By Hornby
Birdcage is the latest fine food establishment to take up residence on a prime spot of Stranmillis real estate. It is narrow and bustling, and the restaurant interior is certainly a lot to take in, with every available wall space, and even some ceiling, adorned with contemporary art.
A very pleasant member of staff greets us and leads us straight to a table; their sense of purpose welcomed as I imagine patrons could get bottlenecked admiring the entrance.
Our waiter arrives and asks if this is our first time at Birdcage. It is, and apparently this is important.
Birdcage is offering something different, but they don’t expect you to find your own way. Our waiter takes a seat with us and, without a hint that this is a task he has already performed many times before, patiently and expertly explains the menu.
This is not at all intrusive, as it is nice to have someone to explain, highlight and recommend. He leaves us to ponder and with enough knowledge to make informed choices.
The concept is to ‘mix and share’. Order a selection of things for the group and try a bit of everything.
The hummus, which arrives with our starter, has the freshest and
most balanced garlic flavour I have ever tasted; all that wondrous tang, but absolutely none of the burn.
We find this in everythingwe eat; every spice, chilli and garlic clove used can be tasted and savoured, but not one ingredient overpowers its dish. Chilli chicken crunches deliver everything they promise: beautifully cooked white meat in a crunchy coating with, again, perfect chilli flavor, devoid of any unpleasant, overpowering heat.
As for the sweet and sour mango sauce, if they bottled it I would never again buy ketchup.
Even the simple things are done well, like the barbecue sauce with its delicate, smoky sweet taste. Every individual part of our collected dishes compliments the other; no combination not working.
However, at Birdcage it is not just the food that is noteworthy. An
intriguing drinks list of ‘Jars’ results in two of the most impressive concoctions I have ever seen. Large, hexagonal jars are filled to the brim with freshly prepared soft drinks – to which, of course, it is perfectly acceptable to have a shot of your choice added.
It is difficult to really put across how a meal and a restaurant have been, beyond simply listing what was eaten and how it tasted. But suffice to say, I will be eating at Birdcage again, and soon.
