This week’s Tuesday Goodie Bag features
🍽 Trait, Lisburn Road
🍽 Cleaver, Holywood
And our product of the week:
🔵 The Mallow Makers
Trait
https://www.facebook.com/TRAITcoffee
********
Soft Launch celebration
One of our favourite tandem stop-offs for a quick coffee or sweet treat (the chilli mocha is phenomenal, by the way) is Trait in Comber, so we were delighted to learn that, as well as a refurb & extension of the original venue, their brand new coffee shop on the Lisburn Road opened its doors on Friday 29 July. We were invited to take a look at what’s on offer and were very impressed with the quality of the range of artisan coffee & delicious homemade patisserie. Best wishes for this brilliant new venture.
Cleaver, Holywood
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be asked to host the PR Launch of Cleaver Holywood, a new Modern European restaurant specialising in informal contemporary dining.
The invited guests were treated to a sumptuous four course tasting menu devised by chef Chris McWilliams, with wine pairing chosen by Neal McAlindon from Direct Wine Shipments, and cocktails created by restaurant manager Natalie with all dishes served on innovative “Edge” Ceramics by Aaron Kearney Design.
The evening began with an aperitif of Aperol Spritz, and Course One, a dish of crispy beef tongue, seafood arancini, thermidor aioli, rocket and fennel was a light, summery starter beautifully complemented by a Camille Cayran Abelia Côtes du Rhône Blanc with aromas of dried herb and apple, & the palate offering juicier pear, pineapple and mango flavours: a full-bodied, fruit-forward white, with hints of anise on the finish.
Course Two was poached lemon sole with salmon mousse, roast bone sauce & cauliflower, demonstrating the chef’s expertise at preparing and cooking seafood perfectly. The wine to accompany this dish was a Martín Códax Alba Martín Albariño. The proximity to the sea gives this wine its freshness and saltiness and the granitic soils enhance its natural minerality.
The third course of braised ox cheek, tomahawk steak, broccolini, potato rösti and pepper sauce proved that Cleaver is a “cut above” the run of the mill steak house. This course was paired with one of our favourite reds, McAlindon Creu Celta 2018 Priorat from Direct Wine Shipments’ own vineyard established in this remarkable region: lovely chocolate, cherry, plum, pine and smoky nuances and the finish is rich, complex and satisfying. And for non-meat eaters, a crispy pan-fried fillet of seabass was a stunning pescatarian alternative.
To finish, Course Four was an indulgent, bittersweet double chocolate torte with vanilla mascarpone & mint served with a Graham’s Tawny NV from the Douro region in Portugal. A perfect way to finish an outstanding evening of great food, wine and company.
Thanks so much to the team at Cleaver-we had a fantastic evening, and we wish you every success with this terrific new addition to the Holywood dining scene.
Cleaver are holding a tasting menu event on Thurs 11th August – you can book your ticket here for £65.00
The Mallow Makers
https://www.themallowmakers.com/
Ingrid, maker of all things deliciously squishy & totally tasty, is the Mallow Maker, and her fantastic confectionery created in County Down is sure to tickle your tastebuds! Whether you choose to send a S’mores Toasting Kit or Flavoured Letterbox Mallows, her range of sweet treats make wonderful gifts for friends & family.
Link to Blog
