Northern Ireland's Top 10 Restaurants

Northern Ireland's Top 10 Restaurants according to viewers of Frank Mitchell's 'Ultimate Ulster' are:

1. Ramore Wine Bar,Portrush
2. Old Inn,Crawfordsburn
3. The Stables,Groomsport
4. Bushmills Inn,Bushmills
5. Cayenne,Belfast
6. Deane’s Restaurant,Belfast
7. Belfast Castle,Belfast
8. Nick’s Warehouse,Belfast
9. Halfway House,Banbridge
10.Viscounts,Dungannon

Surprisingly, places you would expect to be there (such as Ginger) are not - I think this says more about the UTV viewers than it does about the quality of the aforementioned restaurants.
What makes it more surprising is that in another poll being run by UTV (Local Hero 2007) Ginger is currently at the top of the list. (Well it was the last time I was able to find the top 10 list - says a lot for the UTV Food web site).

Just thought (for fun) I would list my top 10 :

1. Metro Brasserie, Belfast
1. Ginger, Belfast
3. McHugh's, Belfast
4. StoneBridge, Richill
5. Cutters Wharf, Belfast
6. Grace Neill's, Donaghadee
7. Balloo House, Killinchy
8. Old Moat Inn, Dundonald
9. Villa Italia, Belfast
10. Giraffe, Belfast

My wife would never have forgiven me if I hadn't listed Ginger at the top - so had to make it joint first. Some of these establishments may have come further up the list a few months ago and the whole sequence could change next week. Chefs come and go and quality of meals can vary, though some are consistently good. I do miss Frogities though, formerly of Bradbury Place, it was the best French restaurant in Belfast. If you Google you'll find that some web sites refer to Chez Delbart (that now occupies Frogities old premises) as Frogities - this is not Frogities and is not even on a par with Frogities. I visited Chez Delbart once in the belief that they were Belfast's new French restaurant - I have not been back.

Feel free to disagree with my selection.

Living Leaves - One hundred Springs

This piece of pavement art is installed just in front of the City Hall - there are various names on the leaves, the significance of which I have been unable to find, they may be the names of victims of the 'Troubles' but probably, more mundanely, are the names of Belfast councillors/mayors (I really didn't take a close enough look at the names) who have held office in the 100+ years the council has been in existence.

Well I found out what the leaves represent and who the people named are .... it really pays to read plaques, especially those providing the required information.