The Banks Restaurant,
28/30 Main Street,
Strabane, BT82 8AS.
Tel: 028 7187 6210
APPARENTLY, few people know why The Banks is called 'The Banks', and no-one has a clue what the three wavy lines mean on the menus and the sign above the door.
One theory about the name concerns the number of banks in the vicinity; another, mischievously, puts it down to the amount of money borrowed for the venture. The wavy lines remain anyone's guess.
In fact, the name and the emblem are linked. The restaurant is on the banks of the river, close to where the Foyle, Strule, and Mourne converge.
We tried to book for a Saturday night – a week in advance – but the restaurant was already full. I thought it might be down to Valentine's Day, but it's been booked up for every Saturday night for the past few weeks and for at least a week to come.
In the end, we had to settle for Saturday lunchtime, stopping off in Strabane on the way down to Omagh from Derry. When we walked in – my wife, daughter, and I – the first thing that struck us was the sense of light and space. The restaurant opens on to the street, but stretches back the depth of the block, so light streams in from front and back, as well as from skylights in the high ceiling.
And then there was the décor: forest green, black, pale gold, copper, light brown. The Banks feels very modern and sleek, but rich, warm, and well-established, too.
If any money was borrowed from the banks, it's been well-spent, with an eye for detail and a sense of what the place is to be. Which, looking at the other people already in for lunch, appeared to be the Co Tyrone host venue of some toasted sandwich eating competition I'd not been told about: everyone was tucking into toasties, apart from the two men on the table next to us who were there for some very glamorous-looking cocktails.
Tempted as I was by a toasted sandwich, we were looking for something a bit more special. After all, it's not every day you get to go to Omagh.
My daughter chose the child's chicken and mash. I've said before that a good way to judge a place is by how well they prepare the children's food. Well, full marks in that case. Beautiful buttery, creamy mash, with tender, delicate, moist chicken and the loveliest gravy, light and full of flavour. And it came as soon as it was ready. No waiting for the grown-ups while there was a hungry child to feed.
The steak burger was tremendous. The patty was thick and packed with flavour and, while the bacon threatened too much saltiness, there were sweet and sharp pickled red onions that lifted every bite.
I was delighted with my sugar pit pork chop. It was tender and pink, cooked to perfection, with a nicely caramelised finish. The cabbage the chop sat on kept a good crunch amid the butteriness, and complemented the meat well.
The Dijon mustard sauce was absolutely gorgeous – rich, gleaming, and with just the right amount of sharpness. My only criticism would be I'd have liked more of the sweet carrot puree, to offset the saltiness of the pork.
Nevertheless, there was a careful combination of flavour and texture in the dish, as there was in everything we ordered. Oh, and the chips were brilliant.
Incidentally, the restaurant has a separate vegan and vegetarian menu, which looked very good – certainly there is no sense of such customers being an afterthought.
Apart from a bowl of ice cream for my daughter, we didn't have time for anything other than a tea and coffee after we finished eating, such was the haunting call of the A5, but I don't imagine for a second there won't be a return visit.
Some people – condescending snobs, perhaps – may have claimed there was no need for another quality restaurant in Strabane, that there wouldn't be the demand. The Banks has only been open for a few months, but is already proving the naysayers wrong.
The rivers won't be the only ones converging here.
THE BILL
:: Mains
Steak burger, smoked bacon, double cheddar – £11
Sugar pit pork chop, Dijon mustard sauce, buttered cabbage – £10
Child's chicken and mashed potato – £6.50
:: Sides (free with mains)
Mashed potato
Chips
:: Desserts
Child's ice cream – £4
:: Drinks
Americano – £2.80
Tea – £2.50
TOTAL: £36.80
