21 Social - The new menu

I have been working for the past two months on my project to open my own cake business in Belfast and it has been so intense and exciting that I got slightly delayed in my usual blog writing. Here I am though, ready to post about at least three of my most recent culinary experiences.

I will start with 21 Social. As you know, I had been there before. However, a friend, as passionate about food as I am, informed me that 21 Social had drastically changed their menu for impressively higher standards.

As Damien’s brother and partner were going to visit us, we couldn’t find a better opportunity to go back and sample the new food.

It was on a Saturday night, the restaurant was packed but the service as fast and efficient as I remembered. The menu looked incredibly appealing and full of exciting promises.

Damien and his brother started with the goat cheese fritters. These delicate crunchy bites were served with paper-thin slices of white and red beetroot and a creative seasoning that enhanced the rich flavour of the cheese. It was both surprisingly good and artistically dressed on the plate.

Stacey picked the three-way pork terrine, which came with a poached egg and a burnt applesauce. The texture of the terrine was fabulous and the egg perfectly cooked. I thought the combination of the runny yolk with the stronger taste of the terrine and the acidity of the applesauce was magical!

As for me, I had opted for the lemon and dulse crispy squid, following my friend’s recommendation. I was not disappointed, the squids were coated in light, fluffy batter and extremely tender. The nut oil seasoning was absolutely stunning and so creative. I would have never expected it to go so well with the seafood.

For the main courses, the men chose the pork belly. Again, the food was beautifully presented and equally delicious. The truffle gratin was fantastic and the cauliflower puree was perfect with the pork. The meat was fabulous, with caramelised edges and a melting in the mouth, fondant texture.

Stacey had ordered the chicken breast. I am usually not keen on chicken when I eat out. I tend to think it tastes better when it is homemade but this time, the chef proved me wrong! The breast was moist with a golden crispy skin, as it had been first poached then roasted. The same gorgeous goat cheese fritters we had had for starters and some braised gem hearts elegantly complemented the dish. I had never tasted cooked lettuce before but I really enjoyed it.

I had asked the pan-fried sea bass, which was a real epiphany. The fish was prepared on the skin and was cooked to the perfection. It came with juicy, buttery scallops served on crispy slices of black pudding: heavenly combination! There also was “cockle popcorn” and potato bread fries. Those two elements literally blew me away. The cockles had an incredible texture and were presented in such a creative way and the potato bread fries were gorgeous and such an original alternative to regular chips. Finally, the béarnaise sauce was sublime, the kind that brings you back to childhood and makes you want to lick your fingers the way you did with the chocolate cake batters leftovers in the pan.

All in all, we had a fantastic experience. We couldn’t fault the food. Everything was perfect: presentation, flavours, and originality! I would highly and confidently recommend it to anybody and I am planning on going back myself to sample more of this amazing food!

Howard Street Restaurant - Howard Street - Belfast

As Damien’s birthday was coming up, I wanted to find a place really special to treat him to dinner. I had heard a lot of good reviews about Howard Street and the only reason we had not gone yet was because the prices are a bit higher than our average budget to eat out. A birthday celebration seemed the perfect excuse to try it out.

On Saturday night, at 9, the restaurant was still buzzing. Every table was occupied, the waiters were busy taking orders or bringing food, and it was as if the rush hour of 7pm had never stopped. I instantly loved the place with its high ceilings and subdued lights. The furniture and decoration were sober and tasteful creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

One look at the menu and we were both seduced. The food sounded amazing and we could hardly decide what we wanted as everything was so enticing.

We both finally chose the scallops for starters and ordered a bottle of white Australian Chardonnay to drink along.

Our waiter was fantastic; he had the knowledge of wine and food and was extremely efficient and attentive. I was impressed.

The scallops were gorgeous, cooked to perfection, delicately brown but so soft and tender. The seasoning was genius and so original, with a reduction of garden peas and delicately pickled cherry tomato and shallot. The bread-crumbed hen egg was absolutely divine with the yolk oozing out as you cut it and the Parma ham crisp was delicious and brought a salty kick to the dish.

The main courses were no disappointment after this fabulous start and we kept being surprised by the elegant presentations and the incredible flavours.

Damien had ordered the dry-aged rib eye and asked for the onion and potato gratin instead of the chips. The meat was beautifully cooked, richly coated in a red wine jus and particularly fondant. The potato gratin was my favourite because it reminded me of a French classic called “gratin dauphinois” with the potato infused with garlic and layered with cream. The dish also came with lightly battered onion rings and half a roasted tomato on a bed of buttery spinach: delicious!

As for me, I had picked the pork belly, which came with a potato croquette and some black pudding. If, like me, you both love pork belly and black pudding, you will love this dish. The pork was naughtily crispy and rich but without that feeling of fat that you can get when it is not correctly prepared. I savoured every single bite. The croquette was lovely as well, creamy mash potato coated with a crunchy breadcrumb layer. I particularly enjoyed the association of black pudding with the apple and cider sauce.

