New Menu Launch - Summer/Autumn 2013

Lighter, fresher and filled with seasonal favourites!

Filini Restaurant Belfast launches it's new Summer/Autumn menu this month, introducing a lighter and more seasonal menu to suit the coming summer months. Executive chef Nigel Mannion has worked carefully with his team to create a fresh and locally sourced menu to cater for all occasions, whatever your mood. Filini aims to indulge your desires whether it be for melt in the mouth authentic Italian pizza, crispy pan-fried sea bass or savoury risottos, to name but a few.

Seasonal items such as asparagus, fgs and fennel feature, alongside locally sourced squid, cuttlefsh and lamb rump; not forgetting regular favourites such as the succulent beef fillet.

Be Healthy

It's summer – that time of year when healthy eating comes to the forefront of many minds. Whether you're getting ready for a holiday or becoming more ft in general, Filini offers a range of healthy options to keep you on track and not ruin your good work.

Char-grilled asparagus with poached egg & Pantelleria capers will give you that energy boost you need, or try the tasty wholemeal spaghetti with tomatoes and ricotta cheese for a low fat, fbrous and flling meal.

Treat Yourself

Belfast weather can be erratic at best and sometimes we still need to satisfy ourselves with favourful dishes to warm those cooler summer evenings. Filini still features a wide range of authentic Italian pizzas, such as the Quattro Formaggi pizza, with it's four authentic Italian cheese toppings and the special Filini pizza, with tomato, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto and rocket.

New savoury additions include Veal Saltimbocca, veal topped with prosciutto and sage, and grilled fsh with 'Caponata,' an Italian-style ratatouille, but with capers and olives in place of tomato.

Al Fresco Dining

All sunny afternoons and evenings will now feature a special Al Fresco dining area on the Filini terrace, overlooking the tranquil waters of The Gasworks green space.This type of dining is ideal for warm summer nights with a chilled bottle of Pinot and fresh antipasti.

Filini Italian Cocktail Launch

Filini have launched a range of refreshing Italian cocktails made with traditional Italian spirits and liqueurs in order to further enhance your Italian experience.

New Wine List

Filini has worked hard to update their wine list to perfectly compliment the fresh new offerings with modern Italian favourites including Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Valpolicella wines.

May Bank Holiday and Beyond - KIDS EAT FREE

Filini Restaurant/ Gasworks Bar & Cafe - firm favourites for family dining!

This May Bank Holiday and beyond, take time with the family to enjoy an exclusive offer where kids aged 12 and under eat free when accompanied by a paying adult.

There is no need to worry about city centre parking when the Radisson Blu Belfast offers complimentary car parking to all customers dining in our Filini Restaurant/ Gasworks Bar & Cafe.

Visit Radisson Blu Belfast to enjoy lunch or dinner, where welcoming staff and a unique “Yes I Can!” spirit of service will ensure a Bank Holiday treat at the hotel’s renowned restaurant, Filini Restaurant.

With a variety of dishes on the menu, Filini Restaurant/ Gasworks Bar

& Cafe can cater to any taste. 

Dishes include everything from Beef fillet with roasted potatoes, bacon and sliced parmesan cheese to Margherita pizza. Also on offer for the kiddies are various pastas with a variety of sumptuous sauces, mini roast dinners, fish fingers & chips etc. To book and for information on booking terms and conditions, call +44 (0)28 9043 4065 or email f.b.belfast@radissonblu.com.

Jan Hanak, General Manager at Radisson Blu Belfast, said: “We are aiming to take the strain this second May Bank Holiday weekend, freeing busy parents from kitchen duties and enabling them to spend more time with the kids. The kids eat free offer should also take some strain off the purse strings.

Whether it’s a quick lunch as part of a busy day visiting friends or family, or a long dinner to celebrate an extra day off work, it’s a chance for families to take time out and let someone else do the washing up.”

Radisson Blu Belfast is situated at: 3 Cromac Place in the Gasworks Business Park at the bottom of the Ormeau Road in Belfast.

Filini Cook-Off Milan 2013: Interview with Marcin

Filini is all about taste and flavour. Much time and effort is put in to gathering the very best ingredients from Italy and its many regions. However, sourcing these ingredients is only the beginning of the process. Filini chefs aim to create authentic Italian recipes using classic techniques to provide their customers with a true taste of Italy. Filini chefs are trained in the art of Italian cooking from expert Italian chefs so they can deliver the perfect Italian experience.

To further enrich the performance of their chefs, Filini hosts the annual Chef Cook-Off in one of their Italian Radisson Blu hotels. This year the event was held in Radisson Blu, Milan. Chef Marcin Zajak was delighted to be selected to represent Filini Belfast amongst the array of culinary talent. Over 3 days in April, Marcin and the international team of chefs worked together in the kitchen, learning new, and perfecting old, culinary techniques.

Filini chef Marcin Zajac attended the Filini Cook-Off 2013

Filini staff member Claire interviewed Marcin to see what he got up to when he was there.

CLAIRE: Hi Marcin, so when did you get back from Milan?

MARCIN: I got back a couple of weeks ago (end of April). I was there for 3 days.

