We met at a little restaurant called Flame .
It was exciting to be meeting with many people that are very well known within our special needs communities in person for the first time. There were two tables reserved for all of us (there were a lot of us). We sprinkled ourselves about randomly starting to introduce ourselves and share our stories. I was in the best of company.
I had the opportunity to meet some truly brilliant, inspiring and lovely people. And made so many new friendships that will last a lifetime. We spent hours laughing and enjoying small talk. I am convinced the very best humor lives in the UK. The kind of laughter that makes your whole body tingle and your tummy ache from laughing. I can't remember the last time I had such grand laughs. Truly healthy for the soul. Laughter they say is the best medicine.
And I learned some great UK terms!
First being food is Gorgeous! (And it is really on all levels!)
I ordered the potato and leek soup as a starter with crusty bread. It was a delicate soup, creamy, rich, super silky with bread that complimented it perfectly. Then had Lamb Cutlets, Orange & Rosemary Butter, Tomato, ½ Shallot and Chips. The lamb was in these pretty spirals and was as tender as butter, with a lightly hinted orange sauce, the rosemary butter a perfect compliment to the tomato and chips, which in Ireland are more like chunky french fries.
With the best part being dessert.
They brought out this really large dessert menu. It was so hard to chose and I decided I should step outside my comfort zone and chose something I have never had. Upon the recommendation of locals, I chose Pavlova. It is a meringue cake that has a light and delicate crisp crust and a soft, sweet and delicious marshmallow center. It was served with whipped cream in perfect peaks adorned with fresh fruit and currants still on the vine. It looked too perfect to eat. I happened to order the last portion of it, and once it arrived it had the rest of my dinner companions in awe. But as they say in Ireland, "I wasn't too precious" to let others sample.
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| Isn't it a Masterpiece? |
And the experience doesn't end there. Ordered a coffee that was as thick as hot chocolate, about five sips and it was gone and I wanted it to be endless, and it came complimented with a little ginger biscuit. It was the sweetest drink ever. It made me feel like I having my own personal adult tea party right there by myself with my tiny little cup of coffee and biscuit. It would be safe to say I was really enjoying myself.
I found all the food in Ireland to be very warm, simple, cozy and comforting. You could taste how fresh and pure everything was. I had a greater understanding of how truly tainted American food is with chemicals, artificial dyes and GMO's. My taste buds were in complete heaven the entire trip and I had a true appreciation for how much better food quality is in other parts of the world. I'm missing all the great Irish meals and I keep trying to search out the meals I adored while there.
Hands down if you are in Belfast, a place you need to visit for a meal is Flame!
Love,
Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.