I should probably write a very brief blog for this and just say. Perfect. You must go. In fact it took me a little longer to write this than most blogs because this lunch rendered me speechless. It’s not often I am completely blown away by a meal and struggle to articulate how much I loved it. So here are my attempts to put into words everything I loved about The Muddlers Club.

The Muddlers Club is in the up and coming Cathedral Quarter area in city centre Belfast. A fantastic mix of food, drink and street art. It’s an area that highlights how much Belfast has changed in recent years.

We walked down an alley to find it and straight away I could sense we were in for a real treat. The guy on the door welcomed us so warmly that I immediately felt at home and the design of The Muddlers Club shows real attention to detail but without pretention or stuffiness.

We were given a seat by the window and our waitress, who was an absolute delight to chat to throughout, gave us the menu. My eyes lit up when I saw what was on offer. A lunch menu with seasonality and creativity at its heart and all at incredible value. Starters and desserts at £5 and mains at £10.

For starter I had mackerel, kohlrabi, mustard and apple. It arrived with the mackerel still ‘smoking’ a fantastic touch that certainly added to the excitement. This dish was absolutely beautiful with great flavours and texture. It was a touch of light pickle or vinegar away from perfection.

Mr Frivolitea had the short rib tortellini, mushroom, kale and truffle. This was a really clever dish, it was packed full of flavour,  showcasing the short rib and not skimping on quality ingredients.

For main I had hake, charred broccoli, kale, mussels and curry. The curry in the dish was wonderfully balanced alongside the hake. A real highlight for me were the vegetables, cooked perfectly and bursting with flavour.

Mr Frivolitea had chicken, baked beets, chard and Parmesan. The chicken was absolutely delicious and wonderfully moist and a highlight was the purée that tasted of the best cauliflower cheese you’ve ever had.

We also had a side of baby potatoes in dulse butter. Oh my. These were delicious. I could eat a vat of them. The kitchen discovered my joy at eating the dulse butter and sent me home with some. This gesture, clearly organised by our waitress, just summed up for me why this place is so special. Everyone who works there gives 100%

For dessert I had lime, coconut and pineapple. This was heaven in a bowl. The flavours balanced beautifully alongside the fresh pineapple with the ribbons of mint running through it and the addition of aerated white chocolate was a wonderful touch.

Mr Frivolitea had chocolate, malt and praline. He was a happy man, this is very much his kind of dessert. The praline disc in particular was a hit though he could happily have had more malt flavour in the dish.

At The Muddlers Club, dishes are all beautifully presented, well balanced and generous in portion size for the cost of  lunch. Add to that the fantastic service, the knowledge and love of food shown by those who served us and surroundings and I can honestly say it was one of the best meals out we have had in a long time. You must go. We will certainly be going back again and again. This is just what Belfast needs and it is a delight.

p.s if you are having a glass of wine and you like Sauvignon Blanc get the sugarloaf mountain. It might be the most expensive by the glass but you will not be disappointed, it is  a particularly good Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

I’ve been wanting to try out Coppi for a while. We have been to Bartali, its little sister on the North Coast, and I spend most days jealous of the executive chef Jonny Phillips’ Instagram feed!  I am pleased to say that Coppi did not disappoint.  
What I love about Coppi (and Bartali for that matter) is the flexibility of the menu. If you want a big meal, 3 courses, then you can have them, but the cichetti and pizzetta allow for flexible eating and an opportunity to try lots of things. That’s important when you are indecisive like me.
We chose the crispy artichokes and chilli Mayo from the cichetti specials and five other cichetti dishes: Sicilian lamb and pistachio polpettina, feta fritters with truffle honey, goats cheese and smoked tomato pesto arrancini, crispy pork belly and pickled radicchio and duck ravioli fritti and truffled porcini aioli.  

  
We also couldn’t resist the portavogie prawns, lemon and garlic butter, grilled focaccia and rocket from the starters section and the duck, hazelnut and truffled honey Pizzetta.  

    
Everything had bags of flavour, simple yet brilliantly executed and the portavogie prawns were so delicious that I to restrain Mr Frivolitea from licking the plate! My only comment is that all our cichetti were deep fried and that wasn’t clear from the description. That isn’t a criticism as it tasted fantastic and it certainly wasn’t greasy or oily but I might have chosen differently to ensure variety had I realised. 

We rounded the meal off with a perfectly boozy and light tiramisu and I had a glass of prosecco. The bill – £40 for two people. You can’t go wrong with that. We will certainly return and Bartali is definitely on the list for a revisit in the summer!