Darina Allen: Delicious recipes shared by chefs from the amazing Belfast food scene
Ive just had an action-packed weekend in Belfast and I can tell you the city is rocking. The food scene is exploding, and I certainly couldnt manage to fit all my must dos into my available meal slots, Ill have to go back for more.
I had a long list of places to visit, delis, cafes, cool shops and of course restaurants. St Georges Street market on Friday or Saturday is a must. Pick up some soda farls and potato bread. Sunday is mostly for bric-a-brac hunters.
I also loved Mike Thompsons cheese shop on Little Donegal St, a fantastic selection of cheese as well as his own raw milk blue-veined young buck, the first artisan cheese to be made in Northern Ireland after the Troubles. Mike is a great fan of Hegartys cheese and I also bought a Cavanbert made by another pioneer farmhouse cheesemaker Silke Cropp from Co Cavan. I also added a little roll of Abernethys handmade butter and some charcuterie from the Cole family in Broughgammon.
Then onto a new Nordic-influenced bakery round the corner called Bakari, owned by Jack Mowbray. It has a really interesting range of breads and viennoiserie, many made from heirloom wheat.
Bread and Banjo on the Ormeau Rd is another place to swing by for proper artisan breads. Foodies who dont have time to do research, but want to pack as much as possible into a delicious weekend could sign up for one of several food tours. Caroline Wilson of Belfast Food Tours comes highly recommended.
We had a delicious dinner of small plates at Niall McKennas Waterman House restaurant and the most delicious smoked ham with really good house-made sourdough bread and brown butter. Chef Cathal Duncan told me that they smoke the streaky bacon in their Little Green Egg barbecue and smoker. It was so good that I begged for some for my picnic on the train and I have to tell you that I was the envy of all my fellow travellers. I also loved their arancini with celeriac and young buck pure and the pressed potato slices and the scallops with Jerusalem artichokes.
Of course I wanted to get back to Michelin-starred Ox but didnt make it this time. Everyone says lunch is brilliant value for money at about 45. I did, however, get out to Frae in Holywood (10 minutes by train or a bit longer by car). I loved Shaun Tinmans eclectic little bites and little plates.
The jambons made with ham hock and Coolea cheese were some of the best Ive ever tasted. Even the bread from the Bara Bakehouse in Comber and the homemade butter were exceptional. The last of the squashed roasties with caramelised garlic could be the subject of a serious row.
If you cant bag a table there, (only 20+ seats), I believe Noble on Church St in Holywood is also worth a detour. There is so much happening around the Cathedral Quarter.
For those who want super lux accommodation, the Merchant Hotel is right there, in the midst of all the pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes. I return to Established Coffee on Hill St every time we visit Belfast and its still as good as ever, superb coffee, pastries, and brunch dishes.
Everyone raves about Neighbourhood Caf too. (The Dirty Onion pub and Yardbird are close by too.) Its just around the corner on Donegal St and is owned by Ryan Crown and Oisin McEvoy. I didnt make it this time because the queue was so long, I would have missed my train, but friends raved about the Turkish eggs with garlic yoghurt, chilli butter, dill and sourdough.
I also missed lunch at Ygo which does the most delectable Asian fusion tapas on Wellington St. As I left, I was envious of the diners, tucking into exciting looking multi-ethnic plates. It too gets many plaudits from choosy critics. There are lots of cool shops of course but this is a food column.
I hasten to add that I have no affiliation to any of these places, those I recommend are personal picks. Thank you to the chefs who shared recipes for some of the dishes that I enjoyed so much on my brief interlude in Belfast city.
Waterman House Arancini with Young Buck Custard
recipe by:
Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 12:00 am