Stuart Gibson (sgibson) 
Deanes
- Currently 5/5 Stars.
About 5 months ago
First off. If your idea of a good meal out involves barely being able to move afterwards, this isn’t the restaurant for you. If, however, you appreciate beautifully cooked food, impeccable service and nuanced flavours, then I cannot recommend Deane’s enough.
Being Northern Ireland’s only Michelin starred restaurant, we were expecting something special when we went for our wedding anniversary and we weren’t disappointed. The menu doesn’t offer a massive selection, but we both had difficulty choosing which dishes sounded most delicious. I settled on the roast young French pigeon, braised borlotti beans and spiced merguez sausage for starter and the glazed emyvale duck, puree of gingerbread, spiced port reduction and potato fondant for main, while my wife had the onion soup, followed by the rump of Lough Erne new season lamb, spinach, sauce niçoise and gratin dauphinois.
Everything was absolutely perfect. Subtle, perfectly balanced tastes throughout. The meat succulent, melting in the mouth and each dish personally inspected by Micheal Deane before it left the kitchen. After the main course, my wife had the lemon verbena pannacotta, mint syrup and pink peppercorn meringue and I had the bitter chocolate tart, caramelised orange sauce and ice-cream. The pannacotta was smooth, seeming to dissolve when put in the mouth and the chocolate tart, in a slight break from the rest of the meal was rich and intense, though still perfect. Tea and coffee rounded off the meal, with passion fruit ganache taking the place of the traditional chocolate mint, perfectly punctuating the higher standards the restaurant aspires to and reaches with ease.
Service could not be faulted. The restaurant seems to be constantly moving with staff ensuring customers are never left wanting; filling your water glass, removing crumbs from the table if necessary, yet never once feeling overbearing. Most restaurants, the staff will stop by your table, usually while you’re in the middle of a mouthful, to enquire if everything is ok. In Deane’s, they do not ask such questions, confident in the knowledge that everything is, obviously, going to be perfect, merely asking, as they clear your plates, how you enjoyed the course. As a matter of course, I judge the competence of waiting staff on how much effort is required to attract their attention if needed, with a merest nod of the head being the gold standard. Naturally, this was all it took in Deane’s.
In terms of pricing, Deane’s is not cheap, but neither do I feel it is overly expensive considering the quality of food, service and ambience. For two people, do not expect change from a hundred pounds and, if you plan to have wine, budget significantly more, with bottles reaching prices of up to one thousand pounds, though there are many more reasonably priced bottles available on the extensive wine list. Menus for all times and the wine list are available on the Deane’s website, so you can decide in advance if you think it will be worthwhile.
In conclusion, if you want to experience some of the best dining available in Northern Ireland in a restaurant that makes no compromises, I cannot recommend Deane’s enough.
Is a fan of Deanes (Restaurants in Belfast) About 5 months ago
Is a fan of Zen (Japanese Restaurants in Belfast) About 7 months ago
Is a fan of Dundonald Omniplex (Cinemas in Belfast) About 7 months ago
Jamaica Inn
- Currently 4/5 Stars.
About 7 months ago
Nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but the food is good, the portions are massive (possibly to their detriment as we were unable to fit in a pudding), the prices keen, the views great, the staff friendly and they know how to deal with small kids (meal out with adult starters, crayons as soon as you sit down).
Worth noting they have a family offer from Monday to Thursday, 12pm to 7pm where you can get up to two kids’ meals free when buying adult meals. Could easily have a family of four eating out for around £25.
Perfect for a Saturday lunch. I have, in the past, also enjoyed their pub quiz.
Is a fan of Jamaica Inn (Bars and Pubs in Bangor) About 7 months ago
Added six photos to Jamaica Inn About 7 months ago
Starbucks
- Currently 4/5 Stars.
About 11 months ago
It’s another Starbucks, but they seem to have hit gold with the staff who are really friendly and do a great job.
Is a fan of Nifty Nosh (Internet Services in Belfast) About 11 months ago
Added four photos to The Salty Dog About 1 year ago
The Salty Dog
- Currently 5/5 Stars.
About 1 year ago
Four generations of our family went to The Salty Dog to celebrate a couple of birthdays and were extremely happy with the meal and service. A recent quarter of a million pound renovation of the restaurant and hotel has clearly paid off, with a wonderfully relaxed yet attractive decor giving a great first impression along with a nice sea view over Belfast Lough.
The service was exactly what you want in a place like this, friendly, welcoming and attentive without being overbearing. They definitely scored extra in the family friendly points by having a high chair at the table before we arrived and also for asking if we wanted the children’s meals brought with the adult starters.
Around the table we tried the duck, scampi, burger, salmon and lamb chops and everyone was extremely pleased with their meals. I had the Fermanagh beef burger which was delicious and made me wish we had some for a BBQ. The portions were generous and all had a real taste of local produce.
Desserts were also good, although the waffles I had were a little chewy. My Grandmother, never one for big portions, chose Fermanagh sourced Tickety Moo ice cream and received a dish with five scoops!
The children’s menu was also a lot better than the usual “sausage, fish fingers, chicken nuggets”, with options for scampi and chicken dinner.
Prices were quite reasonable and pretty much in line with what you would expect for this sort of restaurant. On Monday and Tuesday evenings they offer a menu of two courses and a bottle of wine for £22.95 a couple, which is excellent considering the quality of the food.
Definitely recommended if you’re looking for good, family fayre and we will most certainly be returning.
Added one photo to Chilis Grill and Bar About 1 year ago
Chilis Grill and Bar
- Currently 1/5 Stars.
About 1 year ago
As a caveat, we did attend late on a Saturday evening.
Chili’s encompasses all that is bad about chain restaurants. They are priced as though they are a real restaurant, but everything smacks of their corporate overseer. Service was passable, but it was clear the staff were there for the wage and nothing else. Despite the restaurant being almost completely empty it took over 20 minutes for food to arrive after ordering and, despite four of us ordering burgers, one of the burgers took an additional ten minutes as they “forgot to put it on at the right time”, for which, at least, the serving staff were genuinely apologetic.
The food was pretty poor. The burgers were served on greaseproof paper in plastic facsimiles of baskets, the chips were frozen rather than fresh, the bun dry, the burger poorly textured and grey, the cheese plastic like, the bacon overcooked and chewy and the “blue cheese dressing”... Well, it hadn’t seen any blue cheese in its life.
Two of my companions had the strip steak and were compelled, once we had left the restaurant, to go to McDonald’s to try and satisfy their still hungry stomachs, such was the size of the portion.
At nearly a tenner for an over-processed burger and a small portion of fries in a plastic pastiche of an American grill, I would suggest trying one of the local bars for better quality, service and atmosphere.
Added one photo to Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge About 1 year ago
Follow sgibson| Website | abovetheinternet.org |
|---|---|
| Profile views | 374 |
| Points | 295 |
 |
twitter.com/stuartgibson |
 |
iPhone whizz kid (Get our app) |
| Total reviews | 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 4 | |
| 4 stars | 4 | |
| 3 stars | 0 | |
| 2 stars | 0 | |
| 1 star | 1 | |
| Fan of | 5 | |
|---|---|---|
