Review: Arbutus at Encore

Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum has to be one of those rare venues where you know you'll get an encore on stage, in the theatre, and off it, in the form of their award-winning Encore restaurant. Recently Encore Brasserie, until new management gave it the highly-regarded Arbutus trademark and cuisine, its compact and attractively minimalist design make it a relaxing haven for friends, families and, tonight, theatre lovers, who along with me are packing the venue in advance of a popular production. And, luckily for us, they have a value-for-money pre-theatre menu to go with it.

The starters are served as a tasting platter of three mini dishes. And they're something of a mixed bag. I'm not usually one to be bowled over by caramelised onion soup in a small cup, but this time, I am – what sweet, creamy, warm and smooth broth this is. Either side of it rests a slightly dry fishcake, where I ponder if chilli and coriander are quite the right combo for its filling, and a smoked bacon caesar salad, where the lettuce is light and crunchy, the dressing rich and the tiny slabs of bacon well cut and equally well cooked, although, for such a small salad, there are too many onions. Their taste is, however, offset by the Guinness bread. Take a moment to imagine that someone has dipped your favourite brand of wheaten in a pint of the black stuff and left it there – that's what you get, without the sogginess. And the effect is "stout" of this world. Especially with such lovely soup nearby.

For the main course, one can choose from a small series of chicken, pasta, steak and meat dishes, with the added Middle Eastern bonus of falafels if they wish. My own taste buds direct me to the chicken. And the chicken itself is certainly worth waiting for – four relatively giant slabs of crisply panko breaded, hot and tender white meat, with a pair of dips both expected and unexpected.

One, unsurprisingly, is salsa. The other, chimichurri mayo, is one I've never heard of, but how good it tastes with both the chicken and the wedge-like chunky chips. A mixture of red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper, its complicated ingredients merge for a decidedly uncomplicated and simply delicious seasoning on the plate and for the palate. What a shame that there isn't more of it. My advice, were you to go for the goujons and chips yourself, would be to be economical with the dips.

Like the starters, desserts are served as a trio. Here, I have a vanilla crème brulee, the Encore cheesecake and ice cream in a small waffle basket to enjoy. Again, they are only tiddling tasters – the cheesecake alone is served in a small shot glass, for example – but they serve their purpose. The brulee is, alas, uncharacteristically bitter on the surface, but once I get to the heart of it it's really satisfying – the sugary but not sickly sweet crème de la crème of Derry dairy. The cheesecake is just as delicious at its base, with the plus point of an inventive nutty and minty coating. That leaves the much more predictable but almost equally as tasty honeycomb and vanilla ice-cream, concluding an already fine encore to a filling, and, despite room for improvement here and there, an on-the-whole delicious meal.

Now it's time for me to hope that the upcoming show's encore is at least as well received as this Encore.

Arbutus at Encore is open from Wednesday to Sunday from midday to 17:00, and late during a show night. For more information, go to millenniumforum.co.uk.