Oh my goodness!! What can I say! This place is amazing – I loved every minute. Edo is Latin for ‘I eat’ and that is exactly what I did!
Situated on Upper Queen Street in Belfast (https://www.edorestaurant.co.uk/) it isn’t anything spectacular from the outside but wait until you get inside and sample the amazing dishes on offer. It is a Spanish Tapas restaurant and the menu takes influence from the best ingredients and cooking techniques from across Europe whilst using the top local market-fresh produce on our doorstep here in Northern Ireland.
Everything is perfectly paired, tastes divine and looks fabulous. I went with friends who are regular customers of Edo and having sampled most of the menu, there isn’t anything they don’t like. And I can see why. Each dish is lovingly created and you can tell the amount of thought that has gone into it.
What struck me first is that this is a restaurant that is taking the whole Covid-19 thing really seriously and they aren’t just paying lip service to it. Tables and chairs have been removed from the restaurant to allow for social distancing, all the staff, including the chefs, are wearing face coverings and there is an ample supply of hand sanitizer. We had made a booking so on arrival were taken straight to our table and given menus. Oh! Where to start??
Whilst studying the menu I had a non alcoholic Mojito. Looked and tasted great and then the food started coming….and it just kept coming….
First off we had the Quail Special – Quail, plum, shallot and crispy quails egg. The quail was cooked perfectly and the yolk of the quail egg was still soft even though it had been fried in a crispy coating.
Then came the lentil dahl with Aubergine and Sourdough (£10). This was fabulous. I’m not a huge fan of anything spicy but this was perfect. Just a little kick off it but not enough to be uncomfortable and the pomegranate seeds added that little bit of texture.
The flavours just kept coming…… Salt Cod fritters with Seaweed tartare (£10), Softshell Crab, Chilli & Red Cabbage (£10), Chicken Thigh & Romesco (£8.50), Beef Cheek, Parmesan Truffle (£15.50), Dry-Aged Rib Eye, Bleu d’Auvergne (£22)…… and that was before we even thought about dessert! The Beef cheek literally melted in my mouth. It was a fabulously rich dish and the parmesan and truffle finished it off perfectly. The Rib-eye was cooked to perfection and tasted just as succulent as it looked.
Having been blown away by what I had already eaten there was absolutely no way I could turn down dessert. The Chocolate Tart and raspberry ripple ice-cream was the perfect end to an amazing meal. Rich and smooth, the dark chocolate top cut through the sweetness of the milk chocolate filling and raspberries are the perfect accompaniment to anything containing chocolate. The desserts were never going to be shared so my friend also had the chocolate tart and her husband had the Cheeseboard (£10)…. which was a big hit too!
The service was attentive throughout without being over bearing. It was great to have a long chat with the Front of house Manager at the end discussing the effects of lockdown, problems with the supply chain etc. All things that the customer doesn’t necessarily see or understand for that matter.
I have a strange feeling that this will not be my only visit to Edo….it was an experience well worth repeating over and over again. Great job guys!!
Chicken Thigh, Romesco
Salt Cod Fritters, Seaweed Tartare
Beef Cheek ,Parmesan, Truffle
Mojito Mocktail