As we were heading to
The House Pub for our dinner a couple of weeks ago, Damien and I walked past
that new bar called The Woodworkers, just beside Lavery’s. We were both very
keen to come back and try it as it is a beer bar and there is not that many of
them in Belfast.
A cold and wet Sunday
evening seemed the perfect opportunity to go there and cheer ourselves up with
a couple of fancy pints.
I must admit that I
immediately loved the concept and the character of the place. The space was fantastic with its high ceilings and hanging lights. The way you could choose
between confortable cushiony benches, high bar stools or just stand up but rest
your drink on small wooden shelves was brilliant. The music was great and even if
it was not as packed on a Sunday night, as it was the previous time we noticed
it, there was a great atmosphere about it, quite trendy but also very laid back
and relaxed. From my point of view, there was definitely a strong hipster vibe
to it, which was quite cool.
We had just come in
looking for a couple of drinks in the first place but the gorgeous smell of
food made us feel peckish quite rapidly and we couldn’t resist having a look at
the menu. Comfort food, hearty food, we were quick to decide on what we wanted
to order and both choose The steak and Guinness burgers from a long and very
creative list of delicious goods. I was also tempted by the Scooby Snack,
another very appealing burger and would have probably ordered if the
combination of Guinness and blue cheese was not so tempting.
We sipped at our
drinks impatiently waiting for the food to be served. Damien had a pale ale
that tasted delicious, picked from an extensive list of intriguing beers.
We were literally
drooling when we saw our plates arrive. The burgers came in buttery brioche
buns topped with crispy salad and fresh tomato, crumbly blue cheese, the best
onion rings I ever had and a scrumptiously crispy generous serving of bacon.
The patties were tender and full of flavours. The only downfall of these otherwise fantastic meals were the chips, slightly undercooked which was a bit
of a shame but since they were clearly home made they had a fondant texture
that compensate the lack of cooking. They came with a blue cheese dip that was
a real treat and a nice change from the usual garlic mayonnaise or tomato
relish. On top of that you had the option to order some fancy dips such as
honey-mustard mayo, sweet balsamic or spicy mayo. I will definitely try one of
those next time. I love a good burger and these ones were a 10 out of 10, well
deserved considering the quality of the ingredients, the creativity of flavours
and the presentation!
We also caught a
glimpse of some gorgeous looking sweet potato fries and the very exciting
Scooby Snack and now there is no doubt that we will be back for seconds. A
reasonable price for fantastic food and a great atmosphere, I recommend The
Woodworkers without any hesitation!
