wee doors banging

We recently spent a Saturday afternoon with the 2009 Belfast Taste & Music Fest in Botanic Gardens. This event allows visitors to sample dishes from some of the best Northern Ireland restaurants as well as from visiting chefs from Chicago. Music, cookery demonstrations and an always-present beer tent round off the entertainment.

The organisers describe their ‘Fest as follows:

Four glorious days of great food, entertainment and dancing, all arranged to celebrate Northern Ireland and Chicago Ambassador Chefs ‘cooking up a storm’ with great local food!

…

From 6th to 9th August, some of Northern Irelands finest chefs will welcome these Chicago Ambassador Chefs to Belfast’s beautiful Botanic Gardens to celebrate great local food in what will be the largest al fresco restaurant in town.

The event was busy, but not jammed

Arriving on a slightly damp Saturday mid-afternoon, there was a queue to get in, and once inside the Great Lawn in Botanic Gardens was packed (but not jammed) with people sitting at the sparse chairs or tables and milling around the attractions. From left to right I could see a stage area where singer / songwriter Juliet Turner was performing, a demonstration tent, a long “boulevard” tent filled with chefs’ booths billowing smoke and finally the essential beer tent.

The food boulevard was busy!

As it was lunchtime we followed our noses straight to the cooking smells and did a quick reconnaissance pass along the busy boulevard before deciding what to eat. I opted for some shrimp and Chorizo to start with, then went back in separate trips for baby back ribs and a slice of Chicago deep dish pizza, all from stalls belonging to the visiting Chicago chefs. I also sampled some Thai fishcakes and Duck spring rolls from Maghera restaurant Mango.

Baby Back Ribs from Chicago

All the food we tried was delicious and of excellent quality, and the portion size was ideal for going back to try a number of dishes. Value for money wasn’t bad and we spent roughly what you’d expect to spend for a decent sit-down lunch for two in a good restaurant.

James Huish on stage

We then took a break from stuffing our faces for a while to digest and watch Michael Buble tribute act James Huish perform on stage, doing a good job of keeping the crowd entertained and happy despite some heavy showers that passed through.

Spatulatta's cookery demonstration

A cooking demonstration by Spatulatta wasn’t so successful and we left early, though to be fair it was by-kids-for-kids so we weren’t the target audience. I was also a little disappointed to see only well known beers in the bar tent and would liked to have seen smaller local breweries represented as well.

Returning then to the food stalls we spent our last tokens (no cash in the food stalls) on some Chicago-ian Tiramisu and some outstanding Yellow Man ice cream from Portadown’s Yellow Door Deli before heading out of the park and home again.

In the Food Boulevard

We both enjoyed the afternoon in the park, though after four hours eating and standing around in the rain we’d exhausted both the entertainment and funds for the day and were glad to be heading home. The event continued into the evening without us, with further musical acts and cooking demonstrations scheduled and of course all the food and beer you could afford.

The ‘Fest finished on 9th August with a big finale party, but should be back in 2010 and should definitely be worth a follow-up visit then.

Did you visit the Belfast Taste & Music Fest? Did you enjoy your time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!