Restaurant Week sets Bow Street buzzing

Lisburn Restaurant Week this weekend culminates in a feast of fun activities for foodies of all ages, including daily deals on offer at 27 cafes, pubs, bistros and gourmet restaurants throughout the City area.

These include An Evening with Michael Buble, a Win a Square Meal Competition, a Pizza Decorating Afternoon for Kids, a 124th birthday party for Sir Richard Wallace and live acoustic sessions.

Details of these and other events can be found at www.visitlisburn.com/restaurant week and (f)/LisburnRestaurantWeek and (t) Lisburnrestweek.

Lisburn Restaurant Week 2014 got off to a great start with a Culinary Celebration in Bow Street, where shoppers were treated to Chef Demos, sampling opportunities, competitions and giveaways.

“We are delighted at the response of the public to the first Lisburn Restaurant Week,” said Alderman Allan Ewart, Chairman of the Council’s Economic Development Committee.

“The buzz was great in Bow Street; we even ran out of brochures at one point.

“Great credit goes to the eateries who are taking part in this, the first event of its kind outside Belfast. Their hard work, creativity and ingenuity deserves to pay off in terms of increased customer awareness and footfall not just in this week, but over the rest of the year.”

Meanwhile, in The Green Restaurant at the Down Royal Park Golf Course, a footie-mad Lisburn chef has literally made a meal of his passion for the beautiful game.

Gareth Toman, who is a Liverpool fan, found himself torn between the dining table and the telly when the World Cup kicked off, so he decided to put Brazil on the menu.

“I like the football, so I decided to combine my two passions during Lisburn Restaurant Week by serving up a South American-themed menu,” said Gareth, who tips Brazil to lift the cup.

“I did quite a lot of research on the internet to get the dishes right and I have to admit they go down well with a glass of wine and a big screen TV.”

Gareth believes the Lisburn Restaurant Week menu, which will be served right through The Green’s 25th weekend, will be a big hit with diners dropping in at the 19th hole

His menu includes pan-fried salmon marinated in orange and pineapple, served with pineapple salsa, and steak with a chimichurri onion marmalade - both typical Brazilian dishes.

For an Argentinian flavour, there’s barbecued ribs with fried egg and stir fried veg, while Mexico is represented by paprika chicken breast in a taco shell with sweet and sour corn salsa. More on all the festivities and the latest dining deals are available at www.downroyalgolf.com and wwwvisitlisburn.com/restaurantweek.