Life

And it stoned me...

Stix & Stones 44-46 Upper Queen Street Belfast BT1 6FD Telephone 028 9031 9418 Tweet @Stixandstones1 Tweet me @darrylgreer

IT'S ALL happening in Northern Ireland, isn't it? Two hundred or so men on push bikes a couple of weeks ago managed to convince the entire region to blush pink - even the electricity pylons got a lick of paint.

And a global audience of 750 million turned on the telly to watch a turnout of massive local support that not even the rain could dampen the spirits of. Then, more action on two wheels - with an engine this time - at the North West 200 a week later demonstrates this corner of the island has certainly had its share of the limelight lately.

Which of course can only be a good thing - there's a definite buzz about the place. It's most visible in the surge of new bars and restaurants that have opened over the past year or so and it seems to show no signs of abating as yet another new eaterie opens in Belfast city centre.

Stix & Stones caught my attention initially when I learned that Belfast brothers Michael and Daniel Courtney were coming back to Belfast from the other big smoke, Dublin. Back 'up here' from the bright lights 'down there'? A big move maybe but surely only highlights the sense of burgeoning potential for the food scene here.

The other bit of the story was the bit that sheds light on the restaurant name - 'steak on a stone' cooking is something of a global phenomenon and, to be honest, not something I've ever had the notion of trying. Why would I want to pay money to cook my own food? Isn't this why I've come to a restaurant? Isn't not-cooking, in fact, why there are restaurants in the first place? On the other hand, it turns out one of the brothers cooked under Dylan McGrath (him off the telly 'down there' but native of 'up here') so surely it's worth a rattle.

First impressions of the place are good - it's a really big space but rather beautifully managed into about four different smaller dining areas without losing the sense of one large room.

It's modern and contemporary and when you take into account that this is billed as a steak and seafood restaurant in the tradition of keeping things relatively simple on the menu then Stix & Stones positions itself well as a casual dining experience any day of the week or for big nights out at the weekend.

In terms of the menu there are six or seven starters to choose from you'll recognise immediately: salt squid is there, there's a parfait, chicken wings, goats cheese tart too.

They are clearly Stix & Stones' own take on these, however - chunky pork parfait is mysteriously smooth but beautifully presented in its little pickling-style jar but the addition of crushed pistachios is inspired, as is kumquat chutney which adds a sharp, orangey acidity when spread

on hot sourdough toast.

We're moving directly to the two main constituents of the menu - seafood and steak. Tempura medley of fish is pretty good - the tempura batter a bit thick for our liking but still OK for it.

The fish itself: salmon, cod and monkfish pieces, is cooked well and nicely seasoned. The caper aioli and salad are good company too.

So the 'steak on a stone' thing - I admitted my scepticism earlier but the eating of it was to prove me utterly wrong. Excellent advice and knowledge from our waiter guided me to a 9oz ribeye that arrives not raw (and why would it, now that I think of it?) but sizzling away on a stone, as promised, and already cooked on one side and topped with a stupendous wild mushroom and truffle ragu.

The advice? Take the whole steak off the stone and cook to preferred temperature a piece at a time. Which got me around the 'resting' of the meat which had been troubling me - cook a little, leave it and start another piece, giving each bit time to relax again.

All of this would mean little if the meat itself was not so spectacularly good, as was the reduced pan gravy that came with it. I am a convert.

So, Stix & Stones may break your bones (as the nursery rhyme would have it) but this one definitely won't hurt you.

The bill

Pork Parfait £6.00 Tempura Fish Medley £15.95 9oz Rib-eye £18.95 Salad £3.50 Drinks £1.19 Total £46.35