Okay, let me first apologise for the pictures. I had just rushed off the plane back to N.I. to my Dad, jumped into the car for dinner, and my camera was at the bottom of the suitcase - that was a lost cause!! So my phone had to do all the work!
Anyway, lets stop rambling, and get to the good stuff. My Dad, Sister and her fiancee all went for a beautiful Italian meal to celebrate my arrival for the weekend. That is definitely a cause for celebration, right?
Its called il Pirata, apparently after a famous Italian cyclist, but of course I know nothing about sport.
Its simplicity is what I like. Low lighting, with bare bulbs hanging form the ceiling, the candles flickering away, giving a real sense of atmosphere.
Of course, no catch up could commence until we had ordered, so we took a long, hard look at the menu...
There was a bucket of cutlery at the side, on a plate of mismatched vintage plates. Apparently if you bring in a vintage tea set plate for them, you get a free dessert...I will be back for that alone!
Everyone was too hungry to let me take pictures of their food when it arrived, so you will have to do with mine, but it was pretty good (although the flash on my phone makes it look a little strange!)
Instead of ordering a main like all the normal customers, the starters looked too good to miss, so I ordered four...as you do!
It consisted of:
Smoked chicken, hazelnuts, sea salt & truffled honey vinagarette.
Spiced pork & fennel slider (my favourite my far).
Garlic and rosemary potatoes.
Polenta Fritters with goats cheese, red onion and some more goodness, but I forget!
Last but not least, we enjoyed a huge pot of tea, as us true Northern Irish ones do, before I hit the road home. (Sorry again for the weird flash!)
We may have all ordered the same dessert as well - Chocolate hazelnut cake & vanilla ice-cream.
I know what your thinking, its not the prettiest dessert ever, but oh did it taste good. The googy chocolate with the crunchy hazelnuts finished off my night with a bang!
We chattered the whole way home, and I arrived home to red velvet cupcakes, tea and hugs. It truly is lovely to be home!
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