Children’s new menu
When it comes to eating out, young people in Belfast think their options are limited. But are their choices really governed by their parents' habits? Four ravenous Children's Express reporters took a break from their usual fare of hamburger and chips to check out more exotic eating options in the city.
| I ate a chilli and didn’t know what it was and burnt my gob off. |
The girls
Determined to assault their taste buds with something totally new, Sheena Hall and Stephanie McCann, both 13, reserved a table for lunch at Indie Spice in Stranmillis.
It was very modern and posh. The furniture was wooden and unusual in shape. The dcor was vivid, the colour of the napkins even matched the restaurant's colour scheme. According to Sheena, although the restaurant clearly catered for adults rather than children, the staff made them feel really welcome.
While there was no specific menu for children, the girls felt safe choosing chicken korma and tikka dishes (after they worked out the chilli code, which warned how hot the dishes were.)
"The portions were very big, too big for children, so we had no room for desert," Sheena said, "but there was a big variety of meals to choose from. It was intimate, nobody was asking to sit beside you, like they do in McDonald's, there was privacy. If you wanted a candlelit diner with your boy, then, Indie Spice would be the place.
"I enjoyed it because it was not crowded with squealing kids. You could take your time, enjoy the meal and there was not so much rush to get it finished," she said.
Stephanie said: "We'd rather come here than McDonalds, definitely, but I did feel a little uncomfortable because it was full of adults." They thought that Indie Spice was good value, each main course cost 4.95.
The following week, Sheena and Stephanie ventured to Planks on the Lisburn Road.
"Inside, tables were made from planks of wood and scaffolding hard hats, buckets and spades and interesting, beaten up traffic signs formed part of the interior dcor. It was almost like being in a construction site," Sheena said.
The lunch menu, presented on a wooden-framed board offered soups, sandwiches, smoked bacon, pasta dishes, fish dishes, venison sausages and the Planks version of the Ulster Fry.
Stephanie momentarily forgot her mission and opted for the Planks Fry, which was "a lovely tasty big fry." The other intrepid taster went for " a big sandwich filled with salad, mayonnaise, ham, cheese, grated carrot and different types of lettuce. I had to squeeze it together to get mouth around it."
For desert, Sheena said she could only manage a scoop of ice-cream but Stephanie decided to try out Banoffee. "I was surprised when a sticky cake came out, I was expecting a banana with ice-cream or something," said Stephanie, "but it was delicious."
The boys
Paul Bradley, 15 and Michael Leathem, 14 hankered after something hot so they decided to taste the culinary delights of Mexican Restaurant La Salsa in University Road.
"They had no children's menus because they do not have a lot of children coming in but staff recommended dishes children tend to eat, " said Michael.
Paul began the food extravaganza with some nachos, which were "very, very good." Michael went for the "extremely nice" soup of the day, chicken with herbs and spices. "I also ate a chilli and didn't know what it was and burnt my gob off," said Michael.
For a main course Michael opted for chilli con carne, which he said was "exquisite." Paul went for Tachos tinga: "it burns but that's good."
"Restaurant staff were extremely helpful and made us feel important and comfortable. They treated us the same as the adults," Michael said.
Customers eating between 5:00pm and 6:30 pm received a free drink or dessert determined by the roll of a dice. Paul had ice-cream and Michael opted for a non-alcoholic drink, despite rolling a one to win a shot of tequila.
"It was excellent, the best food we have had in a long time. The dishes were well presented and eating experience was fun. Full marks for this restaurant," Michael said.
Having whetted their appetites for the exotic, the reporters decided to check out Italian food at Speranza's on Bradbury Place.
"From the outside it did not look like anything special but the staff are friendly and there was comfortable atmosphere," Michael said. Minestrone soup and garlic bread and cheese went down well as starters; as did the main courses of spaghetti Bolognese and pepperoni pizza.
Paul, a connoisseur of pizza said "I was too busy eating to write anything down but if you order a pizza and you don't finish it, ask them to put it in a box for you to snack on at home later."
Pavlova and Profitteroles for desert capped the evening off. "The price could be a bit lower. For two teenage boys, the portions were not on the large side," Michael said.
The final analysis...
A survey carried out in Belfast city centre by Children's Express showed that young people do not think there is a wide range of choice on most restaurant menus and that their willingness to try out different types of food was related to their parents' choices.
Most parents interviewed for the same survey said as young people they had not tried exotic food. Most said they would encourage their children to try new dishes but admitted that cost was a factor.
Reporters thought that people in Northern Ireland tended to eat bland food and that young people are not game enough or really encouraged to try other types of food.
After this taste fest, Michael said: "I would be prepared to save money that I would have spent on fast food so as I could go to more exotic restaurants, definitely.
The service is different in these types of restaurants." Stephanie said: "If more restaurants closer to home offered a wider choice of menu then I would try new foods out."
Paul added: "Food from other countries is usually interesting and tasty, all young people should open their minds and mouths to it," while Sheena concluded: "I was proud of myself for trying out new food and I really did like it.
"I thought those kind of restaurants were just for rich people but they are really for every-one. If I was not doing this report I don't think I would have been brave enough to go to these restaurants."
About the story
This article was produced by the Children's Express Belfast bureau, and published in the News Letter in Northern Ireland.
