Richard Bagnold

This is a mix between a casual drop in lunch or dinner eatery as much as it is for a quick snack with drinks. As usual, Mr Atherton has provided something slick and suited for the business area and I enjoyed the fact that the simple has been upscaled without impeding too much. The trotters were pleasing (albeit with a rather thick & gloopy relish) and the prawn cocktail nicely done and I loved the fact that a lot of care had gone in to a simple, yet old favourite of the sausage roll, filled with elements of apple and balck pudding served with HP gravy (which had a pleasing runny depth). The set menu here represents the best value at £22 for 3 courses at lunch and it seems to do its job well of catering for those that want more than the norm but not overdo things at the same time. A safe bet option for filling a gap.

Food Grade: 62%

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This was a very pleasant package and although is a fair hike from any direction, it is easy to see why this windswept hub in the hills has gained so much attention. The food was complete fun and carefully designed for a non-starrred restaurant and came with interactive service at the chef’s table inside the kitchen. The restaurant was fully booked two months prior to the enquiry for the Sat night however, the chef’s table was free which was more lucky. This comes at a higher premium for the tasting menu but it is very good speaking with the chefs and staff who are all more than happy to engage with you if and you are invited to have a wonder round and ask questions which is bold of the staff and a first that I have come across. A couple of moments that stood out as negative on this visit in an otherwise colourful and well-presented manner. Recommended for celebrations and romantic occasions alike.

First impressions were of warm, welcoming service and we were escorted to the Annex for drinks and canapés. Once at the chef’s table it was abundant that the experience the restaurant staff wanted us to have for the evening was nothing but the best that can be provided and we were all invited to take a wonder among the kitchen and ask any of the chefs anything from time to time if we fancied. It was evident we were in good hands.

First impressions were of warm, welcoming service and we were escorted to the Annex for drinks and canapés. Once at the chef’s table it was abundant that the experience the restaurant staff wanted us to have for the evening was nothing but the best that can be provided and we were all invited to take a wonder among the kitchen and ask any of the chefs anything from time to time if we fancied. It was evident we were in good hands.

The heather smoked and salted whipped butters were a particularly nice way to enjoy our breads which were well done. The Raw and cooked langoustine with butter milk with pickled carrot had a wonderful langoustine emulsion to go with the dish and the elements held themselves together well. The crab was utterly fresh and a pleasant originality with the pickled fennel.

The scallops and the halibut were both pleasing enough in their own ways but the dissapointing episode on this occasion was that there was an insect crawling around one of the halbut dishes which had to be sent back for replacement. This can happen to anyone and it was dealt with as quickly as possible but it obviously lowers the stakes of the overall product as more attention to detail was required.

Two other dishes stand out for me on this occasion and they were the beef which was absolutely superb with a lovely combination from the cheese and garlic emulsion – this really was an inventive, light and powerful dish that deserves a lot of credit. The same can be said for the strawberry dessert which was similarly good for creative flare, colour and flavours although the one aspect that brought that dessert down was the sticky nature of the strawberry gel that held the mousse together – if that was less so, it would have been a very strong dish.

Ultimately this was a well done meal and I can see how this has been of interest to many for so long with its inventive twists, lovely, rustic dim-lit and wooden charm on the inside. It is hard to get explosions of flavour for every course but this was a valiant effort in trying to strive for that. Two last miscellaneous things stand out from here: 1) the seats of the chef’s table could do with a change – as grand as they are with thick, wooden beams and looking as if they had been taken straight from a medieval castle, the back is completely straight meaning that they don’t really cater for much comfort, and 2) I loved the fact that the staff were so welcoming to us being able to approach anyone at any time to ask questions over the food – I put this to the test for a couple of minutes and was lovely to chat about the qualities of various fish with the head chef who was accommodating. Overall this was an enjoyable meal all round and even nicer for the occasion that it was.

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This small restaurant (approx only 8 tables in total) has held a Michelin star for over a decade and its trump card is the local catch. The head chef creates a changing daily menu based on what arrives to the restaurant on each delivery. Care and pride in the products was evident here, seen immediately in the hand-written menus as you enter but alas, the overall package did not stand up to its Michelin starred peers very highly in terms of flavour and design. Complacency is too harsh a word, but the inflated tasting menu price for the punch, combined with the accommodation prices starting at £330 per night to stay (which you would normally associate with much grander hotels) gave an impression of the venue boasting more than it offers. However, fresh ingredients you will get here and a couple of pleasing moments were had.

