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Friday 5 October 2007

La Boca Belfast - Review


I went to: La Boca, 6 Fountain Street Belfast

On the: 3 October

For: Lunch with Little Miss Manuel

I gorged on: Well let's not over state things. I ordered Wild boar sausages, champ, red onion gravy and the Little Miss ordered Beer-battered cod, chunky chips, mushy peas, sauce tartar. There was little or no gorging.

And it was: The sausages were nice. Eh um what else can I say? I'm struggling. The mash was very over seasoned and the bottled water was warm! Little Miss Manuel was not a happy diner either. Her lunch was small, very small, the fish was over done and lacking in any discernible flavour and substance. If I had to say something positive I would say the food was hot, which was nice I suppose. But that's the only positive thing I can say.

The service was: Probably worse than the food. LMM was offered ketchup with her chips which she indicated that she wanted. We are still waiting for it. Now this happens from time to time I know. We would have asked the waiter for it again but we just couldn't catch his eye. Well how could you when he had his back to the main body of the restaurant most of the time?! The service was surly at best. The waiters never asked us how our food was at any point, there was a lack of effort and care. They offered us no personality or anything that suggested they gave a damn. When he brought my Wild Boar sausages he said "Are you the Boar sir?" Whilst cheeky, I laughed into myself as it's something I would say.

It cost me: £20.00 including tip. Yes yes I know, but it's like an illness with me. I just have to tip. The lunch menu is very well priced. Well it will be when they get the service and things like the seasoning sorted out. The dinner menu is priced from about £12 to £16.00 with appetisers ranging from £4.00 to just under £6.00.

I'll be going back: In about 6 to 8 months. La Boca is still new. I normally don't visit new restaurants within the first 6 months for the simple fact that things are rarely great from the off. It takes time for a new restaurant to bed in and for little problems to get ironed out. Clearly it's a rule I shouldn't be breaking. The guy that owns La Boca, Pedro Donald, has a good record of running successful businesses having being the manager of the hugely popular John Hewitt bar. And I would expect La Boca to be another success for him.

And so it gets: 2 out of 5. That's not good eh. A lack of love, lack of personality, and a lack of flavour.

Other words: The "About" blurb on La Boca's website reads "Named after the vibrant, Bohemian dockside district of Buenos Aires, La Boca is a new restaurant in the heart of Belfast city centre. Located on Fountain Street it is a 3 minute walk from the front of the City Hall past the Linenhall Library. Its high ceiling and solid beech wood furniture create a stunning fifty seater diningroom." Now from reading that you would expect the menu to reflect food from, if not Argentina, then South America in general. That's what I had been expecting. But that ain't what I got. There is lasagne, fish and chips, sausage and mash and all the usual lunchtime food that you can get in any bar/restaurant in Belfast. I was disappointed. There is tapas available in the afternoon but even the dinner menu is devoid of any South American influence. Which is all a bit odd. Why give your restaurant a very specific name and then not carry it through to the menu. There are South American beers and wines though.

Like I say, Pedro has a good reputation and I wish him every success with La Boca, but he needs to define his offering better and gives us some of that famous Latin Spirit, not grumpy waiters from Belfast. It gives me no pleasure to write that by the way...

Oh and on the way home LMM stopped to get a bar of chocolate she was still hungry, and she's only tiny......


16 People trying to get Manuel's attention:

savannah said...

well, by the time the mister decides we can FINALLY do a tour of ireland this restaurant MIGHT be ready..thanks for the review, sugar!

Manuel said...

Savannah: If/when you make it this far I will guide you to all the good places, personally.......

Old Knudsen said...

What can you expect if you name it La boaka? well I won't be going there. Are they Bohemian or Buenos Aireians ? make yer mind up probably trying to fool immigration.

Is it just me? said...

You're right to go back in six months...they'l either have copped on and ironed out those 'little' problems with food and staff or they'll have gone.
I always tip even when I get the invisible waiter..I don't tip as much as for good service, just enough so I don't feel mean and they know they would have gotten more If they'd given me what I needed.

savannah said...

sugar, you are too delish! thank you!

Mudflapgypsy said...

Manny, I love your reviews. Living out in the sticks-a blow in, mind- means I am never up to speed on where is good to eat. This sort of knowledge from an "insider", as it were, is invaluable.
Cheers.

Manuel said...

Old Knudsen: I know! The good but unsophisticated people of Belfast will call it la bokea.....

Is it just me: With e it's a desire to be loved, insecure you know.....sad init

Savannah: Stop it I'm blushing...

Mudflapgypsy: Cheers man...that'll be £5 please.....

Sassy Sundry said...

Someday, I'll get to Ireland, but I probably won't go there.

Anonymous said...

there's quite a few boars running round belfast, maybe next time they'll be doing milly and spide sausages, seems like a good idea to me.

Anonymous said...

La Boca was jammed at lunchtime when I hobbled by - new shoes!!!

ellie said...

I had a beautiful meal in Grace Neills yesterday. The whole experience was made 10 times better by the service we got from the waiter. Thought of you more than once, the guy was obviously from the same school of waiting. Sorry your meal was disappointing.

Megan McGurk said...

Sounds like they just liked the name and failed on the whole concept. Isn't Buenos Aires big on steak and beef?

Mudflapgypsy said...

"I'm not paying for this review, it was cold, and even though I finished it, it was inedible, I'm for calling the health inspector, like. £5 my arse"

Too much like work this, eh? ;-)

Jenny said...

I always get hungry reading your reviews.

Manuel said...

Sassy: I'll show you where the magic is...

Lick em: Welcome Newbie, millie and spide sausages with a 20 mayfair jus no doubt...

Anonymous: I hope you hobbled on by...

Ellie: Grace Neil's, nice.....

Medbh: I know! That's what I was looking forward to. Makes no sense....

Flappy: Pay it, pay it plus tip.......

Boxer: I'm always hungry...

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