Once I discovered that fresh seafood was available from varying outlets from just around the corner…read moreI was in heaven. I've been cooking for a long time and it was either cooking or journalism that was going to be my career path. I took the latter but experimenting with food has now become my method of relaxation. I've been here numerous times. This little seafood stall in St George's Market has been here since I've been coming and has a gaggle of fresh local seafood. The range varies according to fishing periods and what's available. I've bought huge bags of fresh Irish mussels for a paltry £3. Large, moreish and juicy they cannot be beaten. Try sautéing a finely diced torpedo shallot, a clove of garlic and a dash of black pepper. Fire in a large glass of dry white wine and a glass of water, make sure its in a large pot then fire in the mussels. Put the lid on and cook for 4-5mins. Then take the mussels out, add about 100mls of double cream, stir for 30secs and add the mussels back in, toss around and serve. The range is superb. I have a white fish allergy so have to stick to fresh seafood, salmon and tuna but the fish is always of the freshest, highest quality.

I hate fish! Which is why walking by this stall in St Georges is just to tough to bare sometimes…read more But I do get that its a good thing that fresh fish is available for people (strange, alien people to me) take advantage of a resource that all to often can only be found in the frozen food section of the supermarket. This stall sells everything, most of it freshly caught on the day and the prices seem very reasonable. Some of the smaller things such as willicks and mussels are sold in huge bags for next to nothing. Great value if your insane and like fish!

This is one of several superbly stocked fishmongers at the Saturday market, and as far I'm aware…read morethe Friday market as well. There is a plethora of fish on offer. Fresh Dublin Bay prawns, monkfish, mussels, fresh tuna steaks, mackerel and a varied selection of other fishy delights. Now as I've said before I am allergic to white fish so stick to the oily varieties and everything else that has a shell. The staff are very friendly and there's always a bit of banter and of course haggling. Now if it says £8 a kilo and you buy 100grams I wouldn't expect much of a discount but if you are prepared to spend a little more you will get a friends reduction in price. The fish is always fresh, staff friendly and open whenever St George's Market is on Fri, Sat and now Sun. I would try and call down earlier rather than later because stock runs out pretty quickly. Certainly worth a fishy punt. If you're cooking up a creative storm you can't go wrong here.

Atlantic meat market is owned by the same family who own Atlantic Fish next door. This shop is a…read morebit of an institution in North Belfast. It has won various awards, particularly for its pork sausages who's accolades are surrounding the walls. They also offer a good few value packs which offer a lot of meat for a very reasonable price. They also don't mind if you want to change something in the pack for something else, they are more than happy to oblige. My family always get their Christmas turkey and I have never been disappointed with it!

A very well known family run butchers (as most of them seem to be, actually) which is very handily…read morebased just off the Antrim Road, and caters for a very large area of the lower Antrim Road - there doesn't seem to be much competition to be honest. It's a very smart premises, it invites you in with the impression of cleanliness and you get the feeling it's a well run business that is very concerned with meeting the needs of its customers. The men behind the counter know lots of people's names and are really friendly - full of chat and banter. The meat is great quality too, and they have lots of offers on especially at BBQ time - when the meat is flying off the counter faster than they can put it out. Only downside - the parking is a bit of a nuisance, but that's a minor point and not really their fault.

I find fish cafe variable on how they cook food. Half chance it's under cooked half chance it's…read moreburnt. Very greasy, even their gravy looks and tastes greasy. Anytime I've visited it's run by teenagers with an older person standing doing nothing. Orders always wrong, or not wrapped properly and spilt everywhere. It's a shame as it's the only sit in chippy on the high street.

I was drawn in by the little ad in the window for ice cream in an oyster - some of you younger folk…read moremight not know what that even means but it takes me right back to my childhood when the ice cream man used to serve them from his van. I decided to opt for a meal deal and so I had lunchtime fish and chips with bread and butter and an oyster for dessert - very greedy I know. The fish and chips were really nice, chunky, tasty and fresh and the oyster shaped wafer filled with ice cream was a delight though nothing can compete with my memories. This is a family run business right in the middle of Holywood - it is clean and attractive looking from the outside and also has seating for 45 people upstairs. A great wee place to dine in or take away and if you grab a meal deal you will have plenty of change from a tenner.

