Business

Video: New chic café-bar opens on Belfast's Dublin Road

Pictured at the Gallery Belfast are staff members Amy Johnson and Niamh Whelan with Gary McCausland of the Richland Group
Pictured at the Gallery Belfast are staff members Amy Johnson and Niamh Whelan with Gary McCausland of the Richland Group Pictured at the Gallery Belfast are staff members Amy Johnson and Niamh Whelan with Gary McCausland of the Richland Group

A STYLISH new café and bar on Belfast's Dublin Road has officially opened this week, creating 32 full and part-time jobs, as part of a £1 million investment by London-based property company the Richland Group.

Situated on the ground floor of the award-winning Gallery apartment building, which opened earlier this year, the café brings the industrial chic of New York’s meatpacking district to the streets of Belfast and features an elegant open-plan restaurant, bar and art gallery.

Designed according to the feng shui concept by leading local expert Master San Wu, the café - called The Gallery - has a contemporary metropolitan style, with floor to ceiling windows, Philippe Starck ghost chairs, chalkboard menus and what are thought to be the largest crystal chandeliers in Belfast.

The new apartment block and café is the brainchild of Richland Group chief executive Gary McCausland.

He said: “The Dublin Road is an up and coming buzzing area and we are enormously proud to be part of Belfast’s exciting regeneration and development.

“We have created a versatile place in the heart of the city which offers the perfect spot for social or business occasions.”

The Gallery (www.gallerybelfast.com), split across a ground floor and mezzanine level, is open all day, with late nights on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and offers a breakfast, lunch and bistro menu.

Award-winning head chef Conor O’Boyle has created a diverse menu reflecting the café’s cosmopolitan theme which includes dishes such as home-made stacked pancakes, New York breakfast, tapas, Tuscan fish stew, sea food linguine, falafel burger and a freshly made patisserie selection.

The food offering is complemented by an extensive drinks menu, featuring a selection of wines from JN Wine, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful wine merchants.

A bespoke cocktail menu featuring signature cocktails and boasting the best gins in Belfast, has been created by barman Neil MacDonald, three-times nominated Pubs of Ulster Bar Tender of the Year.

In a nod to the history of the area, the café is showcasing a range of artworks from established artists such as Colin Davidson, Brian Ballard, Neil Shawcross and William Conor, as well as new local artists such as Francis McCrory, Hanna Johnson and John McMacken.

For years, the Dublin Road was a focal point for famous artists including William Conor, Paul Henry and Gerard Dillon.