In this issue, we’d love to highlight some fantastic restaurants we’ve visited recently which are serving up light, fresh, seasonal, and sustainable seafood dishes; just perfect to enjoy over the summertime – Summertime Seafood Special.
Table of Contents
The Garden Restaurant, Ballygally Castle.
We had a terrific culinary experience at The Garden Restaurant in Ballygally Castle, made all the more fabulous by such lovely, sunny views of the pretty gardens outside.
The menu features dishes which use only the finest locally sourced produce, reflecting the very best Northern Ireland has to offer.
To start we had a Seasonal Salad of White Chicory with Candied Walnuts, Kearney Blue Cheese, Candied Fig and Wholegrain Mustard Vinaigrette, and a Classic Prawn Cocktail with Citrus Mayonnaise, Frisée, and Irwin’s Wheaten Bread.
We decided to order two of the Main Course Specials; the Signature Dish of the Month, a perfectly pink Fillet of Roast Salmon with Conway Farm Asparagus, Hollandaise, and Buttered Potatoes, and the Catch of the Day of Spiced Crumb Coated John Dory served with Roast Potatoes, Wild Garlic Cream Sauce, and Tenderstem Broccoli.
To finish, the creamy Malteser Cheesecake, served with Muine Glas Toffee and Salted Caramel Ice Cream, and the Taste the Island Cheese Slate with Ditty’s Oatcakes and Erin Grove Spiced Apple Chutney were both a celebration of incredible local produce, and the perfect way to finish our meal in The Garden Restaurant.
Read more and see our recent visit here :-
Anderson’s Boathouse Restaurant, Killybegs.
Anderson’s Boathouse, a wonderful restaurant in Killybegs, Co Donegal, is owned and operated by Garry & Mairead Anderson who serve up a varied menu championing the superb selection of fish caught by local fishermen.
The restaurant has been open for six years, following the success of its award-winning sister business Killybegs Seafood Shack. The Boathouse serves sophisticated, elevated dishes in a casual, stylish dining room.
We started with an amuse bouche of rich, earthy Spiced Cauliflower Soup, and we loved Garry’s Premium Old Fashioned with “The Midnight” Silkie Donegal Smoked Whiskey. The perfect aperitif.
We then shared a portion of Ward’s Crab Claws in garlic butter and chilli, with seasonal leaves: probably the tastiest, meatiest crab claws we’ve tasted in ages.
To follow, we ordered two stunning seafood specials; Megrim Sole on the bone, panfried, with Samphire, Lemon Caper Butter and Mashed Potatoes, and crispy skinned Sea Trout, pan seared, with Sautéed Potatoes, a White Wine Sauce, Asparagus and a platter of vegetables. Both fish were beautifully cooked, and perfectly seasoned.
For Dessert, we had a delicious delightfully crunchy-topped Crème Brûlée. (Unfortunately, Garry’s legendary Tiramisu had sold out…next time!!)
A beautiful restaurant in Ireland’s premier fishing port, to enjoy a delightful evening of superb seafood and excellent hospitality.
Read more, see video and photos here :-
Mourne Seafood Bar.
Belfast’s Mourne Seafood Bar in the heart of the city is a celebration of fresh, sustainable, locally sourced seafood, and continues to receive praise from top critics, including the Observer Food Monthly Awards.
We called in recently with friends and had a delicious lunch, enjoying fine, fish dishes with excellent wine and cocktail choices.
The food is fabulous; from Carlingford Oysters served “Japanese Style” with soy, pickled ginger & cucumber, to the Mourne Seafood Casserole bursting with fish & shellfish, potatoes, & confit fennel in a rich marinara sauce, the menu champions a variety of local produce.
The golden, crunchy Beer-Battered Cod & Chips is an elevated take on this crowd-pleasing classic, and the Mourne Seafood Chowder is legendary. And there are great options for vegans too: the Moroccan Tagine is crammed with lightly spiced vegetables, accompanied by tabouleh, and sprinkled with pomegranate.
It’s always a pleasure to visit this popular City Centre institution to enjoy freshly prepared, high quality seafood dishes.
Nova.
“Nova”, in Belfast’s Callender Street, offers contemporary Italian-style menus for brunch, lunch and evening meals.
We started with a couple of excellent cocktails from the new list, a Blueberry Sour, and a PB & J Old Fashioned.
The Roast Red Pepper and Aubergine Dip with Confit Garlic, Toasted Chilli Flakes, Cold Pressed Rapeseed, & Basil was a rich, smoky dip and the perfect accompaniment to the Hot Honey Bread with Garlic Butter, Toasted Chilli Flakes, and Cheese.
The authentic fresh pasta dishes were fantastic, and we enjoyed
the Gnocchi with Sea Bass, Corn Veloute, Torched Tomatoes, Basil Oil, and Nasturtium Leaves. And the Fettuccine with Portavogie Prawn, Garlic, Pickled Chilli, Chilli Oil, and Parsley was particularly good.
Nova is a terrific spot to enjoy a touch of Italian flavour right in the heart of the city.
Coppi.
Coppi in St Anne’s Square has always been one of our very favourite restaurant recommendations in the city centre. Contemporary, intimate and relaxed in style, Coppi serves Italian influenced dishes using quality local ingredients.
We started our meal with a plate of delightfully moreish Feta Fritters-a Coppi Classic drizzled with truffle honey, and a fennel & apple slaw, accompanied by some Sourdough Focaccia with tapenade, chilli, lemon & garlic oil.
Sharing dishes is an Italian tradition, and the Kilkeel Crab Insalata with orange, fennel, mint, and a citrus dressing, the Tuscan Seafood Ragu with roast monkfish, clams, mussels, Portavogie prawns, fregola & a shellfish basil sauce, and the Baked Vegan Meatballs in a tomato ragu, with mint & nut pesto, all worked brilliantly together.
And of course, no visit to Coppi would be complete without some Truffle & Parmesan Fries with rosemary salt, and the Crispy Gnocchi in garlic & herb butter!
Coppi always delivers on great food, excellent drinks, and attentive service.
