HIDDEN GEMS

The Gourmet Boys

Sometimes, when asked to recommend some of our current favourite Belfast foodie hotspots, our reply is immediately followed by the response, “But where exactly IS that?!” So, just to clear up any confusion, here are four of our favourite “hidden gems”, to which we frequently make return visits. With an old-fashioned address, just in case!

Marcel, at No 4 Belmont Road, East Belfast, serves stunningly good dishes, cocktails & wines in a warm, contemporary venue, featuring a menu with a modern French slant.

The snacks are not to be missed, including the deliciously oozy Gougéres, and the Mushroom Arancini under an avalanche of grated Parmesan. We also loved the Baguette with smoked butter, and the mild, buttery Nocellara olives.

The starters were also delicious; Smoked Haddock & Salmon Fishcake on fennel salad with tartare sauce, Moules Marinière, Chicken Liver Parfait, and a sensational Egg Meurette: runny poached egg on brioche with mushrooms, bacon & a red wine sauce.

Our Main courses featured some wonderful French Bistro staples; the Steak Frites was cooked perfectly pink, and there were nods to Italy and California in the delicious, crispy skinned Seabass Cioppino with squid, mussels and prawns in a lightly spiced tomato sauce, and we also enjoyed our favourite Marcel pasta dish, a creamy, earthy Mushroom Rigatoni. The Marcel Burger was a meaty treat with a beef patty and braised beef smothered with smoked cheese & caramelised onion in a brioche bun.

To finish, the Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream was gorgeously crumbly, the intense Chocolate Delice was decadently moreish, and the Baileys Panna Cotta was a wobbly, boozy delight.

There are also Sunday Roast options available, and a Lunch and Pre Theatre Prix Fixe Deal all night Wednesday & Thursday, 12:00-15:00, & 17:00-18:00 on Fridays & Saturdays, and all day Sunday.

Bank Square Brasserie

At 56-58 Berry Street, Belfast, Bank Square Brasserie’s Head Chef Jonathan and manager Lea have a passion for celebrating local ingredients, food, and wine, and provide a unique dining experience with plenty of options for everyone: Bank Square’s Plant Based menu is probably one of the best in Belfast.

The Salt & Chilli Mock Duck was zingy with lime and chilli, accompanied by Asian slaw and a delicious dressing, and to follow, the Cauliflower Burger was a crispy fried delight in a sesame bun with vegan mayo, Korean dressing, pickled red cabbage and skinny fries.

For fish lovers, the Portavogie Prawns were swimming in a fabulous garlic and caper butter with sourdough to mop up the juices, and the crispy Pan Fried Seabass was perfectly complemented by the flavours of the Mediterranean in the

Tuscan Potatoes with broccoli, salsa verde, tapenade and Parmesan.

With its casual atmosphere, attentive service and excellent European Bistro style menu, Bank Square Brasserie is a brilliant restaurant where you can enjoy high quality food and drink right in the centre of Belfast.

Roam

Serving the finest local ingredients, Roam is a terrific restaurant at 6a Callendar Street in Belfast. With beautifully presented, delicious dishes, the menu changes with the seasons.

As always, lunch at Roam is incomplete without starting with the gorgeously moist Stout & Treacle Bread with Whipped Sea Salt Butter. We then enjoyed the Portavogie Langoustines with Tomato, Red Pepper, Lemon & Sourdough, and a bowl of Celeriac Tagliatelle in a delicious creamy broth with Miso Onion & Oyster Mushrooms.

To follow, the Pollock with Mussels, Potato and Smoked Butter, and the Jerusalem Artichoke with Salsify, Pearl Barley and Veg Jus were served with sides of buttery Garlic Crushed Baby Potatoes, & Organic Veg with Herb Dressing. And make sure to leave room for Dessert; we loved the pretty little tart of Roasted Plum and Blackberry Sorbet with Oats, and the cocoa-rich 55% Chocolate with Miso Caramel, Cacao Nibs, Hazelnut and Vanilla. There’s also a fantastic Irish Cheese Plate with three great favourites: Durrus, Young Buck, & Gubbeen.

Roam: attentive but informal, simple but sophisticated. A city centre culinary gem.

Millar’s Grill & Seafood.

Millar’s Grill & Seafood, a terrific new addition to Belfast’s city centre food scene at 1D Lanyon Quay, provides a wonderful way to spend an evening enjoying great food and company.

With subtle lighting enhancing the atmospheric decor, Millar’s main dining room is a perfect fusion of modern and traditional design.

We started with our favourite Signature Cocktails; a frothy, citrusy “Sea Lemon”, like a lemon meringue pie in a glass, “Curiously Fashioned”, smoked and fragrant with cinnamon & fig aromas, and a tangy “Apricot Gimlet”.

We ordered some snacks and starters to share; a fresh Japanese Tuna Tartare with squid ink tuile and creme fraiche wasabi, flaky Monkfish Sausage Rolls with mushroom ketchup, Thai Steamed Mussels in a creamy coconut broth, Tempura Enoki Mushrooms, and a Bread Selection with tapenade and seaweed butter.

The seafood in Millar’s is sensational; the Tuna Steak was perfectly cooked, seared on the outside and moist and pink in the centre, served with Béarnaise Sauce, Fries & Salad, the Seabass was accompanied by Romesco, chicory, toasted almonds & crushed potatoes, the Pan-Fried Cod was moist & flaky with salsify, mussel sauce, parsley oil and crispy mussels, and the Beer Battered Haddock and triple cooked chips was a traditional crowd-pleaser with crunchy golden batter.

To finish, the dessert special of Caramelised Banana Eclair with almond brittle and miso custard was an imaginative take on the flavours associated with banoffee pie, and the generous Cheeseboard was more than enough for our party to share.

The wine list has many excellent bottles to choose from, and is exceptional value, as are the PreTheatre and Express Lunch menus.

Using the very best local produce, Millar’s Lanyon Quay restaurant is a superb showcase of quality local seafood & steaks, with faultless service, a buzzing vibe and delicious dishes.

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If you have any requests for restaurant recommendations send us a message and we’ll get right back to you.