C: Did you have a nice holiday?

M: [Laughs] This was not a holiday! We were kept busy the entire time, with team briefings, cooking, and teaching, led by Rezidor executive chefs Urban Denk and Richard Williamson. Although in saying that, the weather was beautiful! 25 degrees and blue skies..

C: Were you thrown straight into the kitchen on arrival?

M: No. When we arrived we all met for dinner that evening to be briefed by Urban and Richard. There was about 15 chefs in total, flown in from all over Europe and Asia. We had a great meal together - delicious fredo misto and seafood risotto, washed down with their Barolo wine. (Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape and is often described as one of Italy's greatest wines.)

C: So when did you get cooking?

M: On the second day we all met for breakfast around 8am then headed to the Filini kitchen in the hotel. Because there were so many of us, and the kitchen still had to function as normal, we were separated into groups and each group took a turn in the kitchen.

C: What did your team cook?

M: Our team cooked a number of dishes. My favourite was a Bucatini dish with sardines, pine nuts, fennel, saffron and raisins. Every team member cooked each dish under the supervision of Urban, Richard or Filini Milan’s chef Dario. While in the kitchen we tried a range of Italian staples, such as authentic Italian olive oils and olives. In Italy they use a range of olive oils depending on the dish they are cooking. There are lots of different types and taste of olive oils, and it can make a big difference to the outcome of the dish you are preparing. They can be fruity, having spicy flavours, a characteristic of fresh ripe or green olives. Then more bitter, creating a pleasant acidic taste and lastly there are quite pungent varieties, which can create a peppery taste in the mouth and throat. The taste will differ depending on the number of presses the olives receive and their ripeness. A light extra virgin olive oil is used for salads, while a completely different, heavier and richer olive oil is used for cooking things like meat and fish. Olive oil is produced by grinding olives and extracting the oil. Green olives usually produce more bitter oil. The fresh olives in Italy were fantastic!

C: Is there a difference between the fresh olives in Italy and the olives we get here in Belfast?

M: They were extremely fresh - as if they’d just been picked from the tree. People think generally think there are two types of olive – green and black but there is only one type of olive. All olives begin green. Black olives are a dark colour because they have been left in the sun 7 days longer where they change colour from green to black.

C: So overall, what did you take away from the trip?

M: I learnt lots of new techniques, and perfected old ones. I got some great new focaccia recipes, and learned how to elevate even the most simple dishes.

C: Great! We look forward to tasting to some of the new dishes!

International Filini chefs at Radisson Blu Milan, Italy for the Filini Cook-Off 2013

Since returning to Filini Marcin's Milan experience has already sparked some new experimental recipes, including ricotta, spinach and red onion focaccia and cherry tomato, mushroom and thyme focaccia. 

What a Difference a Month Makes

Over the last few years we've definitely noticed a change in Northern Ireland weather. No longer can we define the seasons as spring, summer, autumn and winter. Instead the weather is erratic and unpredictable. 

Here's proof of how the weather is changing all the time in Belfast. Look at the comparison between a photo taken of outside Filini in March and then another taken a couple of days ago in April. 

Hopefully the lovely weather will stay with us for a while and us Northern Ireland folk can enjoy some much needed vitamin D :)

We love taking photographs of our own food!

In the age of social media and smartphones, a lot of us have jumped on the bandwagon of photographing pretty much anything we get up to when we step outside our front door... but one of the most popular trends has to be when we are out for a nice meal and we can't resist the urge of taking a sneaky (or not so sneaky) picture of the delicious plate in front of us. Check out our blog post of some foodies caught in the act! 

Marcin at work

We Love Birthdays.

We advise anyone who is out for their birthday to always let your server know! You never know what might pop over when you least expect it!

Happy Birthday to two special customers tonight, we hope you had a great night!

Belfast Film Festival 2013

The 13th annual festival takes place this week in Belfast. We're always partial to doing something that we might not normally get up to and this is a great opportunity to sack the usual 10 pints in the local this weekend and instead intoxicate yourself with a bit of culture and hopefully a few decent flicks. 

The festival features a range of film, showcasing the newest and best in local and international talent including; short film programmes, a documentary film competition, classic retrospectives, workshops and special events attracting some of the biggest names in European and international cinema.

For more info and full listings visit http://www.belfastfilmfestival.org/

Refuel

We had a little sit down before our evening service tonight to replenish our energy and refuel for the night ahead.  

Latte with lemon biscotti 

Pizza Making at Filini

Check out all the info here!

Test Your Italian

Great quiz from the BBC Italian language learning tool. Complete the questions in about 10 minutes. Apparently our reading skills are good but we definitely need to improve on writing! Eek! 

Click here to give it a go!

Ulster Bride Show 2013 Ticket Giveaway!

Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve been nominated in the ‘Best Hotel Restaurant’ category for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013. The awards consider every hotel restaurant in Ireland so we are over the moon we’ve made the final cut. Fingers crossed we win the overall prize! 

The considerations for nomination are as follows:

“The category will recognise a hotel restaurant that demonstrates the very best in a dining experience as evidenced by attention to detail, a well-structured, balanced and appropriate menu, exemplary customer service and enjoyable and suitable atmosphere.”