We had decided to share a side of chunky chips and they were as the rest of the food, perfectly executed, golden, crunchy and soft inside.

Really, I can only praise the chefs for the beautiful dinner they served us and I have to say that I can’t wait to be back and try more. The prices might be slightly higher than those of the restaurants I usually recommend but believe me, it is worth every penny!

Pizza Express - Victoria Square - Belfast

Last Sunday, we went to the Odeon cinema in Victoria Square. The movie lasted forever and both our stomachs were rambling loudly by the end of it. We were too famished to go home and cook ourselves something to eat so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner in Pizza Express. I had meant to try this restaurant for a while as I heard a lot of positive feed back about it.

The place was modern with a nice open plan kitchen offering a tantalizing view over the pizza ovens. The menu was extensive and very appetizing so we both had a hard time choosing what to order. We finally opted for sharing a plate of dough balls as a starter and asked for a bottle of Chardonnay to drink with our meal.

The dough balls arrived in no time, piping hot and deliciously moist, served with a side of soft garlic butter to dip them in. We both were at first a bit surprised that the balls weren’t actually smothered in butter as it usually is the case but I thought it was for the best. Instead of getting that slightly “mushy” texture, the dough was perfectly soft and spongy and it was a real treat to tear them open to cover them with butter.

For the main course, Damien picked a dish of pasta called “Pollo Pesto”. The spiralled pastas were smothered in a beautiful homemade basil pesto mixed with Italian cheeses and garnished with tender chicken, fresh roasted mushrooms and red onions. It was a really good dish, full of flavours and perfectly cooked. Damien literally devoured it.

I had myself struggled to make up my mind, as I desperately wanted to try the Da Morire pizza but would rather have had it on a classic crust. They usually come with “Romana” dough, which is larger and skinnier and even though I am all for the thin proper Italian style pizzas, I still crave for that slightly chewy bread texture. I couldn’t be happier then, when they let me order the toppings I wanted on classic dough.

This pizza was incredible; it tasted even better than it looked and that says a lot. The crust was perfection to me, delicately crispy on the edges, nice and soft in the middle. It came generously topped with top quality fresh ingredients: tasty real Italian cheese, fondant leeks and artichokes that contrasted with the crunchiness of the salty pancetta, the whole lot beautifully seasoned with rosemary and chilli oil. Every single ingredient worked its magic to offer that amazing combination of textures and flavours. I was so impressed that I actually can’t wait to go back and sample more.

I must say I wasn’t expecting such quality cuisine and great service for such a reasonable price. Pizza Express will definitely hold a good spot on my recommendations’ list: cheap, cheerful, delicious and a lot of variety, everything for a great evening out.

25 Restaurant - 70 - 80 Botanic Avenue - Belfast

I have been inspired lately by the deals advertised on Treat Ticket. I have grown quite fond of that new “app” and bought a couple of coupons for meals.

25 Restaurant is an Italian and Mediterranean restaurant located at the end of Botanic Avenue opposite the Madison’s Hotel.

What I didn’t realise at the time of the booking is that it is actually the former Carlitos whose name has been modified in order to promote some important changes such as a new chef and a new and improved menu.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I found out that the decoration and furniture hadn’t changed in the slightest. I felt like it would have been more coherent to reorganise and move things around a little to enhance the change of identity and image.

As for the menu, it had been extended and enriched with a few more options but nothing drastic, really. It was still offering a choice of pizzas and pastas with a couple of different starters.

The Treat Ticket we had entitled us to a main course from the selection of pizzas, pastas or risottos as well as a glass of house wine each.

Damien ordered the risotto “Pollo Pomadoro”. His dish didn’t have the rich creamy texture that I love about risottos. It was very tomatoey with big chunks of seared chicken, mushrooms, peas and parsley. There was nothing really wrong with it, it just lacked flavours and tasted a bit bland.

I chose a pizza called Griffin topped with chicken, pepperoni, red onion and fresh chillies. It was a lovely surprise. The crust was thin, light and crispy. There was a delicious base of spicy tomato, layered with golden brown melted mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with shredded chicken, thinly sliced pepperoni and a delicious blend of herbs and chillies. I absolutely loved it; it is from far the best pizza I was ever served in an Italian restaurant. I truly enjoyed every bite of it and would definitely order it again.

I am not sure I would recommend 25 Restaurant though. I did have a lovely experience with the pizza but Damien’s risotto was quite disappointing, the new menu was not tremendously inspiring and I thought they should probably have shaken up things a little bit more.

However, my main course was excellent and if you are having cravings for a real Italian pizza, 25 Restaurant is without a doubt the place to go to.