A new steakhouse has opened in Belfast, promising some of the finest Scottish meats and meals in the city.
Alba Scottish Steakhouse has recently opened at Custom House Square following months of preparation to get the new restaurant open.
Specialising in Scottish steaks and putting its own twist on some other traditional dishes from the country, it is hoping to become known for its high quality, yet homely food.
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Belfast Live paid a visit to the Alba Scottish Steakhouse shortly after its initial opening to see what it had on offer and almost had to be rolled out of the restaurant at the end.
The steakhouse itself has a nice modern decor with stairs and a lift leading to the main restaurant which has a wonderful view out onto Custom House Square through its balcony windows.
The menu itself is based around its Scottish inspiration with the starters offering Cullen Skink (a Scottish smoked haddock soup), a trio of haggis and king scallops with 'Buckfast bacon jam'.
The main meals are focused primarily on the six different steaks that are available, with these ranging from the 240g Butler Steak to the enormous 1200g Tomahawk Steak.
Other main dishes include a Glasgow Burger, Pan-fried Sea Bass, mushroom and black truffle risotto and Sunday Roast (which is only available on Sunday).
To start with we decided to go for the Trio of Haggis and Cullen Skink which both went down very well. The Haggis saw the Scottish classic served up in three different pastries with cream sauce and Neep puree with the dishes being full of flavour and a subtle hint of spice.
The Cullen Skink however was our favourite starter and we could have easily enjoyed it again for a main meal.
Advertised as a smoked haddock soup, it is a bit more like a fish stew with its chunks of potatoes and vegetables throughout and a strong flavour from the fish that went brilliantly with the creamy sauce and home-made soda bread.
For our main meal, my partner and I decided to try out the huge Tomahawk Steak and we were not disappointed with what we received.
The giant steak was perfectly cooked, melting in your mouth with every bite and it was served with sides of chips, roast potatoes, pepper sauce and chimichurri, which also proved to be very tasty.
By the end of it all we didn't know how we were going to make it out of the restaurant we were so stuffed.
Despite our full bellies we decided that we would give at least one of the desserts a go and decided on the Irn-Bru Panna Cotta.
This was presented beautifully and covered in shortbread crumbs which gave a lovely crunch alongside the smooth panna cotta which actually tasted quite a lot like Irn-Bru.
While it may have been a challenge after our previous courses, it turned out to be a lovely end to a fabulous evening.
If you are looking for a great dining experience in a nice atmosphere, the Alba Scottish Steakhouse is well worth a visit and is sure to be a popular destination for many across Belfast.
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