Prezzo - Victoria Square - Belfast

I tend to think poorly of all chain restaurants. They often lack of charm and authenticity and the food is rarely fabulous. Nevertheless, when it’s Friday night past 8pm and that you spontaneously decide to eat out, there are not that many options left. That’s why after several failed attempts to be squeezed in between bookings at one of the restaurants on my “must try” list, I had to face the annoying reality and book a table at the Italian chain “Prezzo”.

Well, I have to admit that I was happily surprised by the design of the place. It is all very modern and trendy looking with great lightings and fancy furniture. There is also an open plan kitchen, which I love because you get to see the chefs in action and also somehow a guarantee that nobody is going to spit in your pasta.

The menu was extensive and rather appealing as well as the wine list. So far so good, we ordered the garlic pizza bread and calamari to share as a starter. We certainly didn’t have to wait long but we both expected something better. The calamari were sad small chewy rings, probably just out of the freezer and the pizza bread despite a nice touch of caramelised balsamic onions was quite bland. It was too much in quantity and not enough in flavors.

For the main course, we both fancied the chicken and asparagus risotto, which seemed like a reasonably safe option: you can rarely go wrong with Parmesan cheese and asparagus…

You know how risotto when not well executed can get a bit stodgy and sticky? Well, this one was perfect. The texture was lovely, the asparagus giving a crunchy boost to the dish and the chicken was really tender. I only regret the slight lack of seasoning but the freshly grated Parmesan kind of made up for it.

After that positive note, I couldn’t resist trying their intriguing milk chocolate fudge cake wondering if it would really change the flavours of this favourite classic of mine. The cake in itself was beautiful with delicate layers of moist dark chocolate sponge and delicious smooth milk chocolate ganache. I was shocked though, by the addition of a horrendous syrupy bottled chocolate sauce that came across the lovely flavours of the cake. Fortunately, there was not too much of it on the plate.

This was not my best restaurant experience in Belfast but it still made me soften a bit about chains. They certainly are not all bad and Prezzo does offer beautiful surroundings and good value for money.

Villa Italia - University Road - Belfast

After staring blankly at a screen for nearly two hours, surrounded by intense Gaelic football supporters, I badly needed a treat. As we happened to be in the Queen’s Quarter and both feeling famished we didn’t think twice and walked trough the doors of Villa Italia.

Enveloped by a scrumptious smell of melted cheese and garlic, we were instantly guided to our table by a smiling and efficient manager.

The restaurant was packed and bubbling with families, friends, couples providing an inviting atmosphere. From the red and white, checkered tablecloths to the rustic and comfy wooden furniture, everything felt warm and welcoming.

A chilled glass of chardonnay in hand, we opted for two different dishes of pasta. My partner had the “fusilli boscaiola”, a clever combination of spicy chilli and cream that contrasted with the smoky flavours of bacon and were refreshed by garlicky mushrooms and peas. Delicious and surprisingly not too heavy, just the right balance of ingredients!

As for me, I chose the “penne mercantonio”. Give me spicy salami, sundried tomatoes and cream and I am in heaven. This was just what I was looking for, the ideal comfort food: perfectly cooked pasta smothered in a rich creamy sauce exploding with the heat of the salami and generously garnished with fondant chicken and beautiful mushrooms. It was very filling, very certainly fattening but decadently satisfying.

We obviously didn’t stop at our main courses. Comfort food wouldn’t be comfort food without a little bit of chocolate. We ordered the chocolate fudge cake to share, hoping for the best, considering that from my personal experience it can be either particularly good or really disastrous. All I can say is: “that is too bad the cake was so small because it was absolutely outstanding”. It came covered in an incredibly thick and fudgy chocolate sauce that just completed perfectly the cake already smooth and moist and layered with a deadly dark chocolate ganache. I was honestly going to order another one if it wasn’t for my partner that was able to put some sense into me! Definitely the award of the best chocolate fudge cake in Belfast or the rest of the world so far…

Made In Belfast - Cathedral Quarter - Belfast

As I was looking for yet another culinary destination, I found out about the Made In Belfast restaurants. There are two of them in Belfast so I picked the closest to us, the one in the Cathedral Quarter. Nothing better than walk to the restaurant to work your appetite!

