Strong Start

At a brand new restaurant in Belfast, Katy Mc Guinness is impressed

A former tile showroom on the banks of the Lagan is home to Belfast’s coolest new restaurant. In a city that, to those unfamiliar with its charms, doesn’t appear to have a centre, and whose multi-lane, bisecting highways get in the way of relaxed strolling, Ox’s waterfront location along from the Titanic quarter seems as good as any other, even if some locals consider it peripheral.

Stephen Toman, formerly head chef at James Street South, and Alain Kerloc’h, the former manager and sommelier at Deane’s, are the joint owners. The pair met when they worked together at Arpège, Alain Passard’s three-star restaurant in Paris, currently ranked 16th best in the world on the San Pellegrino list that is topped by Noma. Between them, the pair have notched up stints at some impressive establishments, auguring well for their new venture.

Ox had been open for only a fortnight when we ate there, and so I’ll gloss over the annoyance we felt at being all but ignored for the first 15 minutes after our on-time arrival. The restaurant was full and a mild but perceptible panic was in the ether, and all it would have taken to put us at our ease would have been the offer of a drink. Once that happened, things looked up.
The menu, printed on modish yet utilitarian brown paper, is short and rather exciting. As is au courant, vegetables share equal status with meat and fish; Ox is not somewhere vegetarians will be palmed off with a goats’ cheese roulade or butternut squash risotto.
There are two tasting menus – £45 for the Spring Menu and £40 for the Vegetable Menu (optional wine pairings bring these to £65 and £60, respectively). These are “surprise” offerings, both in terms of the dishes and the number of courses, apparently – our server was unsure of the detail. As we felt the need of certainty, we ordered instead from the à la carte.

This story appears in the May issue of The Gloss. Find more features like this in next issue, out June 4

This Edible Life

Cocktails & coffee: Suzanne Campbell makes time for both

New in the coffee world is Walter Mitty on Dawson Street. It’s all very Williamsburg and Girls – you can write on the walls and the barista will craft a teddy bear on your latte. But decent red berry tea for two euro? I’ll take it ... In London I may have to change my regular “must-eat” from oysters at Richard Corrigan’s Bentleys to the lobster and black truffle risotto with cauliflower cream at Keith Mc Nally’s Balthazar. A former actor, McNally has brought his NY magic dust (Pravda, Pastis, Schiller’s) to London in an important opening matched by one of the most beautiful rooms in the city and a 26-foot pewter cocktail bar. The newly-opened brasserie is already dripping in celebrity diners and more importantly, heavy hitter chefs like Alain Ducasse. Insider tip – the VIP tables are the banquettes below the large mirrors to the left as you enter. The bar tables are Siberia ...

This story appears in the May issue of The Gloss. Find more features like this in next issue, out June 4

Lighten Up

Summer doesn’t have to mean white or rosé, says Mary Dowey, who recommends switching to lighter reds instead

At a wild guess, 70 per cent of the red wines on sale in Ireland are weighty, warming whoppers – the liquid equivalent of a sheepskin coat. Big, rich, alcoholic blockbusters seem to be as popular as ever, and heaven knows they’ve come in handy as insulation against endless cold and damp. But enough is enough. I’m not prepared to wait until May is out before casting these heavy clouts.
A modest bottle of Bourgueil, uncorked a week or two ago to liven up sausages with lentils, has suddenly made lighter reds seem oh, so juicily attractive. Along with Chinon and Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil is one of a little clutch of Loire appellations where the Cabernet Franc grape produces red wines with the scent of freshly crushed blackcurrant leaves and the flavour of raspberries or blackcurrants – tangy, cleansing and slightly peppery as they slip down.
Pinot Noir often has similar elegance and fruity charm, whether it comes in the form of a young Burgundy or a slightly rounder wine from somewhere else – the south of France, maybe, or Chile, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa or California. (Be sure to check the alcohol level, though, if you’re in pursuit of delicacy: many Pinots, especially from warmer parts of the world, easily top 14 per cent.) The high level of acidity in Pinot Noir tends to give it a refreshing edge.

This story appears in the May issue of The Gloss. Find more features like this in next issue, out June 4

Spice Trail

Tasting plates and a spicy salad ... Clodagh Mc Kenna is transported

In Paris recently, all in the name of research, I tried my luck at getting into Frenchie, a restaurant on Rue du Nil in the second arrondissement and currently so hip that even Parisians make the effort to book weeks in advance. One incredulous raised eyebrow later, I was unceremoniously diverted to Frenchie’s spin-off across the street, a wine bar serving an array of small plates, that has a policy of not reserving tables. A long queue of eager, well-dressed foodies, keen to get their feet in the door and a glass of red into their hand, waited patiently outside.

It was worth the wait. My cured meat board consisted of Iberico ham and extraordinary Italian Culatello di Zibello ham, considered the filet mignon of the Parma region. A small plate of beetroot and horseradish reminded me of the genius of that simple combination and a trout, celeriac, smoked bacon and maple syrup plate was barely trumped by quail with pureed potatoes and emulsion of Jerusalem artichoke. The terrrine, for which I’ve provided a recipe below, was  mouth-watering.
After a morning swim and fresh mint tea in the courtyard of buzzing Hotel Costes (22 years after it opened, it’s still a magnet for the leggy and the lovely, and a Paris institution) I set off for the airport the next morning, my destination Beaulieu-sur-Mer, that beautiful seaside village between Nice and Monaco. Lunch was at The African Queen, a restaurant at the Port de Plaisance named after the Hollywood classic by its movie-loving founders, 40 years ago. It’s a Cannes Film Festival favourite with actors, and a vantage point for serious people watching. 

Perhaps it was the sunshine which made everything sing with flavour (we sat on the terrace facing the port) but fresh burrata with ripe heirloom tomatoes (served with rosemary focaccia sticks) has never tasted so good. The African Queen Salad – palm hearts of artichoke, cashew nuts, avocado and African-spiced chicken, has me still salivating at the thought, weeks later.

This story appears in the May issue of The Gloss. Find more features like this in next issue, out June 4