The entrance to The Albannach leads straight in to an attractive looking conservatory to peruse the menu and have snacks prior to the meal. For my visit, the snacks were Spiney (a type of langoustine which was good but not as sweet as that served in Umu), Iberico ham with grapefruit on toast (lovely crunch from toast, good quality iberico ham and kick from the grapefruit) and a quail’s egg with caviar on puff which came across under-seasoned and a touch bland.

The entrance to The Albannach leads straight in to an attractive looking conservatory to peruse the menu and have snacks prior to the meal. For my visit, the snacks were Spiney (a type of langoustine which was good but not as sweet as that served in Umu), Iberico ham with grapefruit on toast (lovely crunch from toast, good quality iberico ham and kick from the grapefruit) and a quail’s egg with caviar on puff which came across under-seasoned and a touch bland.

Home-made bread came with black olive and thyme and as normal sour dough breads. I found the latter very doughy and so much so it was almost still wet; this was not good. There was better flavour from the black olive bread which was very good and the butter was very well done.

The lobster was beautifully soft and unspoilt, save for a glaze of butter (which enhanced it) and the garden salad gave it freshness, but was unfortunate to have a piece of shell in my first mouthful of lobster which marred the experience. Pan fried Guinea Fowl with roasted shallot, caraway croft cabbage, organic Scottish cider sauce was absolutely juicy, with lovely sweet cider sauce and hints of liquorice. Very pleasant, rich sauce and was essentially a nice dish.

Wild mushroom tart with salty fingers had a lovely crunch to the salty fingers, powerful mushroom flavour, simple and was almost on its way to the Sportsman level of ingredient restraint but not as victorious. Next came the butter poached wild halibut, sea purslane, charred fennel which showed fish as fresh as they come and was perfectly succulent. The asparagus however, was a bit of a mission to simply cut through at that thickness, especially with a blunt fish knife. However, the absolute star was the champagne sauce with a lovely delayed kick. When all was combined, the sauce seemed to disappear so this dish could have done with more here to keep bringing it together. I have no doubt that this dish could have been elevated with more sauce on offer in a mini boat on the side and peeled asparagus.

Westray wife Orkney, and Taleggio cheeses (Italian) were served with home-made oat cake. Good portion control here and both were pleasant but somewhat plain. One thing that stood out for me was the fact that both cheeses were on top of each other was surprising as this means that the flavours become mixed and would have been better if they were served with space between them.

After a few ups and downs through the meal, the hot citrus soufflé with butter chocolate ice-cream was a triumph and a lovely to have. Brambles (blackberries) gave a nicely balanced sharpness to a perfectly cooked soufflé, light to the core. The bitter chocolate was wonderful (not too powerful but had depth as well with a twist of acid from the blackberries done to just the right level).

Whilst I appreciate this is a husband and wife team working passionately with presumably more expensive utility overheads than other parts of the land, I felt the lack of any menu prices until the end and the steep costs of the accommodation almost gave an impression that the diner should be feel lucky to be there. It was also a hefty initial wait at the start. I arrived early, but it was just over an hour after my booking time that I was actually sat at the table with my first course which is not what one expects at a Michelin starred restaurant, particularly for one with only one / no choice menu.

Service from the front of house became more estranged as the evening went along and it reminded me of my first enquiry I made just before Christmas in 2016, where the owner was audibly frustrated at my phone call to make a booking as it interrupted her holiday chores; something that might not be too out of place in an episode of Fawlty Towers.

There were some nice food moments at The Albannach and there is quality to be had here, particularly with the fresh produce, but nothing that stood out as a must for me to sprint back to. I thought long and hard about the food grade for here and the 65 mark was as high as I could go based on all other restaurants to date and taking in to account the highs and lows of each course of this visit.

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Reportedly The Blue Duck Tavern is the only Michelin starred venue in Washington DC to serve breakfast and brunch. For that reason, it would have been a crime not to pop in as I had time to kill on my Sunday morning in DC. Ultimately it is very much a swish hotel restaurant (in look and feel) and the service was confidently proficient but sadly it was a disappointment on the food side. Obvious care had gone into the products and the hotel couldn’t have been more accommodating to make my visit enjoyable, but some of the products were off the mark for me and as always, I’ve expanded on this at the expansion button for more detail. Very well-done place in general though and I fully acknowledge that had I come for an evening tasting menu, it may be a very different experience and overall verdict from a brunch menu.