As soon as I stepped in, I knew I would love it. The place is a whirlwind of romantic lightings hanging from the ceiling, vintage furniture, comfy sofas, mismatched flowery china, cute vases and fancy drawings…It is like a hidden treasure, ideal retreat to enjoy a relaxing evening while rewarding your palate.

I worshipped the menu and would happily have sampled everything if I have been able to. The dishes seemed really inspiring, creative and all so different and original! We opted for sharing the crispy fried squid as a starter. It came beautifully dressed. The squid was tender and slightly coated in a very delicate and crispy batter. I am quite the squid lover and must admit this one dish is the most extraordinary and delicious I ever had. It was completed by small chunks of potatoes that made me think of the Spanish tapas “patatas bravas”, roasted but still fondant inside and glazed with a sublime garlicky seasoning. A perfect balance of flavours and textures!

As for the main course, it was I am afraid, a different adventure. My partner’s “spring mushroom and leek carbonara” was drowned in an excessively rich full cream sauce overpowering the rest of the ingredients (rather scarce) and so heavy that he couldn’t even eat half of it. I had ordered their very appealing Irish beef burger, which was served with a side of beef fat chips. The burger was such a disappointment! The patty, well seasoned and tasty was wasted by being really overcooked. It resulted being very dry and hard to swallow and as the small piece of cheddar and wee stripe of bacon weren’t doing enough to help, the whole thing was barely palatable. The beef fat chips that I had never tried before were, on the contrary, a great discovery: glossy golden and nicely crisp. I devoured them.

Curious to know if the desserts would be a hit or a miss, we greedily ordered a sticky toffee pudding and a white chocolate cheesecake. Oh dear, they were both to die for. The sticky toffee pudding was a decadently rich and moist piece of cake smothered in beautiful velvety butterscotch sauce, I literally licked the plate! The cheesecake was surprisingly light and fluffy with just the right amount of batter on top of a superb buttery biscuit crust. A great ending for our evening and a good reason to come back!

Avoca Store And Cafe - Arthur Street - Belfast

Last Tuesday I was having one of those lazy days, you know, when you can’t really decide what to cook or even be bothered cooking anything at all. I had a choice: either to starve myself or head out someplace nice. Somehow the starvation didn’t seem that much of an option and I ended up in Avoca’s Café.

Oh my god, I absolutely loved the place. Between the crowded shelves of the epicerie and the buzzing and warm atmosphere of the café, I just felt like I had discovered a little piece of heaven. After wandering about for a while staring at the many treasures carefully picked from England, Belgium, France, Switzerland and so on…I was dragged to the lunch area by a divine smell of hot food and freshly baked pastries.

The window displays were fabulous, full of superb cakes, buttery scones and shortbreads, fluffy muffins and lovely cupcakes until the last one filled with an abundance of savory dishes such as chicken and broccoli crumble, homemade lasagna  various salads and original sandwiches…

I must admit I had a hard time making up my mind but finally opted for a beautiful looking “ham, cheddar and leek quiche”. It was a great surprise. I am often disappointed by that dish as I think it never really tastes as good as it does in France, cradle of the famous Quiche Lorraine; but this time it wasn’t the case! The crust was rich and crisp without feeling dry. The batter was marvelously light and generously layered with smoked ham, tasty cheddar and fondant leeks. It came with a side of roquette seasoned to the perfection with vinaigrette exploding with flavors.

I was not hungry anymore after that but I will definitely come back a few times to try some of the cakes. The Ultimate Chocolate Cake looked terribly decadent and very appealing to the chocolate lover that I am. There were also a beautiful berry cheesecake and a frangipane and pear pie that I am dying to try.

Brilliant experience! I highly recommend it for lunch, teatime or even to take away for a treat breakfast the next morning.