Luxe Beat Magazine Special Edition Put a Pin in It! | Page 14

your meal. When I finished my
last bite of dessert, a heavenly
concoction of Jerusalem artichoke,
banana, caramel and pistachio, I
literally swooned in a food-driven
ecstasy.

to grow oysters and mussels. After
seeing Patrice’s farm, out tour
group sampled his fleshy, meaty
oysters with shallots and lemon,
accompanied by a glass of crisp
white wine.

The Mitre is another top-rated
restaurant in Belfast. Tucked
inside Culloden Estate & Spa, one
of the country’s most prestigious
hotels, you’ll find this gem of an
establishment. Surrounded by
beautiful secluded gardens and
woodland, with a killer coastal view,
the Culloden is as beautiful on the
outside as it is inside. Originally
built as an official palace for the
Bishops of Down, the place has an
air of elegance, with fine antiques
that evoke a Gothic grandeur. Let
the talented Chef Brian Donaldson
introduce you to his gourmet chic
culinary scene via a seven-course
tasting menu that emphasizes
carefully selected local and
seasonal quality foods. His focus
is on infusing Irish staples with
French and Scandinavian influences.
Everything is presented with an eye
towards aesthetics, such as a palate
cleanser of elderflower sorbet with
candied beetroot spectacularly
arranged within a toppled wine
glass.

The tour ended in the sleepy hamlet
of Chapeltown at Curran’s Bar &
Seafood Steakhouse, one of the
oldest pubs in the area. A welcoming
fire and jovial wait staff greeted
our group, and we proceeded to
chow down on hearty Irish stew and
champ, a typical Irish mashed potato
dish, while listening to several local
musicians make merry for St. Pat’s
Day. Often voted “Pub of the Year,”
Curran’s is a magnet for locals and
tourists alike, who enjoy the live
entertainment, good food, drink and
great craic, or conversation.

For an authentic food journey, sign
on for an NI Food Tour with owner
and guide Tracey Jeffrey. She’ll take
you around County Down, an area
with the highest concentration
of award-winning producers and
restaurants in the country. The
region has become a must-visit
destination for foodies and for
those who just love good food. On
your tour, you’ll hear stories from
local farmers and other producers
while tasting their products, such
as craft beers, local breads, scones,
meats, potatoes, cheeses, butter,
shellfish, chocolates and more.
At Rowallane Garden, for example,
where they sell food made on
site using products grown on
the property, you can watch a
demonstration of how to make Irish
soda bread, a staple that goes back
centuries. I discovered that the key
to knowing when the loaf is cooked
in the middle is if it sounds hollow
when you tap it. For other Irish local
specialties, you might stop in the
picturesque village of Strangford, at
the Cuan, for its renowned seafood
chowder, made of fresh haddock,
cod, mussels and prawns.
A highlight of the tour is meeting
Patrice Bonnargent, an oyster and
mussel farmer in Killough who came
from France to play rugby years
ago, and ended up staying in Ireland

14

You’ll find that food also takes
center stage in Derry, home of
the LegenDerry Food Fair, an
annual event held in March. It’s a
two-day festival showcasing the
wealth and range of local food in
Northern Ireland, and a celebration
of everything that makes produce
from this place so delicious, from
Abernethy butter and Braemar
Farm ice cream to Broighter Gold
rapeseed oil and Kennedy Bacon.
Dozens of restaurants showcase
some of their signature dishes and
noted Derry chefs perform cooking
demonstrations during the fair.
To help orient you to the food
scene around town, take a bike
tour with Far and Wild. Go on an
empty stomach, as you’ll be plied
with such specialties as homemade
sausage rolls and traditional Irish
scones at Cherry Blossom Bakery,
Leek and Cream Cappuccino at the
Legenderry Warehouse Café and a
variety of Pintxos or tapas at the
newly opened Walled City Brewery,
which also brews its own craft beers
with quirky names like Kicks, Boom
and Wit.
When you’ve indulged and imbibed
to your heart’s or rather your
stomach’s content, know that
there’s no dearth of sights to
explore in Northern Ireland. The
country is rich in history and
culture, with museums a plenty,
and grand estates with hidden
walled gardens just waiting to be
discovered. And of course, there’s
the breathtaking Irish coastline
and the ever-so-green, bucolic
countryside, which no one can resist.
In Belfast, you’ll want to head to the
Titanic Quarter to uncover the true
legend of Titanic in the city where
it all began. There you’ll find Titanic
Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic