THIS year has been full of ups and downs for Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry - something chef Michael Deane knows better than most.
At the end of 2023 he announced the closure of his Michelin starred restaurant Eipic, instead opting to introduce a more casual style of dining to his Howard Street ‘mothership.’
This came in the form of mrDeanes. Named after Michael’s late father, Ted, the restaurant provides a more accessible space without compromising on the cooking that put the Deanes name on the map. It’s for this reason that this ‘bistro, bar and social’ is my favourite foodie find of 2024.
I’ve always believed that it’s pointless to order anything in a restaurant that you could make just as well at home - which is why more often than not I avoid the ‘classics’ namely dishes like carbonara, chicken supreme and steak and chips but mrDeanes serves as an exception.
The aged, chargrilled Irish sirloin was well cooked, rested and its big beefy flavour was complemented nicely by a generous coating of pepper sauce and thick, yet hot and crispy golden chips.
It was so good that we didn’t even bother with the polite hemming and hawing people do when they’re handed a dessert menu - we just cut to the chase.
Deane’s crème caramel and blackberry pudding has taken a 1980s classic and elevated it to a whole new level - which very much appears to be a speciality.
The sharpness of the blackberries and accompanying sorbet sliced through the sweetness of the vanilla pudding, which was light, creamy and had a lovely wobble to it.
Although the setting and style have been dressed down, mrDeanes has kept the standard up. It’s comfort food at its finest.
When I interviewed thee Mr Deane ahead of the restaurant’s opening in May he said it was “incredibly hard” to walk away from the Michelin star that Eipic had held for seven years but it’s decision that – at least in my eyes – has paid off.
