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Brian McCann has been putting his years of creative experience in great kitchens to use in Shu: don’t miss it.

Brian McCann has been making big waves in Belfast ever since returning home from London – and an around the world trip – to take up the kitchen at Shu. He is a very complete cook, his style is subtle, his control impressively complete. It doesn’t surprise us that he should have worked with the amiable Philip Howard in The Square, in London.

There are echoes of Howard’s iconoclastic classicism in Mr McCann’s work, making for food that is pretty irresistible. So, what’s not to resist? Well, that foie gras and chicken liver parfait is as fine as it gets, the shopping-list dishes such as summer truffle gnocchi, globe artichoke, green beans, organic leaves would make a pantry chef such as Peter Gordon proud, and we especially like the rigorous simplicity of the fish cookery, such as hake with olive oil mash and stewed peppers, or turbot with pesto potatoes and ratatouille. The use of fresh fruits in desserts, such as a fine summer pavlova or a strawberry soup, is as sharp as everything else. This is really impressive cooking, light, classy, soulful, and Shu is a Belfast city don’t-miss-it!

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