THE BRIDGESTONE 100 BEST RESTAURANTS IN IRELAND 2008

Brian McCann is the chef's chef in Belfast these days, a rip-roaring culinary talent riding the crest of critical and popular acclaim.

And the proof of the sort of dynamic kitchen he is working in was further underlined earlier in the year when Chris McClurg, part of the Shu crew, won the first ever Robbie Millar Scholarship. These guys are happening. Mr McCann's cooking is as smart as it gets, and whilst the á la carte may be somewhat tamer than when he started, the cooking will blow you away with its intricate yet common-sense pairings and adaptations: that note of 5-spice with Glenarm salmon; lovely chestnut gnocchi with venison; pigeon with fine tart of pear and celeriac; hake beautifully paired with beurre noisette and a clean parsley risotto; sage and onion mash with perfect calves' liver. Everywhere you taste, some logical and delicate grace note has been found to take the ingredients out of the quotidian and into the taste stratosphere, making for some of the best cooking to be found in the country, food that is an essay is sympathy, appreciation and care.

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