Food & Drink

il Pirata

Where do I even start?! We decided to book a table for il Pirata, East Belfast last minute and it was (maybe) one of the best decisions weave ever made! Immediately we were drawn into the vibe of the restaurant, casual but trendy, cozy but a great vibe.. we both agreed it reminded us of being in London. Of course we had to start with an Aperol Spritz because what’s Italian food without it 🤷🏻‍♀️ the staff in il Pirata were also great and all seemed to actually enjoy their jobs. So….. the food… we decided to go for crispy gnocchi, truffle mac & cheese, nduja casarecce and the absolute star of the show, the TRUFFLE honey burrata (drool even thinking about it). The flavours in both pasta dishes were incredible and the portions were the perfect size, not too little and not too much. The gnocchi was crisp on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside, but if you are going to visit il Pirata, I 100% recommend the truffle honey burrata.. the most insane flavour 🤤 I think we both easily could have finished one each and we will be returning ASAP to get this again! The flavours all complimented each other so well, definitely was the star of the whole show for us! Next up was dessert, as we’re not usually huge dessert people, we knew we had to try. We opted for sticky toffee pudding and a chocolate delice, the sticky toffee came out in a bowl of toffee sauce which we both loved, the chocolate delice was also delish without being too heavy! Overall as an experience and for the food, it’s one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had in a LONG time and I’m already excited to go back! (Thankfully only two minutes up the road from me). If you’ve been meaning to try this place out definitely do because you will not be disappointed! 🍝

Bia Rebel Ramen

Still on the Asian theme, this week we decided to try Bia Rebel Ramen, an Irish twist on typical Japanese dishes. The place is small so prepare to wait if it’s busy luckily there was two spaces free at the window! The menu boasts a broad range of dishes from duck confit gyoza’s to Katsu curry and also a Belfast ramen (their signature dish!). We decided to start with the duck confit gyoza’s served with hoisin sauce. Delicious as expected, I’ve never had a dumpling I didn’t like! 🥟 Next up was the Celtic beef ramen, this dish contains chilli braised chuck beef, napa cabbage, tender leek and a fermented broad bean & chilli paste. This dish is slightly spicy, so beware! However the flavours in this dish are wonderful, with my friend mentioning it was one of the best ramens she’s had! The chilli braised chuck beef was soft and tender and the noodles oozed freshness. Next up was the Japanese curry, a veggie dish containing chickpeas and apple in a light madras style sauce served with aromatic rice and then topped with micro herbs. This curry was flavourful without feeling heavy or stodgy. A delish veggie dish! However being the carnivore I am, I decided to order a portion of crack chicken, this was the only thing in the meal that slightly underwhelmed me, for me personally it could have done with a little more seasoning but however the chicken was crispy and a nice addition to the dish. Overall we enjoyed the laidback vibe of Bia Rebel Ramen and also have to give a shout-out to the friendly staff! We will definitely be back to try the Belfast Ramen (and more gyozas) soon!

Yugo – Asian Fusion

On a miserable Wednesday evening, my friends and I decided to have a mid-week treat at one of the most talked about restaurants in Belfast at the minute, Yugo. The restaurant is located in Wellington Street in Belfast City Centre and their Instagram notes they are the 77th best restaurant in the UK, making it the perfect spot to grab a bite to eat after work, university or just a shopping day! This was the first time visiting Yugo and we we certainly left impressed. We had previously attempted to dine in Yugo, only to find it was booked out *insert sad face* , however on a whim we contacted Yugo about 20 minutes before we were planning to arrive and luckily this time we were able to grab a spot. On arrival to Yugo, it was evident the restaurant had a great buzz about it, even on a icy cold Wednesday, we were greeted by friendly and happy staff who genuinely appeared to be enjoying their shift. We were swiftly brought to our table and given a quick overview of the menu to ensure we understood their take on asian fusion. We decided to share six dishes between the two of us which worked out to be the perfect amount. Yugo has an open style kitchen therefore you can watch the chef cook the food to order which can be quite entertaining and insightful. Our first dish was crispy pork dumplings with crispy chilli (£6), the crispy chilli element added a unique twist to the dish, mild spice but not “burn your face off” spicy. Shortly after two bao buns arrived the first one was filled with BBQ chicken thighs, tartare sauce and spring onions (£5.5) and the other one was filled with crispy cod, yuzu miso, cucumber and wasabi (£5), of the two we preferred the crispy cod as the flavour alongside the wasabi was amazing. Lastly dishes to arrive were – the glazed pork cheek, apple, kohlrabi and black garlic, the szechuan braised lamb shoulder, smoked aubergine, miso and peanut and also some crispy hand cut chips with togarashi seasoning. The pork cheek was served with a black garlic sauce which was an extremely interesting flavour combo, the addition of the fresh apple and kohlrabi worked well alongside the pork cheek. To finish (we saved the best for last!!!) was the szechuan braised lamb shoulder, the lamb shoulder was deliciously tender and without a doubt our star of the show!

Overall we throughly enjoyed our experience at Yugo, with our total bill coming to £36 for two people, we found this to be extremely cheap for the standard of food we received, it also offered a different dinner option to the usual. We can’t wait to get back to Yugo to sample more of their dishes and some cocktails!

Another thing to note is the interiors within Yugo are very visually appealing (perfect for some gram’ pics! )