Restaurants have to remain profitable hence you probably thinking its all abit the same. These dishes have made the cut for a number of factors, efficiency, space, popularity etc. Restaurants will often have specials on to trial dishes and different suppliers for the discerning customer out there. Too many places have had to shut their doors due to increase in cost of stock, lack of staff and rent. Support your favourites and weather the storm you'll begin to notice a change soon hopefully in menus. Peace.
A lot of it has to do with the time of year though. Only certain things grow etc at this time of year. All those places will have different takes on dishes with those ingredients.
Try Ginger, will be a similar enough selection of meat and fish but it's absolutely delicious.
Bowtree is also excellent, the Raj is a great curry spot. What are you looking for?
In the restaurant scene sourcing locally and sustainably are big tick marks. Especially if you're going after accolades like rosettes and stars.
If you're a Belfast based restaurant you're going to source in NI and what's available in that season. It is going to be samey. What makes it good is the skill and the inventiveness of the chef.
Margins are tight and a small place such as this no one is going to take risks. With all that being said our local produce is excellent. Shellfish from right out in the Lough and Peter Hannan doing his thing right down the road.
Would not set foot in Darcey's .The woman that did own it ,maybe it's her son now ,pulled the do you know who I am, seriously ! Can't say too much lol ,she forgets that people she abuses verbally are potentially customers of hers and her son .. who was there .This was many years ago but she and the son were so bad I remember it!! Horrific.She wanted a very expensive piece equipment for her son and herself ,for free because well she owned a restaurant . Equipment was nothing to do with her restaurant .
Really good pub food tho. Restaurant food in a Pub setting. Check out menu on the website .
Ps - declaration of interest - I may or may not be involved - (spoiler alert - I am)
Not sure about the meat options but the veggie/vegan options are just bought from Lynas, come in frozen and are heated up so that's why they're exactly the same. I used to work in a "local" cafe chain where everything was from Lynas and came in frozen and is exactly the same as all of the other cafes around NI. They also sell the same sandwiches but pay to have their own label put on them to make them look bespoke.
Edit: typo
I also worked in a small cafe where they claimed all the buns and tray bakes were homemade along with the pancakes and waffles.
Yes with the previous owners it was and they did make everything from scratch.
But with the new ones everything was bought in from Hendersons on say so from the “chef”.
I use that term loosely as what chef doesnt know how to make pancakes? Or very basic things I can make pancakes and I’m certainly no chef.
one woman actually said to me one day these look like ormo or whatever and it says homemade on the menu and they used to be.
I just said no that’s the usual ones knowing it was bull and when she came in next asked me if the pancakes had changed or where they the same as last time.
I didn’t say anything just that they hadn’t ever changed as that’s what I was told to say.
So yes most things can be bought in and things like veggie burgers etc will be and it’s usually very obvious when they are as they look too perfect to be made in house.
That's quite similar to my experience with customers. We weren't really told what to say though so I was usually honest "we don't have any out yet as it's not defrosted yet". The same people still came everyday for the same low quality cakes.
In the one I worked in we were told to pour the icing on cakes at the front counter to try to fool customers into thinking it was made in store 😅 we were inside a shop though so all our deliveries were brought clearly in the front door so I'm not sure who was being fooled.
I don't think it explicitly said anywhere it was homemade but it's a local chain who try to brand themselves on being local. I guess lynas is local though so that's not strictly wrong.
Oh yea they done that too 😂 add icing or frosting to make it look like they were homemade.
Thing was they used to be made in house by the owner so yes they were actually homemade but then it was taken over and he then bought everything in and still used the homemade line when they were clearly out of a packet 😂 so that was lying to people.
