BAR AND BLOCK

FOOD //

BAR & BLOCK

TYPICALLY OUR THANKS GO ON the conclusion of a review though I must give an initial thank you to the General Manager Tammy for arranging our review with such short notice. ___

Our food review takes us to Bar + Block in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. We arrived approx 6.30pm having requested a later than usual time for a Sunday dining experience, I am unsure how busy they may have been prior to our arrival though it was particularly quiet and relaxed on our arrival. I imagine this may have been 2 fold, the ongoing impact Covid is having on the hospitality sector and also the great weather may have enticed quintessential diners to catch some rays in the garden rather than heading out, who knows! Neither the less both made for an evening in our favour which I shall dive into now.

Kristopher the restaurant Manager greeted us with a smile, brought us to our table, explained their Covid regulations and gave us an information sheet and menu which were all disposable. I must say I found the info sheet a breath of fresh air, with places having their own rules this sheet which was easy to follow left no room for confusion. Kris also pointed out the one way system in place with socially distancing in mind. After a few minutes of chit chat and examination of the menu Kris kindly gave us a few recommendations of his personal favourite dishes on the menu and also let us know what is most popular with the staff. processed to take our order, to drink I decided upon a bottle of Andrew Peace South Eastern Australian Chardonnay, it was lovely, I must admit I wasn’t familiar with the brand though I shall be looking out for it, my guest opted for a strawberry mojito which was highly recommended by our server and it didn’t disappoint.

For food we decided to go with 2 courses, a main each and share a starter/desert. To start I was torn between a few things on the menu, the Korean BBQ Pork Ribs and Honey Mustard Mini Sausages are both up my street though I settled on the Salt & Pepper Squid, with chilli and garlic, served with lemon and garlic mayo and a wedge of lemon. I love most types of Seafood and have lost count of the amount of times things aren’t cooked correctly though I can say there weren’t any issues with the cooking of the squid, it was delicious, mouth sized morsels in a light crispy batter, great job.

For our mains we both opted for steaks, with this being a steak restaurant ordering anything else would be sacrilegious though I was intrigued by the Vegan Sloppy Joe Burger, this was one of the recommendations by Kris though I decided to try his other recommendation which was the 10oz Spiral Cut Fillet, again I hold my hands up and sway this was a cut I wasn’t familiar with. Created by spiral cutting the fillet and marinated in garlic, parsley and chilli for 24 hours for tenderness and flavour. Served with beef dripping triplecooked chips and chimichurri sauce. Wow, I’m drooling as I type, it was cooked to perfection and the sauce was to die for, I love spice and garlic and it had the perfect amount of kick for me. My guest ordered the Steak Sampler - three steaks; 4oz* fillet, 4oz* sirloin and 4oz* rump. Served with beer-battered onion rings and your choice of steak sauce and beef dripping triple-cooked chips.

We also ordered sautéed mushrooms and garlic spinach for the table, both impeccable

As mains go and particular the taste, flavour and cooking of steaks we cannot fault at all, similar to seafood so many make errors with under/overcooking of steak, there was no sign of this which we applaud. Our dinner was brilliant.

To round things off for dessert we opted for the chocolate churros sundae which was heaven. Even though we were both fit to burst from all the food we’d eaten we still managed to find room and it was devoured. It was the perfect finish to our dinner. Not too sweet but didn’t lack sweetness at all.

We had a wonderful evening, service was flawless, friendly and efficient, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, we cannot recommend enough.

Thanks again to Tammy the General Manager, Kris the Restaurant Manager, our Server Justyna, Darren the Barman and photographer, Ludo Chef who prepared our starter and finally to Blazej the Head Chef for the wonderful Main and Dessert.

Bar + Block Steakhouse 2-6 Waring Street, Belfast To book visit www.barandblock.co.uk or call 0289 6931227