After being told on the phone that morning that the restaurant was fully booked for brunch I turned up anyway on the off chance to not only be led straight in but a surprising amount of tables free. The chairs at the lower tables are genius as they are rotating mini-arm chairs and in my morning after condition, that was just fine with me! Pretty cool as haven’t had that before and I suppose that’ll happen at a 5* hotel.

After being told on the phone that morning that the restaurant was fully booked for brunch I turned up anyway on the off chance to not only be led straight in but a surprising amount of tables free. The chairs at the lower tables are genius as they are rotating mini-arm chairs and in my morning after condition, that was just fine with me! Pretty cool as haven’t had that before and I suppose that’ll happen at a 5* hotel.

On to the food and as usual, I ordered way too much in order to get as much of a feel for the menu as possible and Short rib hash with olive oil-poached egg with horseradish was well done. It’s a fairly heavy, dark beef dish to have in the late morning but the horseradish sauce underneath was very good, but if only there was more(!). I found myself having to forage around for the horseradish in the hope of finding more and the egg was slightly over done (not runny the whole way through). I also forgot that the word ‘biscuit’ in America refers to scone for those in the UK and this was nicely done (not ludicrously dense but wholesome at the same time) and the pineapple jam was an absolute killer! So much more interesting than normal strawberry or raspberry jam.

Unfortunately, two bits that weren’t my cup of tea were the bacon which was hard and without the essential crispy fattiness that I simply prefer my bacon to be. Perhaps this is usual to be served hard but texturally, for me this is a crime with one of the world’s greatest flavours and food products. The other matter was the grits which I was intrigued about and the staff very kindly gave a side just to taste, but unfortunately this really wasn’t my thing either. It’s very popular in the US and is essentially a savoury porridge made from corn, but even with a dose of cheese within I still found this completely bland and only just salvaged by the caramelised onion blob in the middle, but even this didn’t lift the overall effect.

Finally, I absolutely had to try one of my favourite brunch dishes as well just to see the variation of how it was done and that was the eggs benedict; something I happily spend a good 30 minutes making myself if the hollandaise is going to be done as beautifully as it can be. I think the idea of having the pulled pork was a good one but this seemed to have a pickled glaze and along with the gherkin, mustard (within the hollandaise), Swiss cheese and cayenne pepper produced a far too biting and vinegary overtone for the morning. Almost everything, including the cheese needed toning down and unfortunately there was basically nothing on this version of eggs benedict that I truly enjoyed.

However, the hospitality and overall feel of this restaurant is very pleasant indeed. Based on how everyone attends to you as you enter, are shown around and served, I have no doubt this will be a lovely place to try lunch or dinner especially with cocktails outside on the terrace. And like I said, dishes on the tasting menu will have a lot more opportunity to stretch the taste buds.

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The Michelin guide has only just stretched to including Washington in its American repertoire as of 2017 and a chance passing by gave me an opportunity to drop in to one of their newly awarded starred restaurants. This option showed an absolutely buzzing atmosphere with minimal pretention and with obvious care and attention gone in to the detail of the dishes. There were some gorgeous things on the menu here, including a wonderful buttermilk dressing to go with the salad and puffer fish and the walk-in option to sit and dine at the bar was a great touch. The full, open kitchen complete with head chef Jeremiah in normal clothes, huge wood fire (for gaining the coal to cook with) gave a homely feel made me very pleased to have tried this for my one evening in Washington. Consequently, I would thoroughly recommend for virtually any occasion. Bookings in advance are recommended if you don’t want to risk the packed bar as well.

Having said the summary, I have to say the first impression of here was how strange the exterior was. The approach almost feels like you are weaving through the garage area of backstreet parking to neighbourhood houses. However, The Dabney is not alone in this way as there are several other eating and drinking places within this trendy and somewhat bohemian area.

Having said the summary, I have to say the first impression of here was how strange the exterior was. The approach almost feels like you are weaving through the garage area of backstreet parking to neighbourhood houses. However, The Dabney is not alone in this way as there are several other eating and drinking places within this trendy and somewhat bohemian area.

