A tasty treat down by the Riverside… food and drink columnist Paula Gracey enjoys value for money hotel dining, Hilton style
WE have been to the Hilton Hotel in Belfast many times but always for all kinds of events and awards dinners, a few of which spilled over into the very comfortable bar to carry on the craic a while longer.
This time, we were going for a date night dinner in the Hilton’s Riverside Restaurant, so named for its Laganside setting, on a Thursday evening after work.
No need for a taxi in the tea-time traffic snarl. We simply jumped on the Glider from the city centre, off at Lanyon Place and a two-minute walk across the footbridge took us to the front door.
The reason for our visit was a very good value Groupon voucher (don’t we all love a bargain?). Two courses and a glass of wine for £35.. amazing at current city centre prices!
We were shown to our seats by the very friendly staff and it was explained that our choices were taken from the Pre-Theatre Menu, a choice of four starters and four mains and a choice of a glass of white, red or rose wine, usually priced at a still reasonable £35 a head, minus the vino.
Prawn cocktail
We went for the Merlot and on perusing the menu, I chose Atlantic Prawn Cocktail with warm Irish stout bread, while himself chose the warm breads starter with butter, olive oil and pesto.
My prawn cocktail was delish and he said the breads were indeed warm and tasty although a more varied selection would have been nice, maybe a slice of wheaten to go with the all white serving or even the tasty stout bread he eyed enviously on my plate. The portions were good though and we were looking forward to the mains.
I went for Pan-fried Salmon with sautéed chorizo, spinach and orzo pasta, sundried tomatoes and pepperoni dressing – absolutely delish, full of flavour with soft flaky salmon.
Hilton beef burger
The carnivore was never looking beyond the whopper of a 6oz grilled Irish beef burger with cheese and all the trimmings, brioche bun and triple cooked chips (which I can confirm were yum – he let me steal some).
For those of you interested, the calories for each choice are listed on the menu – too much information for me. When you are out for dinner you are supposed to relax and enjoy – life is too short, but that is my own personal opinion and I know it is becoming a ‘thing’ now in many restaurants.
The décor in the Riverside restaurant is all sumptuous shades of taupe, brown and chocolate with low lighting (maybe a tad low for menu reading purposes but we managed). There are cosy booths, comfortable seating and low background music – very relaxing. And with the lighter nights coming in, the promise of panoramic views of life on the Lagan as the river meanders on its way to the Lough.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will definitely go back for more affordable hotel dining, especially as we know how easy it is to get to.
Choc-a-bloc for Easter… M&S Outrageously Chocolatey Biscuity Egg
IF you want something different this Easter, along with the traditional chocolate eggs, you need to try the M&S Outrageously Chocolatey Biscuity Egg – OMG! It is in the shape of that fabulous round biscuit with thick chocolate in their biscuit selection but, it is huge, hollow and just gloriously thick chocolate with biscuit bits!
Or, the Outrageously Chocolatey Custard Cream Biscuit Egg – absolute genius. Again, it looks like a huge biscuit but is hollow chocolate with a layer of custard cream. I saw them on Instagram and just had to try them. At £12 each, if you are also a chocolate lover you know what to do!
To accompany them, I bought in the M&S Champagne Delacourt Medium Dry Rosé, a smooth, opulent blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes.
This vibrant pink Champagne boasts rich notes of red cherry and pomegranate, complemented by hints of caramel and brioche. It also pairs beautifully with fruit tarts or creamy desserts, price £26.
M&S Champagne Delacourt Medium Dry Rosé
