Cyprus Avenue

Richard McCracken has a sure touch as a chef. Right from the get go, as your breakfast or lunch or dinner in Cyprus Avenue begins, what is striking is the confident élan of every dish, and its ability to powerhouse the flavour of every ingredient. Whether you have ordered madeleines with seasonal fruit curd or the black pudding sausage with chicory croissant for breakfast, or tried the pork cheek bourguignon with truffled polenta for lunch, or are enjoying Lorna Dunlop’s duck roast duck with gnocchi for dinner, what unifies the kitchen's work are the plosively rich savoury flavours that Mr McCracken presents on every plate. Managing such expertise with an all-day series of menus is no meat feat, but here is a chef with the energy and originality to make it all work, and it means Cyprus Avenue is the MVP of East Belfast. Go once, and you will be back, often.