Why so hard to get a decent meal in Belfast?

Polly

Sorry if this sounds like a bit of a rant but I've been so disappointed lately when eating out in Belfast. Went to Ginger on Hope St a couple of Wed nights ago and left due to the limited menu (nearly all seafood) and absolutely no chance of the kitchen rustling up something simple 'off menu'. Then went to Gingerroot just up the road on Gt Victoria St and paid £69 for 3 curries which could only be described as 'average'. Service was good tho so we left a good tip but when I checked my receipt I found that 10% had been automatically charged to our bill for service. Grrr :mad: Last Friday night we went to Ten Square grill room and the food was just so disappointing. Another £50 wasted. Did manage to get a good steak in Bourbon last month but outside of this I'm finding eating out in Belfast to be a very poor experience.

Sigur_2

I love that little place on Royal Avenue. Le Roi D'hamburger.

Cheap too.

talksalot81

I find that Belfast 'specialised' restaurants are just not a good bet. They are pretentious with little substance to back it up. I find that simple food is the best. There are endless superb chinese and Indian restaurants!

Francophile

We were in Cork over Easter and DH & I paid 75 euros for a one course sub standard meal and a bottle of wine. What a rip off. I think most of the big cities are just the same.

george_2

Polly wrote: »

Sorry if this sounds like a bit of a rant but I've been so disappointed lately when eating out in Belfast. Went to Ginger on Hope St a couple of Wed nights ago and left due to the limited menu (nearly all seafood) and absolutely no chance of the kitchen rustling up something simple 'off menu'. Then went to Gingerroot just up the road on Gt Victoria St and paid £69 for 3 curries which could only be described as 'average'. Service was good tho so we left a good tip but when I checked my receipt I found that 10% had been automatically charged to our bill for service. Grrr :mad: Last Friday night we went to Ten Square grill room and the food was just so disappointing. Another £50 wasted. Did manage to get a good steak in Bourbon last month but outside of this I'm finding eating out in Belfast to be a very poor experience.

Try down by the cathedral - lots of nice little hidden places down there for those in the know. Hill St Brasserie, The Spaniard and Printers are pretty good in my opinion. Also, up in Stranmillis I highly recommend Indie Spice Cafe

belfastgirl23

It's hard to go wrong with Cayenne. Deanes is mostly good as well. But of course you pay through the nose for both of them.

Recently tried the new restaurant where Aldo's used to be in Belfast (can't remember name but it's on Fountain Street just past the entrance to Queen's Arcade). It's argentinian/spanish. they do a deal of 3 tapas plus bottle of wine for £15 and the tapas menu starts serving at 3pm. Very nice too.

Oh and I noticed Archana on the Dublin Road (formerly Little India) got a mention in The Guardian food guide at the weekend. Good food at low prices

Bigcammy

Had my share of good meals and bad,

Good - Springsteen's in Carrick, tasty and not too expensive

Poor - The Dufferin Coaching Inn, overpriced and poor quality and flavour

karenmaria81

I'd also be raging about the tip - the service charge already included should be better highlighted!!
A few good places that myself & my boyfriend have eaten out at recently include:
- Benedicts on Shaftesbury Square - we've been here loads and it's always been excellent and reasonably priced, espcially beat-the-clock.
- Macau on Ormeau Road - gorgeous Chinese (maybe Cantonese?) food, and it's BYO wine
- Zoho on Dublin Road, it used to be the International Oriental Chinese i think - they do great lunchtime specials.
- Nicks Warehouse in Hill Street - was beautiful but slightly expensive, although worth the money for sure.

And it's hard to beat Long's chippy for a fish supper

Polly

Thanks for the reminders of a couple of good places. Eat in Printers regularly for lunch and its always good. Haven't tried it for dinner but always try to go somewhere new when I can. Nicks is consistently good too but doesn't start serving til 6 on Friday nights and we wanted to be out for 7 for a show at the Odyssey. Have only been to Deanes once and the food was to die for. The bill was nearly the death of me too!! :eek:

talksalot81

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

Deanes is mostly good as well.

You must have got a different chef to the one who works each time we go

belfastgirl23

talksalot81 wrote: »

You must have got a different chef to the one who works each time we go

Thus the 'mostly' whereas cayenne is always top class there is some variability in Deanes.