RUMBLE IN THE CRUMBLE

Rhubarb Café, Little Victoria Street, Belfast.  25^th September 2013

Lunch-time in Belfast city centre.  Twelve months have passed since my return to our fair city and I never fail to be foxed by the eternal question – “where to today”?  The problem lies not with a lack of eateries but rather with the plethora of options currently showcased by the capital.   Options that can prove bewildering to the sustenance-deprived and occasionally listless office-worker, leading us to plump for The Usual.  The Usual varies widely from person to person and can be anything from a ham sandwich to a vile-looking cottage cheese, celery and tuna mix followed by a protein bar (to be seen to be believed).  Anyone who works in an office or any communal place of work will attest to the dizzying distinction between one person’s “usual” and another’s.      

 

Today, Fate intervened and I received an invitation to lunch at Rhubarb Café in Little Victoria Street.  I had eaten there once, in the past few weeks actually, but admittedly prior to that I had always overlooked Rhubarb.  In terms of location it has the misfortune of competing with Ginger Bistro (amazing) and the reptile shop (creepily fascinating).  My meal, however, had been very pleasant and the restaurant is unlicensed (“Bring Your Own” is encouraged) - which led me to believe that I had perhaps been missing a trick.  And who turns down a free lunch?  
 

The restaurant seemed to be doing a brisk lunch-time trade.  We arrived and were welcomed and seated very quickly.  I had, as usual, scoped out the menu in advance and knew exactly what both I and my dining companion would be eating.  I opted for the “Salt and chill prawns with Asian-slaw and chilli mayonnaise” and my dining companion had the “Steak burger with cheddar, bacon, chunky chips and BBQ sauce”.  I honestly have yet to see a male resist a burger on a menu.  If someone has ever witnessed an exception to this rule, please tell me.  Really, seriously, please.

While we waited for our meal (which actually arrived very promptly) we were treated to the sounds and smells of cooking from the centrally-situated kitchen, which was a welcome addition to the cafe’s ambience.  The café hosts an interesting variety of clientele – certainly a larger cross-section than some other restaurants in town which tend to draw in professionals only and can represent a post-script to the meeting you’ve just fled.    

When my dish arrived I was arrested by the liberal serving of prawns – an immediately cheering sight and a rare surprise.  So much so, that I almost didn’t clock that the “Asian-slaw” was a rather loose interpretation and was probably more of a leaf-less salad.  It was slightly lacklustre and could have been jazzed up quite simply with a bit of dressing or a few more exotic (even Asian) ingredients.  Nonetheless the flavour of the prawns was superb.  The light coating of spiced batter complemented rather than overpowered the seafood; and the chilli mayonnaise was a tasty pairing.       

 

 

I’d love to comment on my dining companion’s meal.  Nevertheless not even on a single chip from his plate passed my lips.  As you can see, it looks enticing.  It smelt enticing as well.   The only testimonial I have is “Uh-huh.  Lovely”.  I will comment that I’m not sure that the portion size was quite as substantial as the picture suggests - which is borne out by the fact that we had to stop in a newsagents’ on the way back to the office for a packet of McCoys (and they weren’t for me).  Although, by way of full disclosure, I should point out that my dining companion once ate half of my lunch after polishing off his own.  

 

Rhubarb offers an excellent alternative to the common or garden city-centre lunch and has very recently branched out with a new outpost on Wellington Place, very close to Pure Running.   The menu is varied and adventurous, the service was both friendly and highly efficient and, with the bill coming to a grand total of £14.00 for two meals, the value for money was exceptional.

 Of course, everything offers exceptional value for money when it’s free.