I’m having a hard time writing about Belfast. Belfast doesn’t have the kind of culinary vibrancy we saw in Dublin. Cork or Galway. The Troubles are just not that long ago and in fact, the gates are still locked each evening at Shankill and Falls Road. It’s getting better though.

There were 2 foodie highlights though: Bushmills and Farls.

We had one truly awful dinner at Fibber McGee’s and one very good dinner at Seahorse at the Grand Central Hotel, our home for a couple of nights where we discovered Irish Potato Bread or Farls at breakfast. Nothing like the potato bread we see in Canada, this is simply left over potatoes with flour, salt and butter added. Rolled out and fried, they are a sensation! We had a 15 minutes window before departing for the airport and spent it eating Farls.

The Antrim coast and the Giants Causeway are fantastic. We had truly awful weather but a visit to Bushmills for a couple of whiskey flights and a hot toddy warmed us up perfectly.

Back home in Vancouver the weather is forcing me to work on perfecting my Hot Toddy recipe. Another good use of Bushmills is a shot in oatmeal. Try it, you’ll like it!