The House Pub and Kitchen

Situated at the bottom of Stranmillis, a few yards away from one of the entrances to Botanic Gardens, The House is an ideally located bar and restaurant for summer evening drinks and dinner.

The Venue
Approaching the door, you will see the outside seating area. It's small and there are few tables but they've made good use of the small street area available to them. A sign on the outside reminds customers to keep the noise at a minimum as the area is predominantly residential, this keeps the crowd more civilised and deters the student population of the area from using it as the local watering hole.

The decor is dark with maroon coloured seats, there’s little natural light and dim artificial lighting, including a gas fireplace. It reminds you of a sitting room in a grand town house, in keeping with the name.

Although it's in a good spot for a sunny day the inside is an escape from the sun's rays, and with minimal seating on the outside The House is best suited for evening drinks and a meal.

The People
The staff behind the bar are very pleasant and quick to serve, even when it’s a sunny afternoon and they'd probably prefer to be outside. They wear nice, smart uniforms combining black shirts and trousers. They are also knowledgeable and able to recite the lunch specials without the aid of the menu, which is a nice change.

The facilities are clean with fully stocked toilet roll and soap, regardless of the steady crowd that use the premises during the day. There’s also evidence of constant cleaning as the smell of cleaning products is still obvious in the air.

The Food
The Sunday lunch menu is a surprising change from the normal turkey and ham offerings. Instead there's a selection ranging from salmon to carbonara. The starter of salt and chilli squid (£4.95) is delicious with the flavours just as the menu describes and the red chilli and spring onion were present to the last bite.

For mains there's a supreme of chicken wrapped in smoked bacon (£6.95) served with a leek cream that’s a little tasteless and the sauce is a little watery, but it's a good healthy portion that satisfies the Sunday afternoon hunger.

For dessert, a reliable slice of chocolate fudge cake topped with ice cream means the meal ends on a high note. The bill total (£16.85) is a reasonable price with the only complaint being the slightly tasteless main meal.

The Last Word
The House has a cosy feel that invites you in with its warm furnishings that are enhanced by the open fire. The food is delicious, reasonably priced and the staff are friendly and helpful. What more could you want from a Sunday evening?

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