We’re stood in the street at 5 minutes to 1pm on a cold and wet Sunday. The Mourne Seafood restaurant doesn’t take bookings on a Sunday and once we’re in it’s easy to see why. 5 minutes after the doors open the place is full. We have a party of 10 (including a baby) and the staff seat us quickly, the service is prompt and courteous. Mourne seafood has a name around Belfast as being the premier eatery for all things seafood, something that I don’t eat that often or pretend to know too much about. With that in mind our server is fielding a myriad of questions about pretty much everything on the menu, all of which he answers with knowledge and enthusiasm. The interior looks as they’ve made use of original walls and flooring with dark woods, bare walls and floors, there’s also occasional modern touches here and there without over whelming the place.
I get a cup of seafood chowder to start and a pint of the Mourne Seafood’s own Oyster stout. The chowder is thick and creamy with large chunks of salmon throughout. It has a taste of the sea without being overly fishy, the stout too is a great compliment, more of a traditional stout than Guinness but with a great head and deep peaty taste. For mains I have the spicy fried cod with guacamole and fajita fries. The idea of this dish is to conjure thoughts of a fajita I would guess. The fish comes in chunks (like really large fish fingers) and is battered in a light spicy coating, this comes with a bowl of skins on skinny fries doused in garlic and chilli. These look well cooked and have a great colour and snappy crunch. There’s a sides salad, a slice of lemon and guacamole. The presentation is simple but effective, however every time I have some guacamole I’m half expecting it to be mushy peas! This was a twist on a classic and I have to say I enjoyed the upgrades, the spice in the fish helped add something extra without taking away the flavour and texture we’re used to with cod.
For dessert I had a soft centre chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a coffee. The cake came out warm and with a gooey soft melted centre and the ice cream proved a great compliment. I’ve always enjoyed the sensation of something hot and something cool together, for me it just works. The soft centre brings a moistness and flavour that mixes in with cake and ice cream alike. Delicious. The coffee had a great tang to it without a lot of after taste, served in a large wide cup (which is the kind of cup I like, in case you care).
The bill came in about £30 a head which seems very reasonable, especially for seafood. Before I went I’d heard a lot of hype about Mourne seafood and I have to say it does live up to the hype, I was so impressed I think next time I’ll try something a little more adventurous than cod too!
