July 18, 2016

Dining in the Dome with Yo Sushi - One For Your Bucket List & Runs with Other Restaurants All This Week

July 18, 2016/ Claire Spence

Last night Smix & I had a very special once in a lifetime opportunity to eat our favourite food at the top of the world. Well, the top of Belfast at least.

Our friends Yo Sushi Belfast had taken over the dome in the Victoria Centre for two nights of deluxe dining with unreal views over the Northern Irish capital.

It was an intimate affair with less than 30 of us sat at little tables dotted around the viewing deck at the peak of the Victoria Centre.

You could see from Cave Hill to the City Hall, from the Odyssey to the Castlereagh Hills, it was a breath taking view, and without the usual bustle of guests up there with you like during a normal day.

The evening started with a ninja sushi school. We were guided by head chef Andrew through the history of Yo Sushi, the rolls and the rest, and those who wanted to roll their own had a chance to get hands on.

Yo Sushi Belfast run sushi classes regularly. It's something we've always wanted to do, but sadly the time we were booked to come along, Smix got sick! It's definitely on the cards though, as Smix says my home made sushi is 'disgusting' and won't eat it!

Pikachu from Build a Bear instore £21 but selling out quick- only available dressed online for £45!

Then it was time to eat. The first course was sashimi, which is raw meat & fish. It's my favourite part of any sushi experience.

The beef tataki (under the limes) is my favourite Yo Sushi dish of all time, and I always order at least two on every visit. It's lightly seared beef which just melts in your mouth.

I also had raw tuna & salmon, and Andrew kindly included cucumber maki rolls for Smix, as that's one of the two dishes he loves.

The second course was salmon nigiri for me, prawn nigiri for Smix. That's the rectangular blocks of sticky rice topped with fish. More cucumber maki for Smix, which pleased him no end, and for me two classic rolls. I loved the little ones with the hot sauce, my kind of sushi roll.

The heat started going out of the sun around 730pm and the shifting and changing of the sun was just magical to watch outside the dome.

Next was the hot food course. Now when I go to Yo Sushi I rarely order any hot food, despite their full and bountiful menu of it. So it was nice to try some other dishes. I do order salt chilli squid sometimes.

Above is okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese street food. It's a pancake made from cabbage and spring onion, and it actually has quite a Northern Irish tatse to it, sort of like a potato cake.

Below are chicken gyoza dumplings with a soy dipping sauce.

For this course Andrew improvised on Smix's dishes and deep fried the seaweed wrapped cucumber maki!

The final hot dish was a sweet and sour style chicken and sticky rice. At this point I was struggling a bit as I was eating for two, which these dishes made to be shared within the couple at the table, where my partner had his own dishes being made for him. But I didn't let that stop me. Oh no!

Finally dessert! I love the Matcha green tea cake, and a sweet apple dumpling accompanied it, with chocolate and banana sticks as decoration. I also bought some chocolate mochi on my way home, ganache filled balls of joy that I can't resist on every visit.

I have to thank the staff of Yo Sushi Belfast tremendously. They gave Smix & I an experience we will always remember. It was so special.

The good news is if you want to do this yourself, the Dining in the Dome events run until the 23rd of July. It's not just Yo Sushi in on the act either. You've missed their evenings, but click here to browse the other centre's restaurants who are taking over the dome, and book a table with them. It's a tremendously romantic gesture, and something very special.

Handy hint, until 730pm the dome is very warm due to the glass, so wear something light, and bring cash for paying for drinks.

Let me know if you dine in the dome, on Twitter @rudedoodle, and if you want more photos and videos then add my username on snapchat 'rudedoodle'.

July 15, 2016

Dine In the Dome: Yo Sushi With a View This Weekend

July 15, 2016/ Claire Spence

YO! Sushi Belfast have teamed up with Dining in the Dome to offer you the ultimate sushi dining experience.

With panoramic views that stretch for miles across the city, indulge with a 4-course meal, including hot and cold Japanese dishes made fresh by our talented chef. You'll also get to experience an interactive sushi-rolling demonstration with Head Chef Andrew Lee.

The Exclusive Dining Package is £70 per table of two including a glass of red, white or rose wine or a bottle of Japanese beer or a soft drink.

Check out the tempting menu.

Places are limited, so book now for Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th July by emailing yo.belfast@yosushi.com

January 21, 2016

Fratelli Belfast : Rustic Italian Food With a Contemporary Edge

January 21, 2016/ Claire Spence

Fratelli Belfast provides contemporary, city centre dining, with the quality we've come to expect from any venture under the Galgorm group banner. Located a hop, skip & jump from the Grand Opera House it's ideal for pre-theatre dinner, or a bite to eat after work before catching the train at Great Victoria Street Station.

The restaurant stretches over two levels of the beautiful building, with a full bar along one side of the lower level. The bright, open plan dining area allows a peek into the busy kitchen, where the Fratelli chefs work their magic.

