Shu is a class act, all the way home. Alan Reid’s team, in the kitchen and at front of house, exudes a polished professionalism that has kept the restaurant at the head of the Belfast pack for more than a decade, a mighty achievement for any city destination. And as other city restaurateurs have seen their empires boom and then bust, Mr Reid and his chef, Brian McCann, do what they know they do best: they fire out great food in a room with an intoxicating ambience, and they do it every night. Writing in The Belfast Telegraph, Joris Minne nailed it when he ascribed the secret of Shu’s success coming as a direct result of ‘the balance it has struck among the three key components – the food, the service and environment’, but also the fact that ‘the impression it creates is that Shu is at the centre of anything that is important at any given time’.
So, put on your good rags and come out to enjoy some lovely contemporary cooking from a brilliant talent – pickled calves’ tongue salad; spicy braised beef with harissa and potato purée; 24-hour shoulder and breast of lamb with aubergine caviar; Drumbeg tomatoes with macaroni.