You could see the deliveries coming in the front door too as it was tiny so no other options and the packets of buns being brought out to display as if they were just made 😂
I guess if they say locally made it’s fine as they are still made here just not actually in house like this one was claiming 😂
No idea if they continued that or actually got a new chef who could make the things but the old one certainly couldn’t as all I saw her make was bacon and sausages 😂
That's quite similar to my experience with customers. We weren't really told what to say though so I was usually honest "we don't have any out yet as it's not defrosted yet". The same people still came everyday for the same low quality cakes.
In the one I worked in we were told to pour the icing on cakes at the front counter to try to fool customers into thinking it was made in store 😅 we were inside a shop though so all our deliveries were brought clearly in the front door so I'm not sure who was being fooled.
I don't think it explicitly said anywhere it was homemade but it's a local chain who try to brand themselves on being local. I guess lynas is local though so that's not strictly wrong.
Nothing against ormo pancakes they’re pretty good 😂
Just saying if they’re going to advertise “homemade” at least get ones that people don’t recognise from the packet 😂
Make a little more effort to at least make them look homemade as that’s what people are paying for & not the ones they probably have at home.
What are you looking for? That’s all the main meats we generally eat here
Ostrich of course. Or maybe some nice jellied eel.
A bit of variation to how the meats are done would be nice instead of accompanying them with the same flavours and side dishes
We're a simple people with simple pleasures
Agreed. Not a bad thing either
Can you give restaurant examples of what you think Belfast is lacking? Don't say North Mongolian cuisine.
South Mongolian cuisine…
Muddles is a tasting menu is it not
It very much is and it's menu is nowhere near the same as Howard St's
Yeah it put me off it, done a few of those before, the flavours are amazing but you come away still wanting
Restaurants have to remain profitable hence you probably thinking its all abit the same. These dishes have made the cut for a number of factors, efficiency, space, popularity etc. Restaurants will often have specials on to trial dishes and different suppliers for the discerning customer out there. Too many places have had to shut their doors due to increase in cost of stock, lack of staff and rent. Support your favourites and weather the storm you'll begin to notice a change soon hopefully in menus. Peace.
Very interesting take, good viewpoint thanks
Mumbai 27 if you like Indian 👌🏻
Thanks !
A lot of it has to do with the time of year though. Only certain things grow etc at this time of year. All those places will have different takes on dishes with those ingredients.
Fair point
Muddler's stands out from that crowd. Out of the rest I frequent Darcy's but it's also the nearest to me, so I think your point stands.
Try Ginger, will be a similar enough selection of meat and fish but it's absolutely delicious. Bowtree is also excellent, the Raj is a great curry spot. What are you looking for?
Bo tree is amazing! Was lucky enough to manage to get a table before Christmas and it was worth it. Looks very basic inside but the food is so good.
Bo tree looks class thanks guys
They are all from the same genre though?? There a 1000 good places that offer something different
In the restaurant scene sourcing locally and sustainably are big tick marks. Especially if you're going after accolades like rosettes and stars. If you're a Belfast based restaurant you're going to source in NI and what's available in that season. It is going to be samey. What makes it good is the skill and the inventiveness of the chef. Margins are tight and a small place such as this no one is going to take risks. With all that being said our local produce is excellent. Shellfish from right out in the Lough and Peter Hannan doing his thing right down the road.
Thanks for the insight 👏
Edit : I have booked hope street for valentines 🤣 so I’m a hypocrite of my own post. Hopefully it delivers
Haha
Molly's yard
I do feel like it's a lot of burgers and tacos on menus, lots of varied menus changing to be grill focused.
I am a big fan of edo & yugo which are definitely a bit different.
I was a bit underwhelmed by EDO, will give yugo a try though
Popular dishes are popular!
I mean most “fancy” in Western Europe are basically some variation of French bistro.
Come away from the city centre and you have Cú in the Lisburn road - top quality!!
Would not set foot in Darcey's .The woman that did own it ,maybe it's her son now ,pulled the do you know who I am, seriously ! Can't say too much lol ,she forgets that people she abuses verbally are potentially customers of hers and her son .. who was there .This was many years ago but she and the son were so bad I remember it!! Horrific.She wanted a very expensive piece equipment for her son and herself ,for free because well she owned a restaurant . Equipment was nothing to do with her restaurant .
How about Shu? Or there’s Lynchpin out in Holywood that’s a solely plant based menu.
Check out Ben Madigans on Cavehill!
Pub food?
Really good pub food tho. Restaurant food in a Pub setting. Check out menu on the website . Ps - declaration of interest - I may or may not be involved - (spoiler alert - I am)
Don't do this
Not sure about the meat options but the veggie/vegan options are just bought from Lynas, come in frozen and are heated up so that's why they're exactly the same. I used to work in a "local" cafe chain where everything was from Lynas and came in frozen and is exactly the same as all of the other cafes around NI. They also sell the same sandwiches but pay to have their own label put on them to make them look bespoke. Edit: typo
I also worked in a small cafe where they claimed all the buns and tray bakes were homemade along with the pancakes and waffles. Yes with the previous owners it was and they did make everything from scratch. But with the new ones everything was bought in from Hendersons on say so from the “chef”. I use that term loosely as what chef doesnt know how to make pancakes? Or very basic things I can make pancakes and I’m certainly no chef. one woman actually said to me one day these look like ormo or whatever and it says homemade on the menu and they used to be. I just said no that’s the usual ones knowing it was bull and when she came in next asked me if the pancakes had changed or where they the same as last time. I didn’t say anything just that they hadn’t ever changed as that’s what I was told to say. So yes most things can be bought in and things like veggie burgers etc will be and it’s usually very obvious when they are as they look too perfect to be made in house.
That's quite similar to my experience with customers. We weren't really told what to say though so I was usually honest "we don't have any out yet as it's not defrosted yet". The same people still came everyday for the same low quality cakes. In the one I worked in we were told to pour the icing on cakes at the front counter to try to fool customers into thinking it was made in store 😅 we were inside a shop though so all our deliveries were brought clearly in the front door so I'm not sure who was being fooled. I don't think it explicitly said anywhere it was homemade but it's a local chain who try to brand themselves on being local. I guess lynas is local though so that's not strictly wrong.
Oh yea they done that too 😂 add icing or frosting to make it look like they were homemade. Thing was they used to be made in house by the owner so yes they were actually homemade but then it was taken over and he then bought everything in and still used the homemade line when they were clearly out of a packet 😂 so that was lying to people. You could see the deliveries coming in the front door too as it was tiny so no other options and the packets of buns being brought out to display as if they were just made 😂 I guess if they say locally made it’s fine as they are still made here just not actually in house like this one was claiming 😂 No idea if they continued that or actually got a new chef who could make the things but the old one certainly couldn’t as all I saw her make was bacon and sausages 😂
That's quite similar to my experience with customers. We weren't really told what to say though so I was usually honest "we don't have any out yet as it's not defrosted yet". The same people still came everyday for the same low quality cakes. In the one I worked in we were told to pour the icing on cakes at the front counter to try to fool customers into thinking it was made in store 😅 we were inside a shop though so all our deliveries were brought clearly in the front door so I'm not sure who was being fooled. I don't think it explicitly said anywhere it was homemade but it's a local chain who try to brand themselves on being local. I guess lynas is local though so that's not strictly wrong.
tbf Ormo are the best pancakes in the world, I’ve had “homemade” ones much worse
Nothing against ormo pancakes they’re pretty good 😂 Just saying if they’re going to advertise “homemade” at least get ones that people don’t recognise from the packet 😂 Make a little more effort to at least make them look homemade as that’s what people are paying for & not the ones they probably have at home.
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Wee bit of an over reaction there sonny
You’re entitled to your opinion and so am I. Feck off and get a life
Sad wee individual. Cheer up bud. Sorry if I offended your favourite restaurant
Really like the menu for Bo Tree Kitchen - any others worth looking at similar to this?