Chilli and Chocolate : Recipes, restaurant reviews, local food heroes, and wine reviews - A Belfast Food Blog (Northern Ireland, UK)

Beetroot salad with mozzarella and rocket

After watching Giorgio Locatelli’s “Pure Italian” for some inspiration, we made beetroot salad with mozzarella and rocket at the weekend. This is a great starter either for a dinner party or a quick and easy mid-week meal. Not only does it look bright and colourful on your plate but it tastes so fresh and clean. The [...]

Tagliatelle with Bolognese Ragu

Last weekend I thought I’d make one of my favourite dishes, Bolognese.. A really simple meal that has a million and one recipes for it. This is the best recipe for Bolognese that I know of and it produces a very tasty, authentic Italian meal. You’ll be surprised by a few of the ingredients – minced [...]

Restaurant review – Nando’s, 24 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast

After walking past the shiny and new Nando’s on Ormeau Avenue almost everyday since it opened I was looking forward to venturing in to what the menu was like. With Kelly incapacitated at the minute, the task fell to fellow Chilli-and-Chocolatier Eamann and myself. The restaurant is a good size, and the decor helps this sense [...]

Flour-less Chocolate Cake

As another weekend drew to a close, I thought that Kelly and I deserved a treat before getting back to the daily grind. When it comes to treats in our house, that means chocolate. Here’s a recipe for a rich, moist chocolate cake.. And it’s easy. Three ingredients, that’s all! It’s also a flour-less cake, making it [...]

We visit ‘Clydesdale & Morrow’

Niall and I recently visited Clydesdale & Morrow, Belfast’s only fromagerie. It wasn’t our first time there – we go there when we need a particular cheese for a recipe, or as a treat for ourselves – but this time we thought we’d tell you all about it. When we first walked into the Lisburn Road [...]

Win two tickets to see FOOD, Inc. at the QFT

We have two pairs of tickets to give-away to see “FOOD, Inc.” on Saturday 27th of February at the Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast. To find out how to enter just visit the Members’ Section. A big “thank you” to everyone at the QFT for their generosity. Good luck! Other information You can find out more about FOOD, Inc. here. Tags: Promotions

Tea Brack

I got this recipe for Tea Brack from a work colleague and tried it out at the weekend. I absolutely loved it, although i had to give half of it away to my mother-in-law, being the only one in my household to like this sort of cake! Otherwise i would have eaten all of it [...]

Food Inc. showing at the QFT

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families? The provenance of our food is something that both Kelly and I feel strongly about – watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Hugh’s Chicken Run and Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Saves Our Bacon really brought the message home: we need [...]

Carluccio’s now delivering to Northern Ireland!

When Kelly and I visit London our itinerary always includes at least one meal (and a bottle of wine or two) at a Carluccio’s restaurant. Aside from the delicious, authentic Italian food, the friendly staff, and the pocket-saving prices, the in-store deli is a treasure-trove of mouth-watering treats: from truffle butter to dried porcini, imported [...]

Nominated for the Irish Blog Awards 2010

We’ve been nominated for the Irish Blog Awards 2010! Thanks to all of you who’ve read our recipes, reviews, and rants over the past year – and thought we deserved an award for it. The award ceremony will be held on Saturday 27th March, 2010 in Galway. We’re in the “Best Food/Drink Blog” category, which is sponsored [...]