The chef Chris McClurg, with his partner, Alice Stewart, had long wanted a restaurant with rooms, but he knew it would need to sustain itself on more than just hotel guests. So when the couple took over Regency House, a boutique hotel in Belfast’s Queen’s Quarter, in June, the dining area was the focus of an eight-week renovation. The breakfast room was stripped back to its shell, extended into a courtyard and enclosed under a glass dome. In went banquette seating, while the gym was transformed into a cellar and private dining space.
In order to attract as many diners as possible – McClurg says the majority are locals – it was out with a tasting menu and in with something luxe but flexible and fun. Snacks and starters are as usual (olives, oysters, a pasta or tuna tartare), then mains are to share. That decision – to offer a chicken with morels, or red-curry monkfish tail for two – was, McClurg says, a “pretty ballsy move. We wouldn’t be known for our willingness to share, the folk of Northern Ireland.”
Fortunately, guests have got on board, and cooking fewer mains means the team is able to give more attention to everything – including the side that’s already stolen the show: a potato cake. In between two thick layers of potato rösti is a slow-cooked lyonnaise onion compote and a savoury cream cheese; those looking for a little more indulgence can upgrade it with caviar or black truffle. McClurg says it looks “like a cake emoji”. It’s a flex from a kitchen with serious culinary skills, working with great ingredents and a sense of fun.
Photograph by Rachel Taylor
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