Once you navigate to getting in to The Dabney the bar greets you to eat at if there is space and you want to simply walk in but this remained packed throughout the whole of the Saturday night I was there, so for busier times, it might be best to manage expectations. Luckily there was space at the bar when I went and I consequently had the perfect view of the restaurant on the end of the bar. I loved the way the chef was in normal clothes with apron as if you are in his home and the huge log fire behind is a lovely ornament (the fire is not actually used for the cooking as I discovered but for gaining the red hot coals for wood which are then used as the heat for cooking the pans left and right of this, similar to tao pan cooking at Kiln. There’s also no messing with the strength of the cocktails here and my G & T was very well done, with hints of orange in the mix which was a refreshing touch.

So first up, which absolutely had to be done were the pork rind snacks (essentially puffed up crackling). These were sprinkled with a sugared mix and were absolutely gorgeous, no kidding. Such a lovely pork essence and the dusted element of the sugar was not only a pleasing texture for these but a super flavour as well.

The ‘toads’ (a type of non-poisoness puffer fish) were deep, crunchy, sugared and sweet with a superbly balanced ranch dressing at the bottom to go with. I loved the honey-glazed exterior of the skin and the crunch that went with this and the truly outstanding flavour of the buttermilk dressing to go with the salad (the dressing also contained garlic, pepper, Worcester and cheese). My gripe with this dish though is that although I took great care to not bite in to the toads too much (as they were deep fried whole, leaving the bone in place), I still had bone in virtually every mouthful which was a pain to deal with and ruined many mouthfuls. The only option was to be insatiably careful with each bite which took away the joy of the dish. When it was had bone-free, the fish itself was a pleasing flavour nonetheless.

The focaccia bread had a great texture and flavour and the whipped lardo and this was exquisite – it was essentially the perfect halfway house between fried and toasted bread and the fennel pollen, aleppo pepper, sea salt and black pepper on top made the already beautifully whipped butter on to another level of happiness. This really is a ‘you cannot go here and not have this’ sort of side I would say and one of the nicest bread and butters I have had in a while. The soft-shell crab was quite substantial and although I thought the stock at the bottom was a nice touch along with the spiced emulsion on top, the dish lacked overall flavour for me. Whilst I waited for my guest, I asked the foie gras to be on hold which they kindly did for the 30 minutes and moved me to one of the high rise tables opposite the bar which had space for two; it was also a kind gesture of the restaurant to nibble on a small scallop offering in the interim which was nicely done with fennel puree.

The cooked foie gras itself was as supple and quality as they come with a lovely rhubarb gel, with sesame seeds on leaves. The butter milk pancakes were something different but ultimately, I thought too heavy; I liked the gentle charred flavour which was good but that also came with overall quite bitter and would have been a bit too much so if on own but with the moscato was a decent combination.

Of all the places I could have ended up for my one evening in Washington, this was a bet that paid off and the causality, atmosphere, buzz and polished service combined with great food made it a certainty of a decent experience for visiting. The bottom line: this is a very good place to visit for virtually any occasion.

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This is a good place to visit, no question. I loved the cosy interior, the charm of the old building and the fact that the food packed the punch that it did on top of being unpretentious. There were some lovely moments here and the food is very much in the same style as one my ultimate places for food, The Sportsman in Whitstable – superb and simple use of wonderful ingredients. I found the menu at The West House particularly reasonable as was the matching wines and when the overall effect is at the level it is, there really isn’t much not to like when you have this quality for the price it is at this establishment. Highly recommended for any occasion, such is the charm of the venue.

Snacks were delivered in the form of cheese croquette with a cider emulsion on top as a warm, welcome. I thought the home made bread with hazel nut and raisin was particularly good here along with the supporting beef dripping butter and salted butter that were done very well. Along with notable bread and butter were the olives that were plump and juicy served with a superb home cured dose of oregano, orange zest, salt and garlic that was a wonderful touch. Normally I wouldn’t think that these were worth attention, but I continue to see this as a hallmark of a good restaurant when higher care is given to the simpler parts, as was the case here.