This pleasant little farm shop has a tasty stall based in St George's Market, so that's what I'm…read morereviewing here. Located just opposite the fishmongers on the city-side of the market is this little foodie delight. They serve all manner of things on bread, rare-breed burgers and roast pork for example. Now while I'm sure I have sampled their food to go at some point I can't quite remember how it fared, so this time I tried their small but perfectly formed range of meats. I am a sucker for rich game. Pigeon and venison are possibly two of the greatest, iron-y, port rich densely textured meats on earth and if I'm given the possibility I will devour them. I noticed on offer were two small venison steaks, vacuum packed for freshness and convenience. To the best of my knowledge all the meats are sourced from the farm directly and are bred to the highest standards. The steaks of course weren't cheap. With meats like venison which can't truly be 'farmed' the cost is always going to be higher but the richness of the meat was superb. Very lean, rich iron on the nose and a touch of dark blood when removing them from the packet. I flash fried the steaks in a hot pan after marinading in juniper berries, sloe gin, a touch of garlic and fresh lemon thyme. Towards the end of the frying I threw in a chunk of butter and before basting them until it became a noisette. The staff were more than helpful and friendly when talking about the source of the meat and a bit of history about the shop. It's open on Sat and Sun generally at the market. Well worth the trip.

Kelan McMichael has really struck Gold with the latest eatery in South Belfast. My wife, two…read moredaughters and I dined there last night and were thoroughly impressed!! As we approached we saw the A board with some tantalising offers. On entry the place was busy and had a good vibe about it. We were warmly received and seated. The menu was printed on a single large card (which I'm a fan of). There was also a small specials menu and a kids menu (Calf & Lamb - superbly titled!!). I decided on three panko cooked oysters and my wife had the cured trout. Kids had the fish and chips and chicken and chips at the same time. We asked for regular fried chips and not the beef dripping ones, which was duly obliged. The presentation of the two starters were superb and the oysters were soft and moist and the panko was crispy-all four of us loved them!! The sea trout salad was very tasty-although my two girls are smoked salmon fans!! The kids meals were just right portion size and tasted great-girls plates were emptied!! For my venison I asked for it medium, served with peppercorn sauce and mushrooms, my wife had the fish and chips. My venison was flawless, soft and 'melt in your mouth'. It was well complimented by the peppercorn sauce and mushrooms. My wife really enjoyed her crispy fish and chips with real tangy tartare and peas. We shared a delightful banoffee, which was eaten at great haste and rounded off an amazing meal. It was all washed down with sparkling and regular water. All for less than £70 as well. A huge big thank you to Mars, Kelan and all the team, this will be a huge success!! The Belfast Bull & Ram is situated at 44 University Road (the old Beatrice Kennedy).

This was an amazing little marketplace we got to discover on our recent trip to Ireland! Open only…read moreon the weekends, this place was ALIVE when we were there. There were tons of people, both locals and tourists, walking around enjoying the food, drinks and items each vendor had to offer here. The place was alive with live music playing, as well as a school group performing dances in one area and a band playing in another area. The vendors were super friendly and we got to try samples of a few different things before we decided to buy a couple things to nibble on while waiting for our hotel to let us check in. There were a ton of different vendors and at this place, I had one of the best bao buns I have ever had, filled with curry chicken! Prices amongst the vendors seemed very reasonable and I ended up buying a couple cute little magnets one vendor had to offer!

The market was very busy, but I did go at lunchtime on a Saturday…read more The first stall I went to had loads of fresh hummus, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. They also had big chunks of focaccia, soda bread, Guinness bread and fresh garlic bagels. At the recommendation of the lovely woman working there, I got the caramelised onion hummus and smothered it all over the garlic bagel (the best thing ever). I also got the sun-dried tomato pesto, which I nearly ate in one sitting. If I lived here, I would be at this stall every week! There were some cute stalls with local vendors selling souvenirs, artwork, and jewellery. There were also quite a few stands with cookies, pastries and sweet treats. These all looked really good. On the other side of the market, there was a lot more hot food. They had everything from tacos, mac and cheese and large portions of fries with various toppings. Everything looked really good and the beef taco from Med Mex was delicious! The sauce was to die for. Definitely worth the visit and might pop back in before I leave!

Great butchers All the stuff is locally produced and I swear…read moreI'm convinced in the fields beside it I've spied the animals that would become my steaks The only flaw is the burgers, I'm a big fan of a good burger and while the rest of their meat is great the burgers are a constant let down. They dry out and never taste right no matter how I cook them Despite this I think it still just about merits 4 stars

More than just a great local butchers, very handy to near by Stables bed and breakfast - for me it…read morewas like a local mini farmers super market in the middle of countryside with an exceptional butchers. Service 5*