic syrup makes for a very filling breakfast, and the balsamic has a wonderful sharpness against the earthy field mushrooms.
Our verdict
Graffitti is a great casual, laid-back restaurant. It serves simple but tasty, home-cooked meals made with fresh ingredients, and I can honestly say I have never had a bad experience there.. Quite the contrary!
The only downsides are that parking close to the restaurant can be quite difficult and getting a table can be difficult as the restaurant itself isn’t that big (although I think this adds to the overall vibe).
Graffitti restaurant
258 Ormeau Road,
Belfast
BT7 2FZ
T: 02890693300
W: www.graffittibelfast.com
You can also find Graffitti on Google Maps.
Categories: Northern Ireland > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
3 Comments
Matthew Fort Northern Bank Lecture
Posted: 22 March '10 by Niall
Matthew Fort
Award-winning food writer and critic, Matthew Fort, will be speaking at the Ulster Museum on Monday 29th March, 7.30pm as part of the Northern Bank Ulster Museum Lecture Series. His talk is entitled “Food isn’t a matter of life and death – it’s more important than that.”
Matthew Fort has written about food for the Guardian since 1989. He has been Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year, Restaurant Writer of the Year and Cookery Writer of the Year – although he might be more familiar to most people for his role as judge on television programmes such as “The Great British Menu” and “The Greatest Dishes in the World”.
Always insightful and entertaining, Matthew Fort’s lecture is bound to be one not-to-be-missed – and it’ll give us a reason to have a look around the new Ulster Museum (as if one were needed!).
The details
The Matthew Fort lecture will be held on Monday 29 March at 7.30pm in the Ulster Museum Lecture Theatre and will be followed with a Q&A session.
Tickets cost £7.50 (£4.50 for students and groups of 6 people or more) and can be booked by calling the Ulster Museum ticket line or in person at the Ulster Museum Welcome desk. Alternatively a cheque or postal order can be sent to the Ulster Museum made out to National Museums Northern Ireland.
T: 028 9044 0051 (Tues–Sun 10am–5pm)
E: info@nmni.com
You can find more information here.
Categories: Things to do
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Never, EVER again..
Posted: 17 March '10 by Kelly
The Chelsea Wine Bar, Belfast
As it was Mother’s Day on Sunday all the girls in my family decided to go out for a meal and a few drinks. With nowhere booked we decided to give the Chelsea Wine Bar a go.
The Chelsea is in a great area, on the Lisburn Road and right next to some lovely boutiques, art galleries and coffee shops.
According to their website their “chefs have combined the freshest of local ingredients to create a taste-bud appetising menu” and you can “round off your meal with a decadent dessert”, so we thought we were in for a treat.
We were shown to our table by a very friendly and polite waitress who took our drinks order and handed us the menu. Although it was quite large there wasn’t anything on the menu that I wanted to eat, nothing stood out. After much deliberating I ordered:
| Starter: | |
|---|---|
| Thai Crab cakes with pickled cucumber and wasabi dressing | £6.95 |
| Main: | |
| Rib-eye steak with celeriac mash, root vegetables and red wine jus | £18.95 |
| Dessert: | |
| Chocolate and toffee sponge | £4.95 |
| Total: | £30.85 |
The details:
The Thai crab cakes came down to the table and the smell of fish was so overpowering I didn’t even want to taste them. There was a dark brown sauce over the (overcooked) crab cakes that was, according to the manager, a mixture of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and wasabi(!?!). Now, for the life of me I couldn’t taste any wasabi and there was no heat at all from it – why anyone would mix Balsamic vinegar with soy sauce and wasabi remains a mystery to me!! The only thing I could taste from the dressing was Nam Pla (fish sauce), which as you can imagine was horrible!!! When I sent the crab cakes back the manager was lovely and couldn’t apologise enough, but I wasn’t looking forward to my main course.
My rib-eye steak was huge, which was good as I was hungry from not being able to stomach my starter!! It was also cooked just as I asked ‘medium, rare’. However, the ‘celeriac mash’ tasted nothing like celeriac and actually more like a mixture of Smash and potatoes. The ’red wine jus’ was more like a watered-down gravy – my plate was swimming in it – with not a drop of red wine anywhere to be seen. The root vegetables were dripping with oil which then sat on top of the watery gravy.
You’d think I would have just given up by now, but I thought I’d order a dessert. When it arrived the chocolate and toffee sponge cake was actually just a chocolate sponge with toffee sauce around the edge of the plate. The sponge itself was dry and could of been any flavour and the ice-cream had obviously been in the freezer far too long as it had ice crystals in it. My cousin ordered the ice-cream and the chocolate ice cream actually tasted like food!! All I can think of is the ice-cream had been stored with savoury food and it had flavoured it..
As I was leaving I noticed that I had been charged for the starter which was totally inedible so I went and spoke to a very impatient and impolite barman and he reluctantly gave me the money back – well, he eventually placed the money on the bar counter and walked away, but by this stage I just didn’t care.
Our verdict
The food was really unpleasant and very expensive. I thought that the £18.95 price tag for the main course was way too high, especially when the food was truly awful.
The attitude of the barman didn’t do anything to lessen the sour taste in my mouth.
I certainly won’t be back. The only saving grace for this establishment is that the wine-list was good – I consoled myself with a few glasses of the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc.
Yes, you read it correctly.. ZERO!
Chelsea Wine Bar
346 Lisburn Road,
Belfast
T: 028 9068 7177
E: info@chelseawinebar.com
W: www.chelseawinebar.com
You can also find The Chelsea Wine Bar on Google Maps.
Categories: Northern Ireland > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
