HOOKED ON SEAFOOD IN STYLISH, LOW KEY HAVEN

Daily Mirror
7 October 2006
By Iain Henderson


It’s the height of bad manners to namedrop. My mate Bono told me that once. He also told me that lunch was the most rock ‘n’ roll of all the meals.

Now having always been a Lad Who Lunches I’ve never needed an excuse to unleash the gourmand inside me. Well, there must be at least two of them in there these days.
On to Shu on Belfast’s Lisburn road then. Last time I was here it was for my little sister Nicola’s wedding reception just over a year ago. So who better to invite for another look than her?
No posh frocks, whistles and wrinkly relatives this time though.

Outside, it’s in a deliberately low-key location next to funeral home in one of the busier parts of South Belfast.

Inside, it’s a welcoming brown and beige haven of peacefulness and interesting conversation – overheard as we make our way to our table is talk of vintage Adidas trainers and how great the latest Scritti Politti album is.

I think I love this place already and we have not even got to the food yet.

The surroundings are stylish and comfortable without being over-the-top, the ambiance sleek and elegant, just right for families, couples and business lunches.

I’m also pleased to see there’s a bit of room between the tables, we’re not squashed in like sardines, fighting with your neighbour for a bit of elbow room, the way you are in so many places.
There are not that many people here when we arrive shortly after midday, perhaps 20 diners. But it quickly fills up as the early afternoon goes on.

Sitting down and faced with the lunch express menu, we immediately decide to go for salmon fishcake with tartare sauce and the salad of plum tomato with parmesan, basil pine nuts and aged balsamic.

Both are beautifully presented, with just the right amount of zing and prove to be an ideal combination as we decide the best option is to share them.

My salmon fish-cakes taste wonderful, almost making me forget that I have given my favourite Shu starter, the salt and chilli squid, a miss today so I could try something different for a change. The squid’s still irresistible though, a must on any other day.

The starters are all reasonably priced too for what you get, at £5 each. It is only lunch we’re having after all, no point in breaking the bank. For the main course I quickly decide, as I often do, on the dry aged sirloin – from my experience, the pick of Shu’s perfect takes on the traditional staples such as crispy pork belly and roast corn fed chicken.

Little sis puts a bit more thought into her choice, and eventually – and perhaps bravely – plumps for the exotically named seared yellow fin tuna, served rare, with salad nicoise.
In the meantime, I’ve had some time to reconsider and decide to forego another of my favourites and go for wild hake with olive oil mash.

The service is pleasingly sympathetic and friendly. We don’t have to wait too long for our food to arrive, just long enough to allow us to catch up with what we’ve both been doing.

One down side at this point is the distance you have to trek to get to the gents. Still, it’s not as far as some other places and when you get there it’s clean, nicely laid-out and as stylish as the restaurant. The food arrives after I return to the table and we get stuck in.

It’s as fantastic as we hoped. Generous portions and great flavours mean we’re quickly stuffed but happy.

Nicola says her rare tuna is a winner which a few lightening raids onto her plate confirm.

My hake is a delight too, and well worth a try if you’re into your fish.

Relieved that my credit card is not about to take a battering, we finish with a very relaxing latte.
It’s a bit of a consolation prize for me though – Nicola’s turned down my rather hopeful ‘dessert?’ question.

As someone who always has plenty of room for a sweet, and who can eat a banoffee at 9am, I am ever so slightly crushed even though I know it’s the right decision. Still, it’s been a real joy from starter to finish.

Back