Review: We tried Ulster University's Academy restaurant and were more than pleasantly surprised

Having walked past Academy restaurant in Belfast's York Street on numerous occasions, I always thought it looked like an interesting dining spot.

There's no hint that it is anything other than a smart city centre restaurant, with lovely decor and convivial atmosphere.

It is, in fact, a training restaurant where Ulster University students aspiring for a career in the hospitality, tourism and events industry put their classroom skills into practice.

Described by the university as 'a safe space for experiential learning', it provides an immersive learning experience created for students completing their (Bachelor honours) International Hospitality Management or Culinary Art Management degrees.

There certainly is no better way for students to learn than by working in a real restaurant environment - proven by the many highly successful UU graduates who are now marking their mark both in the local hospitality industry and internationally.

As the Academy is open to the public for lunch and dinner we thought we'd give it a try on a recent weekday afternoon.

A warm and friendly welcome greeted us on arrival and our table was a perfect spot overlooking St Anne's Cathedral. Other couples were enjoying their meals as was a larger group, so we certainly weren't the only diners, but our attentive young waiter quickly brought water to the table and asked if we wished to have any drinks from the bar while we perused the menu.

This was our first encounter with one of the students, and he made us feel very welcome and looked after us perfectly throughout.

His only downfall was that he wasn't able to make our choices for us! After a quick glance at the menu it became obvious the difficulty would be making a decision as every option looked equally tempting.

I certainly wasn't disappointed by my choice of a salad starter - Romaine leaves, Templegall cheese, hickory smoked chicken, Burren black garlic balsamic, sourdough croutons, whisky cured bacon Caesar dressing.

My dining companion opted for Academy pea soup, served with some very delicious bread. This was declared a fine choice and thoroughly enjoyed.

For mains, my choice of the fish of the day - sea bass, with spiced butter, served with confit tomato, crisp kale, potato croquettes and asparagus - was absolutely delicious. The fish was perfectly cooked and flavoursome, with the carefully chosen accompaniments adding extra elements of taste to the whole dish.

Across the table, there was equal praise for the ribeye of beef, served with Cafe de Paris butter, baby carrots, Belfast champ, tender stem and savoury bonbon. The beef was so tender and the butter really hit the right spot.

We were also suitably impressed by our delicious desserts.

I went for Eton Mess, a delightful summer concoction of roasted rhubarb, strawberries, rhubarb and mint syrup and vanilla cream.

My companion's choice of sticky toffee pudding, with ginger syrup, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream got a definite 10/10.

Although we didn't have any on this occasion, I noticed some delicious-sounding dessert cocktails on the menu including a passionfruit martini, something that definitely sounds like it would worth trying out.

The Academy menu wasn't huge, with four choices of starters and mains on the day we were there, but everything looked absolutely delicious. The menus change regularly to reflect the seasons and the ingredients are locally sourced, proving a strong focus on provenance.

Local suppliers including NearyNógs, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, Ewing’s Seafoods, Picked Organic, Mike’s Fancy Cheese, Jubilee Farm, Burren Balsamics, Ballylisk Dairies, Wilsons Country, Goats Bridge Trout, Ausome Growsome and O’Doherty’s Bacon all feature on Academy menus.

The restaurant was a calm haven to dine in, spotless, the service was second-to-none, and on closer inspection, the restroom facilities were as swish as you’d see in any five-star hotel. If you’re swayed by such things, the inclusion of top-notch hand wash and lotion by Rituals won’t go unnoticed.

All in all, our experience was a very pleasant experience with great food and attention to detail. Highly recommended!