Lunch with a view at Robinson & Cleaver

If you like lunch with a view then you will love the Terrace restaurant at Robinson & Cleaver.  The restaurant and urban deli beneath it are situated in Cleaver House which was originally the home of the famous and rather grand Robinson & Cleaver department store.  I remember visiting the store as a child and being particularly taken with the  impressive sweeping staircase in the centre of the store.

I have had coffee and lunch in the Urban deli before but it was the Terrace restaurant where I arranged to meet my regular lunch companion, Kathryn, who works nearby.  Its not possible to book for fewer than 6 people so we took our chances and rocked up on the day.  Thankfully we were able to get a table on the balcony which boasts amazing views of Belfast City Hall.  It was a glorious day and sitting there in the sunshine, we could have been in any major European city.

The restaurant is fully licensed and while we could have been tempted, we decided to stick with the soft drink options and save the cocktails for another occasion.  Looking at the menu, there were lots of dishes jumping off the page at me but I ended up opting for the meat board.  I have to say, the waitress was really lovely and when I mentioned that I didn’t really fancy the mackerel pate she offered to swap if for a portion of sun-dried tomatoes.  When the platter arrived, I couldn’t believe the size of it.  Kathryn and I agreed that really we should have shared it.  I generous serving of honey roasted ham was accompanied by oakwood cheese, caramelised onions, wheaten bread, crackers and of course, the sun dried tomatoes.  Kathryn chose the soup of the day (vegetable) and wheaten bread.  She seemed happy with her choice but I did see her casting covetous glances at my platter!  I have to say, the platter defeated me despite my best efforts.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and particularly liked the fact that the restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients.

I urge you to give this place a try- it is a little gem of a restaurant, right in the heart of the city!

Our bill:

Meat board- £9.00

Soup & Bread- £5.00

Sparking water- £2.25

dash of lime- £0.70

Tea- £1.90

TOTAL- £18.85