The Sooty Olive,
162 Spencer Road,
Derry,
BT47 6AH
028 7134 6040
facebook.com/TheSootyOliveRestaurant
I have a love-hate relationship with Spencer Road. I always do my best to avoid driving along it. There’s never anywhere to park, it’s too narrow, and there are too many other cars squeezing up and down it. It’s the land where wing mirrors go to die.
But, the people are nice, the shops are handy, and it’s also home to the Sooty Olive, so it’s worth another scratch to the Mazda’s paintwork. It’s not like you’ll see it through the dirt anyway.
I love the Sooty Olive. It’s possibly my favourite restaurant in Derry, and I simply don’t get there as often as I’d like, which would be once a week, minimum, if I could.
We were due to go on the Friday, but had to cancel at the last minute and change the booking to Saturday, with 5pm being pretty much the only available time slot. This meant we were the only customers there when we arrived, although it filled up in no time. It also meant we walked in just as the final whistle blew at Goodison. An Everton victory on the same day as a Liverpool defeat meant there was only one drink for me – a McDaid’s Football Special. Delicious, and criminally rare in Derry.
Faced with the old dilemma of starter and main or main and dessert, we plumped for the old answer, and ignored the starters.
Our daughter chose the chicken and mash with gravy, focusing largely on the last two. There’s no lack of effort when it comes to the children’s menu. The mash was creamy and buttery, and the gravy was deeply savoury. And the chicken, taken home in a doggy bag, was beautifully succulent even after a night in the fridge. The second of the three chicken dishes ordered – the roast chicken in the light and delicate velouté – was beautifully succulent too, and there was never the chance of a trip home with us. The charred corn added sweetness and bitterness, while the straw potatoes gave the dish texture, although were not as popular as the chips, which were crisp and then fluffy and soft.
Along similar lines, the Katsu chicken was delicious. A wonderful layer of crunchy breadcrumbs, moist chicken, rice with a hint of lime and floral coriander, all on top of a sweet, creamy, gently heating curry sauce, with a bite of pak choi for good measure. I’d still say my cod was the pick of the bunch. Again, there was an understanding of the importance of texture, which came from the lovely herb crust which sat on top of the perfectly cooked, soft, shining flakes of fish. The bacon and leek mash gave things a touch of saltiness and sharpness, while the parsley sauce lifted and brightened the dish.
And so to the desserts, and here comes the fault. Not the lemon posset – creamy, sweet, with a gentle zing – but the cheesecake. Okay, so the mixed berry topping was full of flavour, and the cheesecake itself was creamy, sweet, and utterly moreish. But the biscuit base was a little too soft. I know. How can they sleep at night?
The reason I like the Sooty Olive so much is that it manages to pull off the nifty trick of being borderline fine dining while warm and informal at the same time. It’s not a place with any airs and graces. There’s not a trace of snootiness. They don’t mind if children have a wander and play on the chairs in the lounge (or, if they do, they hide it well). They laugh, and stop to chat, and make it all seem so effortless. But the standards and principles when it comes to the food and the cooking are sky high. You get beautiful, beautifully-presented food made by ambitious chefs in an amiable, affable, easy-going atmosphere. It’s great, basically.
THE BILL
Cod, herb crust, capers, leek and parsley sauce, crayfish, broccoli - £25.00
Katsu chicken curry, lime and coriander rice, pak choi - £25.00
Roast chicken, chicken velouté, charred corn, spinach, straw potatoes - £25.00
Child’s chicken escalope, gravy - £5.00
Bacon and leek mash - £1.50
Vegetables - £4.00
Child’s ice cream - £3.00
Lemon posset, honeycomb, shortbread biscuit - £5.00
Mixed berry cheesecake, honeycomb, lemon sorbet - £5.00
Diet Coke x 2 - £4.00
McDaid’s Football Special - £2.00
Americano - £2.65
Total: £107.15
