The Sooty Olive, Spencer Road, Derry 028 7134 6040
DO YOU know what a sooty olive is? It doesn't matter what you say: I'm going to tell you regardless. (Incidentally, you probably shouldn't be speaking out loud to a newspaper). It is a type of fly, used in fly fishing. A cracker for dibbling, apparently. And it's also the name of a restaurant on the Waterside in Derry.
I fully intend to marry these two facts together hilariously in the final paragraph. Don't say you've not been warned.
This is a hard place to get into. I mean to book, not that they lock the door or anything. I tried maybe half a dozen times to get a table for a Friday or Saturday, but no joy. Don't they know who I am? I wondered. Just in case they did, I rang again using a false name and a handkerchief over the phone. Bingo. They squeezed the two of us in for 6.30 on the Friday of the Jazz Festival weekend.
To be honest, it's no surprise the Sooty Olive is so popular. It's a nice, central location - just 10 minutes after we left we'd walked over the Craigavon Bridge and were taking in the be-bop at Bennigan's.
It's friendly and welcoming, and has a good range of wines and beers. The prices are keen and - most important of all, the food is really good. Not faultless - and certainly not saltless - but you get tasty, imaginative dishes, well-cooked, and stylishly presented.
We had the ham hock and the beetroot and apple salad to start with. I wasn't fussed about the croutons but the ham was warm and full of flavour and the accompanying piccalilli it gave it a fine sweet zip. Although there were maybe a few too many leaves in the salad, the flavours of apple and beetroot and citrus and cheese balanced beautifully, showing real understanding of combinations.
I'd never had John Dory until this night. I think I might live on it now. What a terrific fish! Good, meaty, melting flakes, lightly fried, the texture matching perfectly with the creamy, cheesy risotto. I loved it, and relished every forkful. The chicken supreme was delicious too. A touch too much salt on the skin, I'd say, but the meat was moist and giving. And, again, the blend of textures in the dish was a real bonus - a crisp coating to the runny egg, a bit of bite to the asparagus, and snappy shards of Parma ham. They know how different foods go together here.
There's a really tempting list of puddings - brownies, parkins, meringues, crumbles, all sure-fire winners when done well. I'm very sophisticated, so I went for the lemon posset, which was a perfect way to end the meal - light and creamy, sweet and refreshing, and topped with a sharp lime jelly. And by sharp, I mean it makes your eyeballs spin like the wheels on a slot machine. Great, as was the sable biscuit that came with it, which isn't made of real sable, you'll be relieved to learn, and as also was the big bowl of ice cream that I ordered, just in case the posset got lonely. This is a smashing restaurant, a smiley place, with plenty of life and bounce to it, chatty and interested. They want you to enjoy yourself, they want you to engage with you, and they want you to enjoy your food. That seems a strange thing to say about a restaurant, but there are plenty of places where it doesn't appear to apply, where they're simply not that bothered, so long as you pay and don't hog your table for too long.
Not here. Take your time; enjoy your night. And, most of all, enjoy your meal, the ingredients of which are carefully sourced, and then prepared, cooked, and plated with skill and appreciation and pride.
It's no wonder the Sooty Olive gets booked up so quickly. I've just been here the once, but - here comes hilarity - I'm already hooked!
The bill
Starters:
Shredded ham hock, fried egg, brioche croutons, piccalilli, asparagus Beetroot and apple salad, spiced nuts, Cashel blue cheese
Mains:
Charcoal grilled Irish chicken supreme, crisp hen's egg, asparagus, parma ham Pan-fried John Dory, pea risotto
Side orders:
Seasonal vegetables; bacon and leek mash
Pudding:
Lemon posset, lime jelly, sable biscuit Selection of ice cream
Set price for three courses £17.95 x 2
Drinks:
Bottle of Sauvignon Blance £19.95 Kinnegar Indian Pale Ale £4.50 Coffee £2.95 x 2
Total: £66.25