Scalini - Botanic Avenue - Belfast

On Friday night, with the rain pouring down on us, we suddenly lost all sense of adventure. Heading towards the Botanic garden, where we would be sure to find a restaurant that would take us in with no booking seemed to be the sensible choice. On the down side though, we were confronted to a serious lack of options as nearly every menu was of Italian influence. Before getting drenched we stepped into Scalini, which won us over with its hearty menu and the promise of some comfort food to cheer us up.

I immediately felt warmed up by the buzzing atmosphere, the old fashioned furniture and the tantalizing smell of cheese, tomato and garlic. Instants later we were perusing the menu while sipping away a chilled and crisp glass of Cava Rose.

The cold and the humidity had both starved us and we decided to share two different starters: the deep-fried mushrooms and the spicy calamari. The mushrooms were a revelation. The first bite gave a great texture with a beautiful golden crispy batter but then you tasted the mushrooms, smooth and fondant coated in melted cheese and spiced up with mixed peppers: a real tease for the palate. The calamari was nowhere as intriguing. Despite a clever contrast between two types of squids, the seasoning was a bit bland and the absence of any kind of sauce let down the performance on the rest of the dish.

Never mind, our plates were empty in no time and replaced by two generous portions of pasta. Damien’s were penne with chicken, quite a classic but enhanced by flavored courgettes and toasted pine nuts. The sauce had a perfect creamy touch without having that heaviness that sometimes put you off the food. 

As for mine, a very traditional and simple choice, spaghetti carbonara, they were exactly what I was waiting for: smothered in rich and creamy egg yolk, garnished with smoky pieces of crispy bacon and superbly finished with aged Parmesan. Yum!!! I couldn’t stop myself and ended up cleaning the plate with my fingers: that’s real comfort food and I haven’t told you about the desserts yet.

You probably wonder how we could possibly have any space left for more after what we had just devoured but then again, we both have particularly hearty appetites and nothing would stop me from a getting a good chocolate cake. That is exactly what I got, the house specialty, the “to die for” chocolate fudge cake. It was as perfect as I expected: amazing fondant texture or should I say “fudgy” because nothing actually describes it better; two layers of chocolate ganache neither too bitter nor too sweet; and finally, an incredibly thick and glossy fudge chocolate sauce layered with melted milk chocolate. It was a masterpiece!

Damien had opted for a favorite from our childhood: the caramel fudge sundae. It came, as we love it, in a long stemmed glass. Two to three scoops of vanilla ice cream covered with heaps of caramel fudge sauce and home made, firm and vanilla flavored whipped cream: no disappointment there.

These desserts added a triumphant ending to an already fantastic evening. I would recommend Scalini with no hesitation if not for the pasta at least for the cakes!

Home - Wellington Place - Belfast

As we walked into the restaurant, I silently rewarded myself for my choice. On our left, the bar offering an impressive sight with its beautiful display of home baked scones and fresh muffins, on our right, all the tables, organised into two separate islands. Just in front of us, the kitchen pass, behind which the chefs rapidly produced amazing looking dishes! All of a sudden, I was starving.

A waiter instantly guided us to our table, at the back of the restaurant from where I could survey the food coming out of the kitchen and also enjoy the satisfying view of a wall entirely covered in wine shelves…all sorts of wines from many different origins. Such a tantalizing prospect!

The menu was reflecting the whole atmosphere of the restaurant: creative, original, a great variety of options including a separate vegetarian menu.

My partner opted for the spiced fish cakes while I chose the crispy chilli squids that I had caught a glimpse of at our neighbours’ table. The fish cakes were deliciously golden and crispy and got a nice kick from the harissa mayo that was on the side. They were not too big or heavy and came with a refreshing giant couscous salad: clever and savory.

My crispy squids definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a ten out of ten: aesthetics, incredible taste and texture and unique touch with the addition of an “Asian slaw” which offered all the crunch and punch of coleslaw without the heaviness of the mayonnaise. I have officially a new favourite squid dish!

Moving on to the main courses now! We both picked the same: the very appealing scallops, butternut squash and bacon risotto. After such magnificent starters, we both had very high hopes regarding the rest of the meal but the risotto was actually a tad disappointing. Even if I was happily surprised by the novelty of the flavours, bursting with fresh herbs, the dish definitely lacked some texture. It was very soupy, too liquid and not cheesy enough. We could barely taste the shy and scarce Parmesan shavings and didn’t get any of that lovely creamy and comforting sensation usually associated to risottos.

That won’t stop me from coming back. The chefs proved their genius by serving us delightful starters and now that I saw the sweet corn and jalapeno cheeseburger leave the kitchen counter, I have to sample it! They also had a very promising desserts menu with a choice of revisited classics that seemed to be worth trying. All in all, Home certainly gets a spot on my “must eat out” recommendation list.

Muriel's - Church Lane - Belfast

Muriel’s is the perfect place for a relaxing dinner out on a week day when you feel too lazy to cook, or that your fridge is empty or if you can find any other excuses for not staying at home. It is located exactly five minutes away from our place, walking, which gives it this kind of “neighbourhood café” unique charm. Inside, it is small and cosy. It looks like a little boudoir with velvety benches, deep, comfy armchairs and a lot of cushions: the perfect surroundings to chill out after a busy day at work.

And if you want to enjoy a sunny evening they also have a cute little terrace protected from the street by short wooden fences.

The menu is simple with a few options of hearty food but they also offer this amazing board of cheese and meat with the bottle of wine of your choice (red or white) for the competitive price of 18.95.

Being French, I couldn’t resist the temptation of what I thought would be a beautiful display of cheese and “charcuterie”; and I was not disappointed! Ten minutes later, the waiter brought us a large rustic wooden board covered in generous piles of pancetta, chorizo, Serrano ham, apple wood smoked cheddar, blue cheese, brie as well as two delicious homemade dips, carrot houmous and olive tapenade. A large selection of crackers (wholemeal, sea salt…) and toasted ciabatta bread had also been gathered around it. We both instantly felt ravenous and had devoured half of everything before I could remember to take a picture: my apologies…

I have to say that it was absolutely delicious and I do have very high standards in that particular food area. The cheeses were mature and tasty, the Serrano ham was dry as it should be and slightly salty, the chorizo hot and spicy and I was gobsmacked at the quality of the tapenade – amateurs of black olives, you will love it!

As for the wine, a cabernet sauvignon, it was a perfectly sensible choice to accompany the selection, we did really enjoy it. All in all, we had a great evening and I would highly recommend it, plus I honestly don’t think you can get a deal as good as this one anywhere else in Belfast.