Snacks were delivered in the form of cheese croquette with a cider emulsion on top as a warm, welcome. I thought the home made bread with hazel nut and raisin was particularly good here along with the supporting beef dripping butter and salted butter that were done very well. Along with notable bread and butter were the olives that were plump and juicy served with a superb home cured dose of oregano, orange zest, salt and garlic that was a wonderful touch. Normally I wouldn’t think that these were worth attention, but I continue to see this as a hallmark of a good restaurant when higher care is given to the simpler parts, as was the case here.

Opting for the short, tasting menu I was delighted with the first course of haddock tart with leek and especially the brown butter sabayon. I know I am a sucker for egg-based sauces but this was actually light at the same time as having that wonderful, nutty quality of buerre noisette which was absolutely delicious, all held together by a perfectly cooked egg within a light pastry. Creamed duck liver parfait in blobs on a thin, rye crisp served with onion marmalade was a fine course with another nice touch of the frozen parfait shavings on top.

Fillet of halibut was served with pak choi, waterlmelon and hot and sour broth and was an enjoyable and fresh take on a fish course and the hit of the sauce was indeed good. This was followed by a substitute of pork (to the advertised chicken) which was very kind of the management to arrange. Perfectly crispy and juicy pork was served with pickled carrots, heritage carrot, a carrot puree and pork jus. Not complicated and strong flavours were experienced here.

Although the rhubarb sorbet did not produce any wow moments, it was an original flavour with the olive oil and mascarpone and the blend of savoury, acid and sweet from the consomé was, in a way the perfect crossover for a pre-dessert. The main dessert of white chocolate honey comb parfait and dark chocolate sorbet was beautifully done. Both chocolates were delicious as well as not being too heavy at the same time showing skill and control from the chef. Cardamom ganache petit fours and ginger Madeleine’s finished off the meal superbly.

Overall this was a superb meal showing a skilled restraint from the kitchen to not overdo their dishes with too much and the simplicity and wonderful flavours were a real plus point here. The only criticism I can think of in hindsight is that I didn’t have any absolute volcanic eruptions of flavour on this visit, but the meal was consistently good throughout and it’s generally a good sign if this is the only gripe. The West House is stored in my mind as a great option and a gem 1 Michelin starred venue in England compared with its peers.

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Approximately 30 mins drive southwest of Glasgow sits this Michelin starred cottage off the beaten track. Quite literally as it turned out as I was followed by a curious bunch of cows on the other side of the fence as I made my way there. Keith and Nicola Braidwood have been here for over two decades and held his Michelin star since the year 2000. I look back on this meal as one of those meals that was utterly comfortable. Service from the one additional staff member to the husband and wife team was bubbly and the small team demonstrated the definition of warm hospitality. Although the dishes were unsophisticated in comparison to other starred restaurants, the bottom line is that I had the finest cheese tart I have ever had in my life here and was worth the journey in itself. Several of the people present were known personally by the staff such is the community and I enjoyed the personability of the meal. If you come here you are made to feel very much as if you are in your own home and it was lovely to have experienced this nugget within Scotland.

Owing to the one-man band inside the kitchen the menu is understandably very much an a la carte affair here with two-three choices of each of the starter, main and dessert courses. Canapés came in the form of bacon and mushroom mini-tarts which were simple, and pleasing. Although I would personally go with a less crumbly and thinner crust for the tartlet, it was filled with a highly pleasant and creamy filling.

Owing to the one-man band inside the kitchen the menu is understandably very much an a la carte affair here with two-three choices of each of the starter, main and dessert courses. Canapés came in the form of bacon and mushroom mini-tarts which were simple, and pleasing. Although I would personally go with a less crumbly and thinner crust for the tartlet, it was filled with a highly pleasant and creamy filling.

Grilled hand dived Wester Ross Scallops on a mildly spiced chana dal was my chosen starter. This was good news to me on another note as recently I have had the ‘all clear’ from the doc to be able to eat scallops and other crustaceans after a period of intolerance. I found these ones beautifully sweet and in no danger of not having enough on this plate. I wasn’t hugely keen on the curry sauce to go with the scallops in comparison however – not that it was bad, but as opposed to a subtle potatoey quality of the sauce I believe these required a more luxurious and rich sauce either in the form of an exciting drizzle or decadent emulsion. This chana dal seem to contrast and not work with the juicy, sweet scallop which, was a pleasure to behold again.

