Bittersweet and Hungry

My next foodventure came in the form of a trip to Molly's Yard in Belfast's University Quarter.  It wasn't particularly busy, so we had the choice of sitting downstairs or upstairs in the dining room.  After a quick peek upstairs we decided to sit downstairs, where the ambience was warmer and more relaxed.  The staff were faultlessly cheerful and polite, answering my many questions and chatting to me about the Hilden beers selections, discontinuations and rumours of a hidden stash in a bar somewhere in Belfast.  I began with local scallops with Molly's homemade fadge, Clonakilty black pudding, tarragon butter sauce and Parma ham crumb.  There may only have been two scallops, but they were the plumpest, juiciest and most perfectly cooked scallops I have ever had the pleasure of eating.  This dish was an absolute triumph, with the only exception being the homemade fadge, which was, to my taste, a little heavy on the flour and a little light on the...

Browsing through my local supermarket (one of my favourite places to browse) I happened across Baxters Deli Inspired range.  Cue excitement!  Deli Inspired soup!  I thought, "oh my, this will be better than your run of the mill tinned soup!  I must try it!" I selected the 'Italian Wedding Soup'.  Follow my blog with Bloglovin Italian wedding soup is actually a mistranslation.  Minestra maritata means married soup and refers to the complementary flavours of the green vegetables and meat in the soup.  Baxters promise a taste of the Mediterranean.  A marriage of flavours.  What they deliver is a marriage between Baxters Fray Bentos Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and tinned spaghetti.  With a few bits of vegetable floating in the gloup.  Not as advertised.  Don't waste your time.  At least with a tin of spaghetti or meatballs you get what you are expecting.

I began thinking seriously about sharing some of my opinions on my favourite topic several months ago, but it has taken me considerable time to get around to it - not unlike an unhappily high degree of the waiting staff I've encountered in those few months.  Rather than post date EVERYTHING I have felt like saying, I will, instead, give you a brief synopsis.  The highlights and the disappointments.  These are, of course, merely opinions.  Hadskis (21 May 2014) This location had rave reviews.  I was not overwhelmed by any stretch of the imagination.  The trofie pasta dish was outstanding, until I had a taste of the béarnaise which accompanied the rib-eye and suspected the pasta sauce had been a bit too similar...       OX (18 & 27 June 2014) OX is by far the best dining experience I have had in Belfast.  The staff are attentive and unfailingly polite.  The food is wonderful, seasonal and loc...

A brand new French style patisserie opened in the city centre today, apparently the first of it’s kind in the region. With a window full of freshly made macarons, I simply had to try it. I ventured in and found a pleasant interior trying it’s best to emulate the chocolateries and patisseries of France. I left £10 lighter, with 6 macarons. It would have been nice to have my hand-selected (not entirely cheap) treats presented to me nestled in a tissue lined branded box. Instead, I received a plastic carton-like contraption, that barely closed and certainly didn’t protect them, with a strip of Patisserie Mimi paper loosely wrapped around it, like a tube. Not what I expected. Nor, sadly, were the macarons themselves. Rather than the delicate treasures I’ve come to love (on holiday) these were clumsier, with inconsistent textures, but always chewy and heavy. The pistachio tasted strongly of almond, but the salted caramel and passion fruit, strawberry and rhubarb both had great flavou...