The Night Stairs,
above the Sooty Olive,
160-64 Spencer Road,
Derry
SUNDAY March 15 2020. Sean Harrigan, the chef-owner of the Sooty Olive in Derry, and his wife Aisling were on the way to Belfast to celebrate his birthday.
They got as far as Magherafelt and stopped. In the early days of Covid there was too much uncertainty, too many unknowns, too many rumours flying about on social media, and nowhere near enough clarity of information.
This was a situation no one had ever encountered before. Without clear guidance, Sean and Aisling had to make a decision for themselves.
One thing was certain: this was no time to celebrate a birthday. Parked up in Magherafelt, they made a series of calls, cancelling their restaurant booking and the stay at the Merchant Hotel and, finally, ringing the staff at the Sooty Olive, telling them they were closing the restaurant.
Then it was back to Derry, to help pack everything away.
"We were shaking with fear," recalls Sean. "The only thing we knew for certain was we had to keep our staff, and so we paid them out of our savings. In the end, though, furlough saved our skin."
Life for the Harrigans changed overnight. Sean began his restaurant career 11 years ago, at the age of 30, and was used to working long hours, starting at 9.30am and finishing any time between 10pm and 11.30pm.
Suddenly he was at home all day, while Aisling, a teacher at St Eithne's Primary School in the Hazelbank area of Derry, disappeared at 8am and didn't emerge until 6pm, her time full of online lessons and staff training sessions.
Sean and Aisling have three children: Oisin (23), Hannah (22) and Aisling Og, who, at nine, was born just two years after Sean started working in hospitality.
"Bar days off, Aisling Og and I had spent very little time together," says Sean. It meant the lockdown period became "a massive connection period for us both".
"We spent hours together, doing schoolwork, going out for walks, and playing football morning, noon, and night," he explains.
"We would be at the table first thing - me with my coffee and Aisling Og with her books - and then she'd be, 'Right, outside, now' and out we'd go with the ball."
If the new order took a little getting used to, it wasn't long before Sean realised how much he liked it, and how much better things were.
"There's a new connection with the family, and we're not going back to the way things were," he says.
And that attitude extends to the staff at his restaurant.
"We were lucky that we didn't lose anyone over the lockdown," he says. "But now we're trying to maintain this big push, always looking to see how we can make things better for our staff.
"Even before lockdown, we had decided to close Mondays and Tuesdays, but now we're going to close for three weeks every year. It makes things better for the staff.
"They'll know when they're going to be off. They can plan their time, book their holidays. They'll have certainty.
"I can afford to do it, but, more importantly, I can't afford not to. Life's not all about money."
Given the re-evaluation Sean has undergone, it's perhaps surprising that he's launching a new venture, the Night Stairs, on the floor above the Sooty Olive.
However, this has been three years in the planning. And, besides, if Covid measures mean greater distances between tables and therefore fewer covers, they need to generate income elsewhere; life might not all about money, but a good chunk of it is.
The Night Stairs is equipped with its own kitchen, the original plan being for Sean to work alone up there, producing small plates exclusively upstairs.
But the Sooty Olive is experiencing the same problems recruiting new staff as the rest of the industry, which means Sean is still needed there, and so the Night Stairs kitchen has become the cocktail laboratory for his son, Oisin.
The Night Stairs feels like a secret. There's no sign leading you to it, for one thing, so unless you know where you're going, you've no idea where to go.
Once you do get there, you find one main lounge and two rooms off it. The low seats are covered in soft velvet. The colour scheme is decadent and luxurious - dark green and navy blue, with gleams of gold and polished brass. The lights hang low, too, and the fittings are trimmed with frills like a flapper's dress.
It's like being in a speakeasy, although there was no raid when I called in to try it by myself as a treat, so I can't say if there's a button you can press to switch the seats to pews and the bar to a pulpit.
The food is just as you'd expect from the Sooty Olive – no startling surprises, but everything done perfectly, and with respect and style.
The chicken and mushroom soup was deeply flavoursome, with deliciously crunchy and then soft croutons dusted with mushroom powder.
The chips were beautiful – crisp, then soft and sweet, with salty Parmesan and aromatic truffle oil.
Best of all was the squid – a perfect combination of textures and flavours, just the right amount of bite, and accompanied by a rich kewpie mayonnaise.
For the time being, the Night Stairs works off the starter menu from the Sooty Olive. But don't go thinking the Night Stairs is merely clipped on to the restaurant.
While customers are invited to have a drink there before their meal, or go upstairs when they've finished eating, it has its own distinct atmosphere, and it's easy to imagine it'll soon be a venue in its own right - especially once Sean Harrigan gets its kitchen to himself.
THE BILL
Chicken and mushroom soup £4.95
Truffle and Parmesan fries £5.00
Crispy squid £7.50
Sparkling water £3.20
Total: £20.65