OMG that is soooo us! 

We’ll keep you updated on the result :)

Recipe of the Day - Penne

Nothing says Italy like it’s food, and nothing says Italian Food like pasta!

Make Your Own: Filini Penne with Italian Sausage and Pizzaiola Sauce

What you need:

125gr penne
150gr Italian sausage (salsicce)
30gr cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
200ml pizzaiola sauce
2tbs cream
2tbs red wine
1tbs chopped herbs
2cloves garlic
50ml chicken stock

Instructions:

1. Sautee the sausage with garlic, shallots in olive oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper. Add red wine, cherry tomatoes, sauce and chicken stock.
3. Finish with cream and herbs. Toss penne.


Ta-da! It’s that easy!

Dish of the Day - Buffalo Mozzarella

Buffalo Mozzarella, grilled eggplant, olive oil & oregano

Mozzarella di bufala campana e melanzane alla griglia

To Get You Started - Antipasti

Vegetable antipasti

Grilled aubergine, zucchini, roast peppers, marinated mushrooms, lentil salad, green beans & bruschetta with vine ripe tomatoes

Antipasti di verdure

Melanzane all griglia, zucchine, peperoni arrosto, funghi marinati, insalata di lenticchie, fagiolini verdi e bruschetta al pomodoro

Dish of the Day - Filini Pizza

‘Filini’ Pizza

Tomato, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto & rocket

Pomodoro, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto e rucola

World's Best Female Chef 2013 - Nadia Santini

Nadia Santini, the head chef of the Michelin-starred Dal Pescatore restaurant in a village in northern Italy, was named Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards on Wednesday.

Santini runs the kitchen at the restaurant in Runate between Mantua and Cremona that was set up in 1925 by her husband’s family.

In 1996 Santini became the first female chef in Italy to be awarded three Michelin stars for her kitchen that produces authentic Italian cuisine combined with modern influences.

Congratulations Nadia!

Dinner Party Table Setting

Having a dinner party and looking to impress your friends? At Filini we use a general set of rules, known in the hospitality industry as table d’hôte. In restaurant terminology, a table d’hôte menu is a menu where multi-course meals with only a few choices are served. They’re not quite ‘silver service’ rules but will apply to most multi-course meals when offering your guests soup or an alternative starter, main dish and a dessert. We’ve also included the correct setting for wine and minerals. Happy dining!

Dish of the Day - Carpaccio

Carpaccio of beef with rocket salad & shaved parmesan cheese

Carpaccio di manvo con rucola e parmigiano a scaglie

Our specialised Italian meats are all imported from Italy. 

Belfast 400 Quiz

In 2013 we are marking the 400th anniversary of the 1613 charter which granted Belfast town status.

The charter was signed by James I on 27 April 1613 and marks the beginning of civic governance in Belfast. It established the first Belfast Corporation, the forerunner to today’s council structure, and led to the appointment of the city’s first sovereign, the precursor of the modern day Lord Mayor.

The granting of the charter is part of Belfast’s story which extends both before and after 1613 and was a step on the journey to where Belfast is today.

Together with a number of other Belfast-based organisations, we’ll be marking this significant anniversary with a number of events and initiatives throughout 2013. 

Radisson Bl...White?

 

Northern Ireland celebrates 3 years without death from Testicular Cancer

“The ‘Belfast Strut’ is an event to launch the ‘Zero Campaign’. 
Over a 10-year period Northern Ireland has had zero deaths from Testicular Cancer for 3 of those years. 
 These statistics are unique to Northern Ireland. 

 The ‘Zero Campaign’ is a campaign to celebrate and showcase NI’s remarkable achievements of Zero Deaths to the rest of the world and to inspire them to achieve what Northern Ireland have in their own countries. We are looking for 100 people to become a Mr. Testicles for a day. A 10 mile walk from Nutts Corner to Belfast’s Waterfront Hall dressed as Giant testicles.”

Congratulations men of Northern Ireland. Keep being brave and getting checked!

Oh and it just so happened we were in town earlier to catch the celebration in action…hehe

Easter Sunday at Filini - the verdict

What a great day in Filini, from our breakfast service for residents to our egg-tastic Sunday Lunch service. Everyone was in great spirits and filled to the brim with a range of tasty treats!

Included in the lunch menu today: 

Crispy Pork Belly

and to be really glutton for punishment everyone went home with a second dessert for later!

Easter Egg Painting

Dish of the Day - Rigatoni

Rigatoni with king prawns, tomato and garlic

Rigatoni con gamberoni pomodoro ed aglio

Waste Not, Want Not (but may want later)

Filini Restaurant is participating in Belfast City Councils Bring-Home-Box initiative. 

About one-third of waste from Belfast’s food businesses comes from food that customers leave on their plates.

With a Bring-home-box, you’ll be cutting down on waste going to landfill, saving yourself money and reducing overall food waste costs.

So the next time you’re out for a meal, ask your server for a Bring-home-box.

The Bring-home-box can be composted, simply recycle it in your brown bin or green food waste bin.