A Wee Review: Stove

A quick disclaimer - none of our Wee Reviews are gifted or sponsored. We just like shouting about places that deserve it.

I will cut to the chase, I really, really like Stove.  

It’s solid, not in a boring way, it’s strong, it knows who it is and yet it’s light and delicate and moreish! 

Many are quick to point out the entrance is unspectacular, but honestly it’s just a door.  It’s beside the Bengal Brasserie on the Ormeau Road.  Up the stairs you go and into the bright and buzzing dining room.  

Greeted with a lovely list of pre dinner cocktails, it suited the warm evening as I opted for the Limoncello Margarita which was extremely easy to drink as I perused the menu. I haven’t had Limoncello since I drank a litre of a homemade version on a motor home in a South Australian campsite after traveling for over 24 hours.  I shook for 3 days...

The menu is a perfect mix of summery and comforting. Stove comes from the same stable as Ginger in the centre of Belfast.  Again, always solid and always a favourite with the office types entertaining colleagues or clients. Though Stove has that neighborhood restaurant feel and the Ormeau Road is very lucky to have it.  The service is bubbly and helpful, the wine list is classic Mark Jefferson wines (those of you that shopped from us when we had our pop up, Bottle to Boot, will no doubt recognise them) and it’s perfectly compact, which I love.  

Thankfully my dining companion is like me, loves to share. Why have one dish when you can try two?! So we had the grilled peaches and soft mozzarella as well as the beef tartare topped with perfectly runny yolk.  These were washed down with a glass of creamy Spanish Rosé which was ideal for both dishes.  

This was the week that was summer in Belfast so I wanted a main that suited the day.  Opting for fish, it was either their special of sole with a curried oil or cod. Opting for cod, it had a romenesco sauce, scattered with hazelnuts, all placed on a bed of broccoli.  I didn’t want it to end, that’s when I know I am eating somewhere that I am coming back to.  My companion had the wonderfully cooked pink lamb with fresh tomatoes, canellini beans and a summery gravy which again was packed with flavor and so utterly satisfying.   A Picpoul de Pinet hit the spot alongside both.

We couldn’t finish there.. with this type of cooking, you know dessert will be beautiful. A sharp lemon panacotta with sweet torched meringue with accompanying raspberries was promptly ordered with a deeply smooth and decadent chocolate tart and salted caramel.. I am not a sweet person, but this is a grown up tart that hit all the sweet spots in all the right places! 

In conclusion, I would compare Stove to a retriever, yes a dog.  But those who know me know how much I adore dogs, particularly flat coat retrievers... I digress.  It’s a classic, no trouble, fun, solid and the type that makes you choose it over and over again.  After all, the room with the stove is the best room in the house!

Head over to www.stovebelfast.com to book a table.

Words by Caroline.