Michael and I were invited along last night to try the menu for ourselves. The main menu has a wide range of gourmet, adult tastes, but children are very much welcome at Fratelli, and the kids' menu simply isn't a 'nuggets and chips' affair. They can choose from a selection of pasta dishes, or they can become the chef themselves, and construct their pizza at the table, with ingredients of their choice. As you would imagine this was very popular with Michael, especially when he was presented with his own hat and apron to wear.

Pizza construction comes along with at starter time, either garlic bread or dough balls on the kids' menu. Starter is £2.00-£2.50, pizza is £6.45, pasta £6.45, or main plus dessert is £8.45.

'Grown up starters' can either be smaller versions of some of the main courses, or you can get into the rustic Italian spirit and order a selection of cicchetti between yourselves. Michael from Fratelli chose for me, and I tried the fragrant prawns and the wholesome chicken, chorizo & tomato ragu.

Earlier in the afternoon, before our visit I had studied the menu at length, and this was a must-try for me, I love duck and I love pistachio. Worth noting this is one of the gluten-free options on the new menu. The fresh, green salad was studded with little jewels of zesty orange, with generous amounts of duck meat cooked to perfection. This dish is available as a main course also, and it was as delicious as I imagined reading about it, so next time I will be going for that option.

Michael's main course was of course his own creation, which came back from the oven with bubbling, stretchy, cheesy mozzarella. If you have a fussy eater like I do, then the novelty of creating their own dinner seems to quash those tendancies. You can't go wrong with pizza, but Michael did say this one was especially yummy.

While I was certain I needed the duck & pistachio starter in my life, making a decision on my main course was a bit trickier. The Fratelli menu includes pastas, pizzas, and salads, but what caught my eye were the pork dish, with gnocchi & black pepper, and the sea bass. In the end I asked my Michael to choose for me, and I think he made the right choice.

The sea bass was exquisite. Cooked perfectly with a crisp skin, with a beautiful lemon & caper butter which complimented the flavour of the fish without overpowering it. The classic baby potato and pea accompaniment was fresh and not too filling. Sides are available, but I found the main by itself was more than enough for me.

Finally Fratelli's dessert cabinet of wonders! Each miniature dessert is a classic favourite scaled down to be a fitting partner to after dinner coffee. Chocolate ganache, white chocolate cheesecake, tiramisu, rice pudding, all the favourites on a smaller scale. You can choose one for £2.50, two for £4.75, three for £7 or four for £9, so you can have a little taste of everything. Kids can also choose icecream for their final course.

So would I recommend Fratelli Belfast? Yes, and the proof is in the fact I've already arranged to take Michael's school friend along during February half term so they both can make pizzas. I might also have my eye set on another of those duck salads.

One last thing to mention- they have a great cocktail selection, and a 2 for 1 offer on them every Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sun between 5pm and 7pm. Monday is two for one dining (excluding Valentine's Day) and Tuesday has a ladies' night offer. Let me know if you try them out, and what you ordered!

August 08, 2015

Bangor's Hidden Gem for Bountiful, Beautiful Breakfasts

August 08, 2015/ Claire Spence

I say Bangor, but more correctly the Cairn Bay Lodge guesthouse is slightly on round the coast in picturesque Ballyholme. I don't know about fellow Bangor West dwellers, but I often forget there's a beautiful stretch of water with rows of colourful Victorian houses and a beach walk way, just a short drive away on the other side of town.

Recently I've been slowly drip fed these gorgeous photos of kitsch interiors, smashing sea views and the odd picture of a plate of mouth-watering grub, on my Facebook timeline. The account behind these tempting photos was Cairn Bay Lodge, a guesthouse overlooking Ballyholme strand. So Michael and I decided it was time to make a trip over town and visit The Starfish Cafe ourselves!

Parking is free and plentiful on the road outside the Lodge, and the cafe spreads through two rooms, with plenty of seating. We visited at 11am-ish and it was busy, but we had a choice of seats.

The interiors were what tickled my fancy initially to prompt the visit. Absolutely splendid interior design, with taxidermy, fairy lights, prints by my very own logo designer Handdrawn Creative Neal McCullough and retro pieces which give the whole lodge a vintage feel without being tacky or gaudy in the slightest. It's kitsch done the North Down way.

The menu all looks delicious, with lots of seafood and high quality produce sourced locally. I went for French toast with mascarpone, crispy bacon and maple syrup. Michael just wanted some icecream, as he had had breakfast at home. This wasn't on the menu, but they kindly gave him a big bowl of vanilla icecream and only charged me £1. We also had coffee and fresh orange juice. The food was excellent. I was really impressed. If you are local and want a really good quality breakfast, or to impress a visiting guest, The Starfish Cafe at Cairn Bay Lodge is the hidden gem of a eaterie you're after.

For our four items I think we paid around £11.50 that's a little more than breakfast elsewhere, but the produce is very high quality. Next time I visit, probably this week coming, I want to try one of the crab dishes.

I had told the owners on their Facebook that we would be calling so we had a brief chat after eating. They are a lovely couple, who's names I didn't remember, I'm sorry! But I can imagine staying at the Lodge would be just as plesant as eating there.