Style AND Substance Having had a couple of truly mediocre meals in Belfast hotel restaurants recently (the Great Room at the Merchant and the Seahorse at Grand Central), I wanted to share the absolutely lovely dining experience that... Read more I enjoyed at Novelli City Quays in the AC by Marriott last Sunday night (14 October 2018).

I was meeting one of my girlfriends for dinner for a long over due catch-up and having heard good reports about Novelli City Quays decided to give it a whirl.

We weren’t disappointed when our taxi dropped us off at this sparkly, cool and shiny new hotel right on the waterfront and the layout of the sophisticated dining space takes full advantage of the river frontage. We were given a big table overlooking the water which also had the benefit of a clear view of the kitchen and the pass where we observed the buzz of the chefs hard at work.

I had phoned ahead and ordered a bottle of fizz for us to kick-start our evening and this arrived promptly after the hostess guided us to our table in a great big champagne trug full of crushed ice. It was perfectly chilled and kick-started our evening off beautifully.

I really enjoy perusing menus and as my GF is vegetarian I had the advantage of studying the stand-alone vegan menu which which is extremely impressive.

I had the goat’s cheese starter whilst my companion had the wild mushroom tortellini. Both dishes were delicately presented and were delicious - the creamy goats cheese was complemented perfectly by the tart acidity of the accompanying beetroot jelly. I only managed to scrounge a little of the tortellini, but it tased superb and I fully intend to order it on my return visit.

For mains, my GF had the chick pea curry which looked smelled and tasted gorgeous. She is a really fussy, high-maint diner so it was a good sign when she finished the lot. A perfect choice for a chilly, autumn evening. I had the sea bass with cod cheeks and clam broth served with potato galette, spinach and salt-baked carrot. The fish was cooked to perfection, beautifully moist and flaky. As our eyes are way bigger than our bellies, we also ordered the twice-cooked chips and the Dauphinoise potatoes. These were both excellent and whilst we could never have finished the generous portions, I am glad we ordered them and sampled just how good they tasted.

My GF cried off pudding, but I soldiered on ordering the Gateau St Honore, a decadent French classic of puff and chow pastry, caramel and whipped cream. Wow! It was a delight. I want to go back just for that pudding.

Service throughout was top drawer. We had 2 very attentive and efficient waitresses looking after us - they also enjoyed a little “craic” with us during the meal which was really charming and prevented any stuffiness of stiffness table-side.

The evening with my GF was a blast - we had a great meal in what I absolutely consider to be the best hotel restaurant in Belfast. I’m already planning my second visit - mushroom tortellini, lamb rump and that St Honore (again)…

So thank you Novelli City Quays for turning a wee catch-up with a GF into a really glittering and sublime dining experience. Read less

  Perfect for families Myself and 6 others dined here on Monday night and found the whole experience to be wonderful. I had family visiting from Texas including my 2yr old niece. We were greeted by a very welcoming... Read more host and as my partner and I were the first to arrive we were invited to have drinks at the bar while we waited on the others to arrive. This gave us an opportunity to have a look at the fantastic wines and cocktails on offer. I opted for a glass of Malbec (a must try) whilst my partner sampled the signature gin. I can only assume this was to her liking as she refused to let me try any of it!

When we were seated we were given 2 menus to chose from as well as a very well thought out kids menu. Although the Christmas menu looked amazing we all went for a la carte. If you come here the scallops are a must try and the venison I was served was possibly the best I have tasted. Another plus was the kids starter veg platter. It was presented in such a way that my niece didn't even think twice about devouring the lot. Desserts were also fabulous and thankfully we all went for something different so I could sample the lot!

The food and the service were second to none and I look forward to returning again soon!

Thank you Novelli's for the perfect end to a family visit. Read less

  Spoilt for choice Got a nice surprise for fathers day when the family treated me to lunch at the new restaurant at Novelli at City Quays.

We arrived slightly early for our lunch to be greeted by very polite... Read more and friendly staff and we were made to feel very welcome and nothing was to much trouble.

To start with there was a magnificent selection of tapas which had everything from serrano ham, Greek salads and a wide selection of breads and tapanade.

For the mains my wife had sugar pit pork, the younger adults had the rotisserie chicken while I had lamb rump with sea salt and dulce butter, needless to say I had a taste of the other meats also. The lamb would be by best cooked lamb dish I have ever had, the chicken was better than mums Sunday roast and the pork was fantastic too.

We finished with a selection of the desserts which again proved to be everybit as good as they looked.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day and will look forward to seeing you again soon the only problem is I'm spoilt for choice so I maybe need to return a few times to enjoy all the menu options. Read less

  Lunch 29/12 Visited today for lunch with the family and the experience was nothing short of outstanding.

My wife and I shared the charcuterie sharing platter to start and then my wife had steak and I had the... Read more catch of the day (John Dory) and both tasted outstanding. Our daughter had the fish bites from the children’s menu which was fresh, huge and devoured!

Our waiter was Billy who is an absolute credit to the restaurant and had an excellent manner with all. It was on his recommendation that we followed our lunch with the tarte-tatin which was one of the tastiest we have tasted. There was another member of staff who took our drinks and food order (cant remember his name) and he also is a credit to you.

Will definitely be back!! Read less

  The place to be in Belfast I went here with my girlfriend for a romantic evening and was blown away! We were treated with the utmost respect and care since we stepped in through the door. The staff were very friendly... Read more and attended to our every need. I felt like I was a king the entire time. I had steak and my gf had the lamb, both of which were cooked lovely. Btw the brulee is to die for! We will definitely be back. This is the place to be in Belfast. Thank you guys! Read less

  Great drinks! Great lunch Amazing food and service. Recommendations were en pointe! Lovely afternoon with Billy as our server!

  Excellent service, friendly staff, delicious food. Stopped here for lunch with my family. The location was fantastic with views over the river and across to the titanic quarter. The staff were really efficient and friendly, the service was fast and we... Read more all felt relaxed. The menu choice was great and the food delicious, can't wait to go back. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to a friend. Read less

  Fantastic hotel I cannot praise the staff at this restaurant enough . We were served by Billy who was an absaloute pleasure to deal with he was So helpful and chatted away for ages . The food... Read more was amazing too . If you are lucky enough to travel to this hotel/restaurant you will not be disappointed !! Read less

  Great night! First time eating here and certainly won’t be the last!

On arrival greeted with enthusiastic and attentive staff.

Nothing was a bother to them, to the point that they made me a cocktail that was not on... Read more the cocktail menu.

Shown to our table with a great view, a very pleasant environment.

As for the food and service....superb! We could not fault any of it!

As a party having eaten in restaurants world wide, Nouvelli comes very high up the list!

We arrived at 7.30 pm and left at 1.30 am and at no time were our party made to feel pressurised to leave.

Good luck in your new adventure! Read less