Molly's Yard - 22 August 2014
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 potato. The balance between the sweetness of the scallops and the savouriness of the ham and black pudding was just right. My companion had grilled Young Buck blue cheese bruschetta with beetroot, fennel and radish salad with balsamic and walnut dressing, which he enjoyed, but with markedly less relish than I. It was, after all, cheese on toast.
I then enjoyed a dry-aged 6oz fillet steak with smoked garlic potatoes, buttermilk onion puree and Young Buck blue cheese green peppercorn butter, while my companion had slow roast leg of Belfast Hills goat with crisp colcannon cake, golden stem broccoli and Belfast Blonde jus. Sadly, again, I think I may have enjoyed my dish more than he. The fillet was cooked just right and the butter was a delicious complement to it. The garlic potatoes, however, were so-so. I did not eat them. My companion's colcannon cake may have been the star of his show. This dish was meat heavy and could have benefited from having a sweet or piquant addition to complement the strong flavour of the goat.
I'd hoped for the Hilden Irish Stout bread and butter pudding with Tully vanilla ice cream and hazelnut praline, which is listed on the online menu. Our waitress expressed confusion over this being taken off the menu, as the last time it was taken off patrons kept asking for it, so it was put back on. But it's off again.
None of the other desserts tickled our fancy, so we had local Shortcross Gin and Thomas Henry gin with a slice of grapefruit instead. Why not?
This was a very enjoyable evening, great service and a lovely atmosphere, and I would definitely recommend a visit. My only regret is, perhaps, having had a wine rather than some of our local craft Hilden Brewery offerings.
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 potato. The balance between the sweetness of the scallops and the savouriness of the ham and black pudding was just right. My companion had grilled Young Buck blue cheese bruschetta with beetroot, fennel and radish salad with balsamic and walnut dressing, which he enjoyed, but with markedly less relish than I. It was, after all, cheese on toast.
I then enjoyed a dry-aged 6oz fillet steak with smoked garlic potatoes, buttermilk onion puree and Young Buck blue cheese green peppercorn butter, while my companion had slow roast leg of Belfast Hills goat with crisp colcannon cake, golden stem broccoli and Belfast Blonde jus. Sadly, again, I think I may have enjoyed my dish more than he. The fillet was cooked just right and the butter was a delicious complement to it. The garlic potatoes, however, were so-so. I did not eat them. My companion's colcannon cake may have been the star of his show. This dish was meat heavy and could have benefited from having a sweet or piquant addition to complement the strong flavour of the goat.
I'd hoped for the Hilden Irish Stout bread and butter pudding with Tully vanilla ice cream and hazelnut praline, which is listed on the online menu. Our waitress expressed confusion over this being taken off the menu, as the last time it was taken off patrons kept asking for it, so it was put back on. But it's off again.
None of the other desserts tickled our fancy, so we had local Shortcross Gin and Thomas Henry gin with a slice of grapefruit instead. Why not?
This was a very enjoyable evening, great service and a lovely atmosphere, and I would definitely recommend a visit. My only regret is, perhaps, having had a wine rather than some of our local craft Hilden Brewery offerings.
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