Uptown Girl

Uptown Girl

If you were to ask me where to go for a cocktail in Belfast, my first choice would have to be The Merchant Hotel, Waring Street Belfast.  I have been going to The Merchant ever since it first opened in 2007. I remember our first visit to The Great Room (2AA Rosettes), where we dined out from the very decadent a la carte menu.  There was a strict dress code at that time, men were not allowed in jeans, shorts or trainers, ladies also had o be suitably attired.  There was a sign posted on entry advising diners not to use their mobile phones to allow for complete intimacy to savour the delicious food.  

The dress code is pretty relaxed now and the food is just as excellent as the first visit and there is a choice of different affordable menu options. For me going to the Merchant is an excuse to dress up because they have a knack of making you feel so special.

M personal favourite is enjoying either an Apéritifs or Digestifs in the cocktail lounge where you feel like you have been transported onto the set of Moulin Rouge with the red velvet upholstery and tassles.   In the winter it is exceptional just to enjoy a drink with the roaring fire in the background.  As soon as you enter you are whisked away to a comfortable seat that you would not want to leave. The cocktails can be made in front of you at the bar (if you enjoy watching the precision in the attention given to every single drink leaving the bar) I can only describe this as a artisan cocktail making process by immaculately dressed, smiley, professional staff.  My all time best cocktail is The Clover Club. The bar has won many accolades since opening including Best Cocktail Bar.

It is also the only place in Belfast that I am aware of that serves you with olives and pretzels (included in the price of the cocktail) which helps to expand the flavours of the cocktail. I am truly in heaven.  I am sure you can tell by now that my expectations are high and this cocktail bar and the Merchant delivers all of that and much more which is why eight years later I am still hooked.

Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed every single experience from dining in the Great Room, enjoying high tea in the Lounge, attending beauty events, savouring a cocktail because it tasted so darn good, sipping champagne in the Veuve Clicquot Lounge, to soaking in the Hydrotherapy pool followed by a seaweed wrap facial and massage and then falling asleep in the relaxation room (on many occasions, I am embarrassed to tell).  I have yet to indulge in staying overnight not to mention the roof top hot-tub.

When I step into The Merchant I am immediately beamed up into a world of opulence. I could literary go on and on about this place and I hope you find the opportunity to do so. www.themerchanthotel.com