Darcy’s, 10 Bradbury Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Hours: 4-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 1-9:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
Menu: https://www.darcysbelfast.co.uk/_files/ugd/8f6f8d_7fbd6fdbbe004488840e171830734318.pdf
Suitable for: Vegans, vegetarians, lovers of pub food
We had been in Belfast for, oh, about five hours when I decreed it was time for some proper pub food. A quick scan of HappyCow and Yelp – I’ve found using the two in tandem is a winner – showed a few options, but after walking the streets of Belfast for a while to get our bearings, we cast our lot with Darcy’s – and we were certainly not disappointed.
As soon as we entered the space and stepped up to the host stand, we felt like family. To a person, everyone from the host to the bartender to our server were warm and welcoming, bringing these two Yanks into the fold in no time. We sat down at our cozy little table, snug (but not too snug) next to other patrons, and perused the menu.
First up: A Guinness, my first since arriving into Ireland and Northern Ireland a day prior. I had heard that Guinness was better there in the “Motherland,” but had pooh-poohed it; but I must say, that is a fact! I’m not even a big fan of Guinness in the States, and yet after Darcy’s I found myself ordering one a night. When in (Northern) Ireland … right?
Next we made a prayerful decision to give the boxty dumplings a try. Boxty, a potato pancake, is super-popular on the island, as we quickly learned in both Dublin and Belfast. We’d seen all these advertisements for boxty this and boxty that, and being a potato lover I knew I’d like it. So when the opportunity arose to enjoy some boxty dumplings, we leapt at the chance. The dumplings were at once chewy and firm, an outer gnocchi-like “skin” giving way to a delightful potato mixture within. We mowed them down at once and, reader, I wish I had more right now as I’m writing this.
For our main course, we went two different directions, both of which were delightful. I chose the nut and mushroom Wellington with celeriac mash, seasonal greens and onion gravy. Let me tell you, I chose correctly! I am a sucker for anything in puff pastry, and this Wellington was so perfectly prepared, so hearty and yet also not heavy, that I knew at once I needed to savor every bite. I did all I could not to inhale the entire meal in one gulp – but it was certainly tempting!
LeeLee, meanwhile, had the vegan sausages, which came with petit peas, onion gravy and several onion rings piled high up top. The sausages were perfectly seasoned, the gravy and peas were a perfect complement, and oh! Those onion rings! They were so lightly fried, so crisp, so surprisingly dainty. The perfect accoutrement to a protein-packed dish.
We wished we had room for dessert, but alas! Our stomachs were crying Uncle even though our eyes wanted more. Next time.
And I surely hope there will be a next time in short order: We loved Belfast, and we adored Darcy’s! Make it part of your travel plan the next time you find yourself in the area – you’ll be glad you did.
:)