Seomra,
Queens Quay,
Derry
Tel: 028 7137 3366
WHEN asked by journalists in the early 1920s why he was so intent on climbing Everest, doomed mountaineer George Leigh Mallory replied by saying "because it was there".
Somewhat less heroically, that was the answer I gave my wife when she demanded to know why I’d eaten that entire box of cheese and onion Tayto in one sitting. And it may very well be the response you’d get if you asked the owners of Derry’s old custom house building why they put a new restaurant in the empty first floor room above their ground floor restaurant, Entrada.
There was a room there, sitting doing nothing, so I guess they decided to make it do something. And what it does now is Seomra. From what I could gather, Entrada’s 'sister restaurant' offers a more sophisticated, dressier kind of dining experience.
Three of us plus toddler decided to give it a go the other Sunday afternoon. It doesn’t have a completely distinct identity to Entrada – there may be a separate entrance, but we had to walk through the one restaurant to get to the other – but it does have a different feel. Not forbidding in the least, but a touch more formal, more special, with soft, muted décor and a beautiful view across the river.
Seomra has barely been open two minutes and, in some respects, you could tell it’s not fully in gear just yet. We booked the earliest possible table, for 1pm, and although we arrived late they were still getting things ready. The service stuttered a little bit too: we struggled to get attention at times, though once we did the service was excellent.
However, they’ve undoubtedly got the food right: this, with one exception, was a simply delicious meal.
That one exception first: the child’s meal. While the chips were excellent and the croquetas crunchy and packed with filling, the meal itself was just too salty. I grant you, it sounds a bit daft complaining about the saltiness of a ham and cheese croqueta (although I do think more could have been done to soak the salt out of the hock), but there's no excuse for putting salt on a kid’s chips before serving them.
The rest of the meal, though…wow! We went straight for the mains: the 'Sunday Feast' was a sharing platter for two, loaded with beef and chicken. The beef was big and meaty and tender, while the chicken was moist, succulent, and perfectly seasoned.
The roast potatoes were crisp and then soft and sweet inside, while the carrots carried just a lovely hint of honey. There were a couple of nice surprises on the plate, too: earthy mushrooms and some crisp-coated cauliflower. The sweet and slightly boozy gravy was sensational. The cabbage deserves special mention too.
Nothing, though, could touch the lamb shoulder. This was outstanding – soft, pink, perfectly cooked lamb, delicately spiced, perfectly complemented by the pickled red cabbage and uplifting, sour yoghurt, and given a rich overtone by the light, hazelnut crumb.
This assured command of flavour and texture was evident in the puddings, too. Maybe the Baked Alaska didn’t quite hit the mark, having something of a grown-up’s arctic roll about it, but we didn’t leave any of it and all enjoyed the zing of the passion fruit.
No quibbles about the other two, however: the chocolate pot was rich without being cloying, not too sweet, with some lovely chunks of brownie and a delicious caramel ice cream. The panna cotta was just the right consistency, subtly flavoured, with sweetness and sharpness coming from the pomegranate, blood orange segments and yoghurt sorbet. A light and perfect finish to the meal.
In a city packed with great places to eat, Seomra has immediately muscled in on the scene. You really ought to try it – and not just because it’s there.
:: The bill
Sunday feast x 2 @ £12.00 – £24.00
Lamb shoulder – £17.00
Child’s ham and cheese croquetas – £5.95
Cabbage leaves (included with main)
Mashed potato – £3.50
Chocolate pot – £5.25
Panna cotta – £5.25
Baked Alaska – £5.25
Coffees x 2 @ £2.20 – £4.40
Total: £70.60
