We are Brian and Mark, tandem-riding foodies known as The Gourmet Boys. Having retired from our “day jobs” in banking and teaching after 35 years, we’ve been enjoying creating social media content to promote local businesses relating to hospitality, tourism and culture.
Hooray for Holywood
“Hooray for Hollywood! That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood”, sang Johnnie Davis and Frances Langford back in 1937. But if you remove a letter, and move a little closer to home, there’s still plenty to cheer about when referring to the delightful County Down coastal town with its quaint gift shops, café culture, and thriving restaurant scene. Here are three of our Holywood High Street foodie favourites.
1. FRAE
Sometimes, you stumble across something quite extraordinary, culinarily speaking, practically on your doorstep. And that’s the case with Frae, an unassuming little wine bar and dining room in the heart of Holywood. The menu, ambiance and overall vibe are all wonderfully unique and delightfully different to the “run of the mill”. Frae serves locally sourced seasonal plates alongside an ever-changing natural wine list.
To begin, we ordered a couple of snacks to enjoy with our aperitifs: umami-rich Gilda stuffed with blue cheese, and a warm parsnip & Coolattin fritter topped with pickled walnut. Next, we had some peaty hot smoked trout – moist, pink, and topped with celeriac remoulade and salty pops of trout roe, and a flaky braised greens and Claddagh cheese tart with a bitter radicchio salad.
The fish of the day, a nostalgically retro whole plaice with sauce veronique, was more than enough for two to share, and was complemented perfectly by whey glazed carrots with ricotta. To finish, Veda treacle tart accompanied by a “Belfast Coffee” with Bán Poitin, cold brew coffee, cream, and nutmeg.
93 High St, Holywood BT18 9AQ
028 9578 8143
www.fraedining.com
2. HOLYWOOD WINE BAR
The utterly fabulous Holywood Wine Bar has a cool, contemporary vibe and a menu to match, with a modern wine list, creative cocktails, and delicious plates to enjoy with the drinks. We had a fantastic table overlooking the street, and in the spring, the doors will be flung open, giving the venue an air of continental café-culture sophistication.
To begin, we enjoyed a glass of Casalotta Durello, a refreshing Italian fizz; as the menu reminded us, “Prosecco is sooooooo yesterday!!”. Then, “Mezze & More”: a cornucopia of hummus, red pepper pesto, baba ghanoush and tapenade, accompanied by sun dried tomatoes, apricots, raita, olives and flatbreads.
And we’re reliably informed by owner Demelza that the Wine Bar’s legendary fish board will be making a reappearance in March; an abundance of locally caught seafood such as meaty crab claws, trout caviar with horseradish crème on blinis, smoked mackerel pâté, Atlantic prawns, lemon arancini….seasonal simplicity, especially accompanied by a Caprese Salad as good as any on the Italian Riviera. Miss it at your peril!
81 High St, Holywood BT18 9AQ
028 9042 2011
holywoodwinebar@gmail.com
3. NOUVEAU
Aptly named Nouveau serves contemporary European dishes in an elegant Art Nouveau-inspired space with two dining options. Downstairs, an informal “Flights & Bites” menu with a selection of small plates and wines by the glass, ideal for sharing, and on the first floor, a beautiful dining room, serving à la carte dishes in luxurious surroundings.
To start, the gougères with black truffle and shaved comté were light, fluffy and generous in size, oozing mature cheddar sauce when cut into – definitely more than a mouthful! We also had some homemade focaccia with “loaded olive oil” and aged balsamic, and a smooth shitake mushroom parfait with pickled walnut, crispy shallot and soda bread.
For some, chicken kiev may be considered a “blast from the past”, but this was a wonderful reinvention, fragrant with truffle and stuffed with a wild mushroom butter, alongside a tomato & red pepper piperade. And the herb crusted cod with warm tartare, trout roe beurre blanc, sea herbs and crispy breaded mussels was moist, flaky and delicious.
Of course, we can never resist a plant-based option, especially when it’s as tasty as Nouveau’s roast celeriac wellington, with crunchy dukkah crusted carrots, smooth parsnip puree, and a jug of rich port jus: as classic and comforting as it sounds.
Finally, a basque-style baked cheesecake topped with dulce de leche, with tropical hints of coconut and pineapple. Nouveau? Destiné à la grandeur!
32 High Street, Holywood
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This article appears in our March issue.
