ONCE upon a time, long, long ago the Whitefort on the Andersonstown Road was my local. It was basically a big wooden hut back then, but I could get there by cutting through a field facing my house and that made it a cheap, taxi-free night out.
That was back in the days when you needed a passport to go further than Finaghy bridge and the city centre at night was only inhabited by soldiers and stray cats.
The Whitefort of my youth is long gone, replaced with a huge imposing building that has undergone a few different make-overs and changes of ownership in the past 10 years or so.
The most recent involves a change of name to the Wolf and Whistle, a name based in Irish folklore, but the vibe inside the bar/restaurant is definitely more American barbecue.
We dropped in just over a week after the relaunch and you could see immediately that a lot of money and time had been invested in the place. Much darker, with a lot of wooden panels and booths, I've been told there's live music most nights and already the regulars have quite happily positioned themselves in the newly revamped venue.
The outside of the building still looks a bit like the kind of place you'd go to watch medieval jousting and eat suckling pig, but inside has been modernised to a high standard.
My mate was already waiting when I arrived; she knows me well enough now to have copped on that I'm always late and was a drink down. The drinks menu is super impressive, with lots of gins and some really nice draft beers. We had a couple of gins to start because, sure why wouldn't you?
The menu follows on with the American theme – plenty of chicken steaks and a variety of burgers. There's a load of veggie options too, which is good to see.
While the place had only been open just over a week, my mate had already been three times – like, seriously, they're going to name a cocktail after her at this rate.
She give me a run-down on her previous menu choices and on her advice I went for a hanging kebab skewer for mains. But first, to start. I was thinking of the pil pil prawns in memory of a recent holiday but there was dry salted chilli squid on the menu and I do love a bit of squid.
My mate had already had the mussels on a previous visit and they must have been good because she went for them again.
The squid was really tasty with a bit of a kick to the coating but would have benefited from a wedge of lemon and the mussels were a great choice, a generous portion with a tasty sauce and some bread to mop up the juices.
While the staff are all new and still finding their feet, they were warm, friendly and attentive.
My hanging skewer arrived. This DIY operation involves the meat hanging from a hook; your choice of fries goes underneath; your sauce is poured into a little well on top and cascades down, coating the meat and dripping on to the fries below. It's very messy but also incredibly satisfying to watch.
My chicken was still moist even before I showered it in chilli butter, which could have been doing with more chilli, but was delicious all the same.
My chum got the pulled pork burger with rosemary and Parmesan fries; the burgers come in a wooden box, barbecue style, and hers was full of moist meat, caramelised onion, jam-packed in a brioche bun.
A burger done well is a beautiful thing, and this was a well-put-together burger. The Parmesan fries were moreish.
The dessert menu is interesting. You can get the skewer out again, this time with fruit and marshmallow and a pot of chocolate to pour over. I can see children loving this while ruining every stitch of clothes they have on at the same time. The old-school jam and coconut sponge cake with custard sounds like the kind of pudding you'd order if you needed a hug – and sure don't we all need one of those every now and then?
As we'd already clocked up that week's calories in chilli butter and fries, we passed, but maybe next time – and my mate has probably already been twice more in the time it's taken you to read this.
They also do a proper Sunday roast with all the trimmings, platter style for a family of four or five depending on how greedy you are. At £45, this is a bargain and makes me wonder why you'd bother going to the trouble of cooking it yourself.
I'm a west Belfast girl and proud of it and so to see my old local looking so well fills me with joy. Joy and gin – that's what it filled me full of. Goes without saying a return visit is already being planned.
THE BILL
Salted squid £4.95
Mussels £4.95
Chicken kebab skewer £10.95
Pulled pork burger £7.95
Caremelised onion and goats cheese topping £1.50
Tanquerey gin with Fever Tree tonic £6.85 x 2
Total £44
Wolf and Whistle
67 Andersonstown Road
BT11 9AH
028 9060 2210
