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