RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lady Anne Brasserie at The Balmoral Hotel

THE Balmoral Hotel has established itself as a favourite for many locals in West and South Belfast and beyond offering a unique dining experience for many years.
The hotel has undergone a recent impressive revamp with the opening of Stix & Stones ‘steak on the stone’ restaurant as well as the modernisation of the ever-popular Lady Anne Brasserie.
The Lady Anne is much-changed inside with new décor in a comfortable setting, with an excellent menu, offering a full range of choices from light bites to mains, there really is something for all the family. I went along one Friday lunchtime to find out just why Anne is everyone’s favourite Lady to dine with.
We were shown to our table by staff, who I must note were attentive and friendly throughout our visit – even providing recommendations for what to order from such an extensive and mouth-watering menu.
Starters
For starter, the bucket of Balmoral Hot Wings stuck out like a sore thumb for me, served crispy with a hot sauce coating, they were simply delicious with just that right amount of kick to them. Served with a garlic dip, it was the perfect combination.
My three colleagues’ starters also seemed to go down rather well. The Italian Style Cheesy Garlic Ciabatta topped with sun-blushed tomatoes, red onion and basil pesto with mozzarella, rocket and balsamic glaze was delightfully presented and would put many so-called ‘Italian’ restaurants in the city to shame.
The Creamy Garlic mushrooms – tossed with parmesan and cream, served on a chargrilled brioche and dressed with rocket and fresh parmesan must have been so tasty that it was gone in a flash thanks to my colleague, the PG.
The final starter was the homemade vegetable broth which is also available together with the roast of the day – a popular order, especially on a Sunday.
Main Courses
It was on to the mains and I must say the choice is so vast, you are sure to experience a selection headache.
It was a tough decision with so many mouth-watering mains available but I opted for the Mexican Steak Burrito. Not something I would order in a restaurant – unless I was in Boojum – but I must say this burrito was just as good. The warm flour tortilla, filled with strips of grilled steak, Mexican spicy rice, smoked cheese and served with the usual favourites of salsa, guacamole, sour cream and some tortilla chips for good measure – it was quite the feast.
Another colleague also went down the Mexican route and ordered the Chicken Fajitas – served on a sizzling dish, the strips of marinated chicken, tossed with onions and peppers was dusted with Mexican spices. The dish was presented very impressively and of course included tortillas, guacamole, salsa and sour cream so you could get your creative hands to work to roll a perfect fajita. The main course included a side – salted chilli chips was the choice and overall it was a fantastic choice. A fellow work colleague opted for the memorably-named ‘Bang Bang Chicken’ which consisted of battered chicken, tossed in wok stir-fried vegetables, egg noodles and oriental sauce and season with coriander and spring onions. It looked the part and you would struggle to get a better Chinese-style meal from any local takeaway.
The final main course was the Peppered Chicken Stack- which looked really tasty indeed, consisting of a chicken fillet, coated in a creamy whiskey and black pepper sauce, topped with tobacco onions and chefs vegetables.
The Lady Anne Brasserie has simply been reborn and I could not recommend enough a visit to this old favourite as soon as possible. A modern dining experience with a fantastic choice of delicious grub – you can not go wrong.

Lady Anne BrasserieBalmoral Hotel, Blacks Road, Dunmurry Belfast BT10 0NF
Tel: 28 90 601455
Web: www.balmoralhotelbelfast.co.uk