James Street South Restaurant

This review refers to the bistro. Two of us had booked in the Saturday evening before Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed it! The décor is clean but warm and not gimmicky like so many places currently are. The staff were just a nice level of chatty and attentive without being overbearing. There was a lovely buzz about the place and all seemed in hand, despite it obviously being such a busy night. Food-​wise, I would say the menu favours people who like their fish. We, on the other hand, opted for the macaroni cheese and one of the burgers. We finished off with a really lovely dessert and a couple of Xmas cocktails. There’s a vey good cocktail menu. I can’t find anything to fault so I’m not going to! Next time, we might splurge on trying the restaurant itself:)

Went to James Street South on Saturday with my girlfriend and had a lovely time. Lots of couples around and tables for two (the tables were spacious and had ample room on either side, so you weren’t knocking elbows with your neighbors). On arrival, we immediately appreciated the restaurant’s upmarket, urban feel. After some unadventurous but yummy cocktails, we moved on to wine which I thought was reasonably priced. For food, we shared a starter of smoked tuna which was unusual but tasty. For mains, we ordered squid and a fillet steak, with a side of haricots vert to share. All was delicious, and we both felt nicely full after the meal.
Beyond the meal, we enjoyed the service and sophisticated atmosphere.

Cookery School — is a fantastic experience. Learnt how to make a 3 course meal in a fun atmosphere. Will definitely be back for more classes. Really enjoyed the evening.

Unfortunately, this was a big disappointment. The bread was something one might expect from a cafeteria. The fish was a bit over cooked and bathed in salt. The desert was pre-​made and microwaved. They couldn’t even deliver the coffee with the desert. The presentation was haphazard. The atmosphere is stark, cold and too bright. When my date’s napkin dropped on the floor, the waitress walked by, picked it up and handed it back to her. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The bottom line is that everything was rather «ordinary.» With so many fine restaurants in Belfast, this is one you could afford to skip. By the way, if you like sweetener instead of sugar, you’ll be out of luck.

Wow wow wow. What a restaurant. It is a real treat to come to this fancy little place located… erm… on James Street South. Looks amazing on the inside and outside. The staff are really polite, not at all snobby which usually you find in classy establishments like this. We got the pre-​theatre menu which was 3 courses for £18.50. This would be the price of a main course normally so I’d advise you to come for this instead because the food is great but for a large party it could end up quite expensive.
I got trout which had fennel, something I’d never had before and perhaps it was because of the atmosphere, or the «ambience» as it is called in a posh place, but it was really really good.
The selection of cheeses for dessert were lovely because I’m a bit of a cheese fanatic.
But for anyone who has not heard about this, or anyone who has heard of it but are concerned about whether they’d like it or not, I promise you you’ll come here. It is fantastic and well worth it.
I will come back definitely.

One of Belfast’s slightly more affluent restaurants, James Street South is in stiff competition with neighbouring restaurant Deanes (which already boasts Northern Ireland’s only Michelin star)
At the helm is up and coming celebrity chef Niall McKenna, recently serving his dessert at the Great British Menu banquet for the Prince of Wales. As far as I remember it was strawberry jelly with lavender ice cream, rolled in yellow man and served in a sugar twill… impressive.
My visit to this chique business restaurant was at Christmas. Myself and girlfriend went for the full three courses.
Now, one thing I will say about this place is it does have an essence of stuffiness to some extent. It’ operates an almost ‘silver service’, White table cloths, every glass imaginable on your table and slightly over the top service. If I have managed to get up, dress myself, make a reservation, walk to the venue, sit down, order, start a conversation and not severely injure myself, then I am able to fill my own glass when it is depleted.
Anyways, the food. Despite overly keen staff the food is certainly striving for that coveted Michelin star. My first course was a dainty little pigeon breast, served blue with a fois gras foam and pomme purée. It was superb, rich port and gamey iron from the duck, surrounding in buttery rich fois gras. Minuscule but awe inspiring.
Main was a little disappointing. At this point in my life I can say I can judge a piece of beef with a reasonable level of proficiency. The square chunk of over cooked sirloin was not of the highest quality, tasteless and bland. The bone marrow ‘gratin’ was simply the most confusing addition to a plate I have seen to date. Having only had bone marrow once previously I was keen to sample the rich and fatty gem once again. This was essentially bone marrow flavoured breadcrumbs shoved back into the marrow bone. It was bland on a new level, no texture, akin to cheap bags of sage and onion stuffing. Not good.
Reparations were made however with the frankly sublime tarte tatin. Served in a dainty copper pan it was soaked in rich butter and cognac, lots of cream and cinnamon… fantastic.
For one drink each and the three courses it worked out at around £65. Certainly at the upper end of the spectrum and a bit of a disappointment it’s still something worth trying. If you did follow the Great British Menu show you can head chef Niall McKenna’s set four course for £55.

High quality cuisine in the centre of Belfast is what James Street south is all about. Situated close to the Grand Opera House the restaurant hosts a pre show lunch from 5.45pm to 6.45pm which is a bargain for the quality of food you get. There is also a good lunch menu which is rather moderately priced.
The chef in James Street South actually made it on to the Great British Menu, a BBC TV show that pits all the best chefs around the British Isles against each other and he did rather well. So with accolades a plenty you can be sure that you will enjoy any meal you decide to have here.

I’ve eaten here twice. I won’t eat here again. The first time I was very impressed with the seductive surroundings and fancy interior, and the food made a good impression too. Although I did feel the portions were a little on the small side for the price. It’s got that designer-​vibe to it, and there is a very pretentious air about the place, unlike some other, superior restaurants I’ve been to.
The second time I ate at James Street South was for a special occasion, and it certainly left a bad taste in all our mouths — the whole dining experience ruined the night from start to finish. The food was late coming, and when it did it was cold and bland and nowhere near the quality suggested by the price. My brother’s meal was inedible and when we tried to send it back we got a very unhelpful response from the wait staff. It put us all in a bad mood and we all vowed never to eat there again.
But don’t take my word for it, go yourself, it will be a good waste of a couple of hundred quid…