On being presented with the parmesan tart, I must admit, I wasn’t particularly blown away by the presentation with its micro rockette salad. However, this was until I felt the knife cut through the perfectly soft and thin pastry at the edge and see the strings of cheese stretch as I pulled away the first bite. Alarm bells were ringing at how good the texture was here and after eating, I absolutely understood the bigger picture here. This was without doubt the softest, lightest and most perfectly balanced cheese tart I have ever tasted and crucially wasn’t so light as per soufflé but thick enough without being too heavy. It was perfectly balanced in flavour and truly lovely. The pepper coulis was subtle in comparison but it was good to have its textural, sauce element as the perfect adult version of ketchup blob as a side dip.

Grilled fillet of wild North Sea halibut on crushed potatoes, peas and a warm tartare sauce was next and was indeed immaculate fish which was perfectly plump, sweet, juicy. The warmed tartare sauce was runnier than I expected but still very pleasing in creaminess and lemony sharpness at the same time whilst being interesting with its addition of mint as well. I loved the buttered and crushed potato base and the only thing I thought detracted the dish a little was the large and chunky asparagus. Clearly these were there for this purpose of providing the crunch of texture and a bit of bitter, but slightly smaller pieces or less of them would have been my personal choice at this point. A pleasant dish none the less.

The salted caramel ice cream here was undeniably good and I liked the salted caramel tiule that it came with a long with the crunchy and dark, other components as well. I was reassured with having no food envy of any other tables that I could catch sight of for dessert. I foolishly didn’t ask the head chef afterwards what the secret of the petit four fillings were as these were absolutely superb as hard cream fillings and some of the best chocolate petit fours I have had.

So I would describe the food at Braidwoods as unfussy, uncomplicated and homely with some superb ingredients, the handling of which, I believe the Michelin guide have always enjoyed the most over the years.

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The second of two Michelin starred restaurants in Belfast (as at 2017) that I visited on a very short trip to Belfast. There was a real sense of fun in the atmosphere on my visit here and this was fuelled by the bubbly staff. The open kitchen was a great thing to see – although there is definite risk with this for the staff for such a small kitchen to serve the upstairs and downstairs parts of the restaurant, it has a great effect on the diner and added to the the theatre of the dining experience. The food itself was simple in style and although not at the top of the one starred pyramid for me, the overall value for money was excellent for an evening meal within a Michelin starred restaurant (definitely one of the best returns in this category) and there was one absolute stand out food moment in the main which brought fireworks. A buzzing, rustic and decent experience that was ultimately great fun with competent dishes.

First up were beetroot and fennel crisp on ricotta which was fresh with a faint kick of fennel. This was light & delicate and a good start – happy. The Cannock butter was very good and nice in presentation but I found the bread plain and less exciting. The amuse bouche of lobster, pea purée, butter milk was again fresh and certainly pleasant and although there was a small miscommunication from the staff on the components, it was a pleasant dish. I asked to avoid crustaceans on this occasion which left out the pickled element, but it was pleasing none the less.

First up were beetroot and fennel crisp on ricotta which was fresh with a faint kick of fennel. This was light & delicate and a good start – happy. The Cannock butter was very good and nice in presentation but I found the bread plain and less exciting. The amuse bouche of lobster, pea purée, butter milk was again fresh and certainly pleasant and although there was a small miscommunication from the staff on the components, it was a pleasant dish. I asked to avoid crustaceans on this occasion which left out the pickled element, but it was pleasing none the less.

The asparagus, lardo, cheddar cheese mousse and truffle was a simple and pleasant dish with a classically pleasing combo from the cheese and truffle with perfectly cooked asparagus. No driving for me on this occasion so had nothing but pleasure in going for the tasting wines and this course was served with a beautifully light Pinot Noir which helped to soften the truffle well. The only element I didn’t quite gel with was the crisp and small pieces of lardo on top of the cheese as these felt a little like tiny pieces of grit and personally I would have preferred ones that weren’t quite so hard.

The turbot was fresh and enjoyable with an immediate hit of bergamot which, although is not my favourite additive, this is a personal preference and ultimately the lovely textures within this dish meant it simmered at just about ok as a ‘hit’. However, in contrast, the lamb dish was an absolute knock out. The meat was beautifully cooked with just a few elements on the plate as well which showed a level of control and combined with the miso sauce to accompany the lamb I was in utter heaven. I haven’t had this sort of immediate explosion since I was 10 years old and discovered hoi sin sauce to go with peking duck in pancakes for the first time at a childhood family celebration(!).

