1 Bankmore Square,
BELFAST,
BT7 1DH
(028) 9023 8700
The ViewBelfast Review
A cool, modern bar on the square, Stiff Kitten attracts a young, funky crowd.
The Venue
On the grassy Bankmore Square sits Stiff Kitten, a pretty slick contemporary bar. It has a large glass frontage and a terrace dotted with black plastic moulded chairs with metal legs.
Inside there are spotlights in the wooden floor and a curved burgundy and black banquette at the front alongside box-like black and white tables. There are windows on the far wall which are cut in oblong and square porthole shapes and other contemporary touches include the copper panel on the far wall and the ceiling lights set in what looks like bundles of wire wool.
There are smoked mirrors behind the well-stocked bar, which is lined by half a dozen tall wooden stools with narrow metal bodies. They pull in some top names here for their club nights, such as Two Gallants, DJ Yoda, Andy Weatherall, Bonde Do Role and Derrick May. The calibre of these guests should be enough to convince the dance music aficionado that this is the place to visit.
The People
The demographic is a tad older in the bar compared to the club next door, but it really depends on what night is on as the music (and the clothing style) can range from rock and electro to indie and techno. Almost all come here for the music so the dancefloor gets packed and there's the odd hen and stag night roaming around the place.
The Food and Drink
There are around 25 bottles of beer which is impressive in anyone’s book. They include Asahi, Beck’s, Brahma, Budvar, Coors, Corona, Erdinger (Weiss and Crystal), Heineken, Krombacher, Leffe (Blonde and Brune), Newcastle Brown, Tiger Tsingtao and Bellevue (cherry and raspberry) flavours.
It’s a shame they couldn’t have made the same effort with the wines as with the beers as it’s the usual run of the mill selection of Jacob’s Creek, Maguigan’s and Concaha Y Toro with prices ranging from £11 to £15 a bottle. There are wraps and sandwiches, such as a chicken, crispy bacon and sun-blushed tomatoes or a brie wrap for £4.95 - and it’s £7.95 for a steak sandwich.
More substantially you can have chicken goujons and chips for £6.95 or a chicken salad with pancetta for £6.50 (there’s lots of chicken here). Cocktails include around a dozen of the classics for £3.95 to £4.25, and a jug of Sex On The Beach is £11.95.
The Last Word
The Stiff Kitten is a modern bar for the music concious where the DJ dictates what sort of crowd turn-up.
Stiff Kitten has been reviewed by 2 users