Luckily, I have waded through the metaphorical river of manure that is ‘moving house’ and come out the other side smelling of roses, in a nifty little place off the Ormeau Road.
It’s an area of Belfast I have only come to know in the past few years or so, but I have to say I am increasingly warming to it. In terms of restaurants, residents are spoilt for choice; with a range that varies from the authentic, French aromas of L’Etoile, to the modern Asian cuisine found at Gaze.
A relative newcomer on the Ormeau scene is Shed, a modest but impressive bistro nestled at the top end. It is indicative of the direction in which Belfast’s restaurant scene is increasingly heading.
The popularity of white table cloth dining, as championed by local heroes Paul Rankin and Michael Deane, seems to be on the wane (at least for the moment) and is making way for simple, modestly priced, yet high quality places to eat.
We’d heard a lot about Shed, and its proximity to our new house made the choice almost inevitable. A quick scan online revealed a varied, yet simple menu which, as we saw when we arrived, is mirrored by the minimalist, chic interior.
It’s all wood and metal, open kitchen, paper menus and modestly priced bottles of Prosecco and Cava. Heineken and Peroni come by the bottle, and the wine list keeps things simple; French, Italian and Spanish, Australian and Kiwi.
Price-wise, you’re looking at £6.50 at the top end of the starter scale for the seared duck breast salad, which comes with table celery and a rich, blue cheese dressing that balances the sweet irony tang of the pink meat.
At the other end is the selection of breads and tapenade, and mixed olives, but also a fresh, peppery summer vegetable soup (beetroot-red like a thin, Russian borscht), seafood linguine and a refreshing smoked salmon, potato and fennel salad.
As far as mains go, sirloin and chips will cost you no more than £18.50, while the rest of the courses vary from char-grilled leg of lamb with harissa paste and cous-cous at 15 quid, to the beef bourignon or hearty fish pie, each for around a tenner. It’s the kind of place that allows you to budget, if you want to.
I opted for the special; grilled seabass and mackerel atop baby potatoes and tomato salsa, finished with lightly battered strips of squid. It is summer by the sea, except, of course, it being a Monday night on the Ormeau Road.
To finish, we share the cheeseboard, which comes as a selection of Irish and wonderfully-pongy French creations. All too often in Belfast, decent restaurants round off a good meal with a disappointing cheese selection, as though unable to stretch the imagination beyond a mature cheddar, Cashel Blue and a pasteurised brie.
At Shed, the cheeseboard is an example of the care and attention paid to every aspect of the menu, not to mention a nod to the restaurant’s French head chef Gilles Willaume, formerly of Coco on Linenhall Street.
The crumble, panna cotta and the rest of the desserts, including crème bruleè and hot chocolate brownie with ice cream, are a final reminder of Shed’s philosophy of doing the simple things well.
I have to say I am excited at the prospect of another year living in Belfast, as I reckon the last time I lived in the city, I took it for granted. I was also on the dole for most of it, though, I suppose.
But, if my time living here is going to include a few more evenings spent in places like Shed, I have to say, it’s good to be back
by Iain Todd