Thankfully dessert was highly satisfying as well and by this stage all previous luke warm moments had been replaced with totally revived sense of happiness. I also liked the way the ginger was calmed down by the sweet wine that was well chosen again by the sommelier. Petit fours came in an interesting and small selection of a Jasmin macaroon that was earthy, a pleasing passion fruit sweet and a rosemary aero which was slightly strange but nice strange at the same time.

I really enjoyed this meal and although a mixed bag on the food for me, I loved the rustic nature of the restaurant, the buz, the value for money and the firework show had on the main course. It was very good to meet the co-owner and chef after to convey the above and meet the architects of the experience. I left with a spring in the heels and would need absolutely no convincing to come back which I would do in a heartbeat – job well done chaps.

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Eipic is one of two Michelin starred restaurants in Belfast at time of writing and is one of three venues within the Deanes building (named after Executive Chef Michael Deanes) and sits on the left hand side of the building as you look at it with the more casual bistro in the middle and a coffee bar on the right hand side. Eipic itself is formal in look, with white table cloths, attentive service and small bar area to the front. The food was well crafted and seemed to sit very comfortably in the middle-upper range of 1 starred family for flair and technicality and thankfully it also included some very good flavour moments. I would say it is more appropriate for an evening setting and I would be very happy to do that whenever possible as there was definite return here and based on my experience for this visit, food advocates shouldn’t leave here disappointed.

Snacks came in the form of salmon, dill and linseed. These had very light linseed crisp with entirely fresh salmon. The dill came through nicely with a subtle tone of the pickled cucumber and a nice spread of cream cheese. Chicken liver mousse with wild garlic was next which had a really earthy and lovely paté flavour of the chicken liver mousse in an utterly smooth and decadent texture. It certainly wasn’t lacking salt, but the carrot puree helped tone this down and thankfully the garlic was softened at the same time.

Snacks came in the form of salmon, dill and linseed. These had very light linseed crisp with entirely fresh salmon. The dill came through nicely with a subtle tone of the pickled cucumber and a nice spread of cream cheese. Chicken liver mousse with wild garlic was next which had a really earthy and lovely paté flavour of the chicken liver mousse in an utterly smooth and decadent texture. It certainly wasn’t lacking salt, but the carrot puree helped tone this down and thankfully the garlic was softened at the same time.

Home made bread came with butter from the Abernethy family (prepared in County Down) – these were indeed well done with beautifully done white bread (perfect ‘stretchability’) and very well flavoured rye bread. The Kilkeel crab, cabbage & salted peanuts that came with crab mousse, white crab, pickled and barbequed cabbage, butter milk & peanut shavings was a fresh and unusual combo of peanut with crab but they worked nicely together. Although I got more peanut than crab on this course, the wine was a wonderfully sweet addition to the proceedings. The dish was a bit small but did not detract from being a very good start.

Then came the tartlette of new seasoned asparagus, peas, bacon and egg. This was frankly outstanding in balance of salt from the base of bacon jam and sweet from the pea puree and with a delightful brown butter hollandaise with lovely asparagus within a perfectly light crisp of a tart – fantastic cooking here and difficult to fault in anyway. Turbot was next with kohlrabi, roast bone sauce and coastal greens: the roast bone sauce beneath the turbot was deep and rich, with care given to the portion size of such a strong sauce. The kohlrabi sauce and oyster leaves were a tasty support act. The turbot was perfectly cooked and overall there was a very clean and deep flavour all round on this dish supported by a very light Chardonnay to compliment as a cracking recommendation from the sommelier – this was actually one of the best parts of the meal all round.

Baked pink fir potatoes with lovage butter, spring onions and cheddar was next and I loved the way there was confidence here to make the ordinary celebrated to a higher level. Served with cheddar sauce and spring onion emulsion this had the makings of a superb dish but I found the sauces ever so slightly flat but the potatoes were done beautifully and the dish was lifted (saved would be too strong a word) by the caramelised onion for giving it the kick it needed to combat the bitter notes that were present.

