New Belfast restaurant gives guests a ‘Blank’ menu of five courses...with the dishes revealed once served!

On arrival, guests will be provided with the ‘Blank List’, a carefully selected display of fine ingredients, and will only know what they are being served when dishes are revealed to them.

The new restaurant comes from the team behind Shed Bistro on the Ormeau Road, and will present a five course casual fine-dining experience curated using only local produce farmed and sourced on the island of Ireland.

The hope is that this commitment to local suppliers will help with the bounce back of some of those who were impacted by the pandemic and encourage a more sustainable culture and supportive way of consuming local food produce.

Bringing together some of the most experienced industry professionals, the Blank team will be headed up by New Zealand native Alex Daley as general manager. A trained sommelier, Alex has over 15 years’ experience across fine dining and is passionate about sustainability.

He will be joined by head chef Niall Duffy in the kitchen, who hails from Belfast but has unrivalled experience working alongside Patrick Guilbaud, Gordon Ramsay and teams at The Ritz. Niall has worked closely with chef and owner, Jonny Taylor to design the culinary elements of the show, while Alex and co-owner, Christina Taylor joined forces to create the perfect wine pairings and hospitality experience.

Speaking as they added the finishing touches to the new premises, Christina, said: “Blank is all about the incredible local produce that we have in abundance here across Ireland. From County Down Chocolate to Sea Salt from Achill Island, Salmon fished from the coast of Donegal to Duck in County Cork, we are an island overgrown with some of the finest food sources and producers. With an added element of mystery, we will be putting on a spectacular show of these wonderful ingredients found right on our doorstep.

“We dreamt this idea up a number of years ago and have been planning, designing and finessing our new concept ever since. It really has been a labour of love, so we hope every guest that crosses our door loves it as much as we do and has a really enjoyable experience with us. Come and try for yourself and let us know what you think.”

The Blank experience will change depending on availability of various produce, and the current ‘Blank List’ includes produce from Draynes Farm in Lisburn, Scott’s Family Farm in County Down, Roaring Water Bay in Cork and Donegal Fisheries, as well as local spirits An Dúlamán Martime Gin and Mourne Dew Distillery’s Kilbroney Gin.

For more information on the new concept or to make a booking, visit www.blankbelfast.com

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