Wine and Brine — Restaurant in Northern Ireland

We visited Wine and Brine for lunch as we had unexpectedly been given a voucher for Christmas; what a great present it turned out to be, as this was easily the best lunch I have had!

We consider ourselves keen foodies and have been lucky enough to eat at some of the best restaurants in the UK, so we would like to think we have our taste buds well calibrated when it comes to good food. As fans of Great British Menu we were keen to see Chris McGowan's food in the flesh and it didn't disappoint...

First tip, don't bother with the snacks; don't get me wrong, the bread and crispy olives we had were delicious, but Wine and Brine serve hearty plates of food, not stingy portions with which some people stereotype dining of this quality. Best save some space for the main stars of the show.

We both had the fish cakes for starter which were very tasty. They were a good size and packed with a wide variety of fish for a starter, including small brown prawns in the accompanying sauce. Highly recommended!

For main I had the lamb which was absolutely delicious! As you can see from the photo below, there is no shortage of meat on the plate which was perfectly cooked and rammed full of flavour. The greens around the plate aren't merely decoration or a tip-of-the-hat to vegetables, but a fully fledged part of the dish that not only taste great in their own right, but really bring out the flavour of the lamb. I only had a small bit of my partners venison, but that was also very tasty.

Our only 'criticism' was that the 3 courses we had eaten left us rammed full, so there was no space left to try the incredible looking deserts that we saw on their way from the pass to the tables. But we will be back to try those in the future!

The service and setting were perfect for lunch and we enjoyed seeing Chris at work in the open kitchen. It is perhaps slightly less formal than a traditional fine dining restaurant (which seem to be favoured by Michelin judges) but I much prefer that than the more pretentious decor of the likes of the Ox, so no complaints from me.

Oh, and the best bit of all this are the prices... I think lunch was £4 for starter and deserts and £10 for a main which is incredible value; as a comparison, where we live near London you don't even get a main of chicken nachos at the local cafe for that!

All in all, Wine and Brine do great tasting, generous sized lunch dishes at incredible prices in a nice, casual setting. I can see this becoming a regular stop for us when we are back in...

I had been looking forward to trying this place for sometime as I'd heard great things about it and of course because it has a Michelin star. The menu looked interesting and I read it online before I went. Once arrived, I realised it wasn't exactly the same but that isn't unusual in restaurants because of sourcing ingredients.

My starter was a stuffed courgette flower containing crab, scattered with fresh shrimp with a lobster bisque and edible flowers on top. It certainly looked the part. The taste was something else entirely. The filling inside was definitely missing something to make it memorable. Very bland. I enjoyed the bisque but the shrimp were not good at all. They gave a sort of bitter taste to the whole dish.

For mains I ordered monkfish with a tandori sauce and cucumber raita on top. And the flowers once again. Presentation was good. The fish was cooked really nicely. My problem was with the over seasoning of it all. I've never been served a dish as salty as that anywhere ever. And I've eaten salt baked cod before in Turkey.

I tried my best to eat it, not wanting to make a fuss since they seemed busy. On reflection, I should have just said something. At the end I was asked how everything was since I'd eaten less than half. I explained. The waitress was polite and said I could have had the meal recooked if I'd said at the start. She went to speak to the chef and management and the dish was removed from the bill.

All in all a mixed bag. Good customer service, nice building, nice wine but sadly the food disappointed - and on my birthday too. I will be back though, trying something different this time and if anything is amiss I will remember that they encourage you...

I organised a table of 8 for a birthday gathering. I had to send in our order one week in advance, not a great practice for a non Christmas party but the communication was fine and friendly and I ensured all guests choices were told to the restaurant. Upon arrival we were greeted well and shown to our table. Drink orders were taken and served quickly. Starters arrived and service was great. Soon after mains arrived and all looked great. One of our guests ordered steak from the a la carte menu and I informed the restaurant one week in advance it was to be cooked well done. It came medium, it was sent back and returned medium, it was sent back and a new steak arrived cooked medium!! The chef seemed to refuse the customers wishes to have the steak cooked as she wanted it. The guest decided she had no appetite any longer. The waitress was not apologetic on behalf of the restaurant but offered the guest alternative choices however the guest just was finished with the uncomfortable scenario. Dinner continued and finished. The bill was asked for and upon checking the bill the steak was charged for. I politely asked for it to be removed and it was. Still no apology to the guest who didn’t eat. A £45 automatic service charge was added also as a standard restaurant practice. The service was good but I would like to choose how much I tip.

Overall a nice restaurant with good food and nice staff but not as good as our previous experience there and I definitely expected more based on the prices charged. Happy to pay for excellent experiences but not for ok...