Mourne Mountain lamb, Jerusalem artichokes and black garlic were next which had a soft elegance all round. This was gorgeous meat with cool, artichoke puree, wild garlic that was nicely done, with a lovely jus and a Shiraz that was rich but not overpowering. This also had a fabulous purée with saltiness of the garlic made this simple and elegant. The Australian Shiraz was a great shout by the Sommelier as was soft with hints of cocoa which seemed to compliment the garlic surround sound from the lamb very much.

The lemon curd, mascarpone & iced sorrel pre-dessert was smooth, soft and light, particularly the shortbread base which was extremely good. For the final dessert, chocolate & coffee cream was provided with passion fruit. Although the passion fruit was quite sharp for me, it did its job well to balance the sweet and rich chocolate Grenache and delice – overall, a nicely done dessert.

As ever I had a few miscellaneous observations for this meal which include that some dishes were a little bit of a struggle to eat in the presentation of the cutlery – it was a bit awkward to reach all of the chicken liver dish with just the knife and no spoon for the crab gave rise to sorrow of not being able to have the sauce at the bottom, but was rectified by asking for a spoon. A very minor point, but at Michelin starred level, was easily rectifiable (which was).

I think this is also the first place I have been to that has offered 15ml portions of wine which I think is a superb notion – obviously the management doesn’t make as much takings on this, but I strongly believe is a plus point as the diner simply leaves more happy as the meal is far better value. If you’re like me, I actually only need a thimble of wine for courses sometimes as I eat far faster than I drink and this reduces the chances of stacking.

Other than that, this was a sophisticated meal and a strong start for exploring the culinary scene in Belfast. No disagreements with the Michelin guide here at all and as mentioned, for the food, this is very good cooking with the starred family.

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Not only is this around the corner from myself, the exciting thing about Bōkan at the newly opened Novotel in Canary Wharf is that the chef opening this establishment is formerly of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, off Leicester Sq, which has been Michelin starred for many years. The menu has been made more user-friendly to the masses and this visit was from the bar on the 38th floor. Above this on the 39th is the out-door roof terrace and below on 37th is the main restaurant which I look forward to doing another time. There are fewer places in London with such superb views and even the bathrooms are superbly positioned, kept and a plus point for visits. The snack / bar food here were comforting and easy, but the stand out on this visit was actually having I think the best bloody Mary I think I have ever had in my life with its base being made from beer, chocolate, sugar, worcester and other spices. A very nice option to do something different.

So, instead of a 3 course lunch, we opted for doing most of the snacks from the bar menu in one hit. The home made foccacia was quite salty but springy and with a pleasant hummus to dip each of the rectangular cuboids in to. The sauge roll pieces had a pleasing comfort but sadly the grain mustard was just a little thick for dipping; the sort of viscocity that meant that you either scooped a literal grain or the entire portion in one go(!).

So, instead of a 3 course lunch, we opted for doing most of the snacks from the bar menu in one hit. The home made foccacia was quite salty but springy and with a pleasant hummus to dip each of the rectangular cuboids in to. The sauge roll pieces had a pleasing comfort but sadly the grain mustard was just a little thick for dipping; the sort of viscocity that meant that you either scooped a literal grain or the entire portion in one go(!).

The opening beef jerky and sausage stick were good to chew on (the latter being quite tough to get in to and meant going small piece at a time with best clamp teeth at the ready) and I thought the pea and mint soup was extremely smooth which was pleasing. I couldn’t really gauge much of the ricotta cheese within the mint soup but it was nicely done and it left the stand out winner as being the fried squid with oatmeal powder served with a home-made saffron mayonnaise. This was lovely but do make sure you eat quickly as thin squid that is deep fried can go hard and chewy as it cools quickly as I found this did.

Finally, the club sandwich I thought was extremely well done with the bread very well toasted with slightly melted cheese and a fine, sweet relish that come with. But this didn’t top the absolute highlight for me was the sheer quality of the bloody Mary. I never used to be a fan of bloody Mary but I now think it is superb, especially if you need a bit of a ‘pick me up’. You must try this one if you are a bloody Mary fan as it had a luxurious depth without being too much for the nostrils in any way.

Whether it was the restaurant, or the bar or the roof terrace, I was genuinely pleased with the design of this venue (stylish but with almost Scandic homliness as well) and the views on any of the levels are undeniably good. It’s a new find for me as a place and the only remaining question is what’s their restaurant food like. Something I will look forward to finding out in the coming weeks and months.

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