OF CORRS WE DINE IN GOOD COMPANY

Friday, February 08, 2008
By Marie Foy

When you decide to eat at one of Belfast's most popular restaurants, be prepared to mingle with the Beautiful People

It was a bit of a Corr blimey night when I went along to Shu in Belfast with a group of friends last Saturday night. The Lisburn Road restaurant was buzzing, as it always is when I happen to visit, which immediately makes you optimistic about the standard of cuisine you are about to enjoy.

We arrived half an hour late - because mysteriously the wrong time was written in my companion's diary - keeping our friends waiting, though the conversation was in full flow and I don't think we were missed too much. The table was to be ours from 7pm to 9pm, so, as we were already running late, we got down to ordering right away.

begin, my partner made a beeline for the foie gras and chicken liver parfait, which came with a red onion marmalade and toasted olive bread, despite some sympathetic noises about the fate of the goose in question from myself and others. (He swiftly reminded us our food was coming from an abattoir or from the end of a fishing line. We didn't dwell on the topic for long.)

The foie gras turned out to exquisitely smooth and the marmalade punchy, and very satisfactory.

I chose the warm salad of honey roast winter vegetables dressed with watercress and blood orange vinaigrette. The salad consisted of batons of carrot and parsnip, which made an interesting combination with the other ingredients. It was a light, refreshing starter which thankfully wasn't overly-sweet - always a danger when honey creeps onto a menu.

For the next course, my friend opted for a generous portion of sliced Clandeboye wood pigeon, tender and nicely rare with a fulsome jus, served with more of those lovely roast carrots and parsnip (though this time coarsely mashed), chestnuts and a smooth, rich roast garlic mash. He tucked in with relish and, needless to say, the plate was cleared - a testimony to its success.

I decided to try the braised beef which was accompanied by impressive mashed potato. The beef was a wonderful source of juices for a full-bodied and tasty Bourguignon sauce but the meat itself was too fatty and disappointing. The chips and broccoli I pinched from someone else were great, though, and I didn't hear any complaints from the other diners at our table. We rounded off with a tempting range of cheeses and a gorgeously creamy, fruity rice pudding. Very pleasing. We were still polishing off a decent cup of coffee when at 20 past nine we were asked if we'd mind finishing our drinks in the downstairs bar/bistro so the staff could set up for the late sitting. We couldn't very well argue when we were running well over our time.

Interestingly, when we came back upstairs about half an hour later, we just happened to notice that the party at our (old) table included the three musical Corr girls and their brother, Jim. We were bumped off our table (sort of) to make room for the Corrs. Humph! Well, I suppose worse things in life can happen to you. Shu is a smart restaurant and the staff are courteous, knowledgeable and efficient. While, in my view, my main course didn't do the kitchen justice - I've had much better meals there - I would definitely return. After all, if the rich and famous patronise it, along with a good dollop of Belfast's population, then it must be good. Don't just take my word for it, try it.

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