231 Belfast Rd, Belfast BT16 1UE
www.capparelli.co.uk
By Paul Ainsworth
Ah, the marvellous Mediterranean – visions of a sparkling, inviting sea dotted with yachts, cobalt skies delicately laced with high cirrus clouds, and genial, leathery-faced nonagenarians winking as they spark up another filter-less cigarette.
As far from a cold, wet, miserable December night in east Belfast as you can imagine, bar the smoking, but a flavour of the Med was just the ticket to keep the winter blues at bay, so we crunched into Capparelli at the Mill’s gravel carpark, ready for an evening of culinary escapism.
As the name suggests, this hugely popular eatery is housed in Dundonald’s Old Mill, originally built in 1752, and the old wheel continues its slow turn as visitors amble up the steps into the welcoming refurbished interior.
Before the Irish News featured Capparelli’s rise to become one of the north’s most in-demand destination dining spots earlier in the autumn, I’d naively assumed it was just another Italian spot, in the north’s tradition of middling ‘mama mia’ eateries, complete with poorly painted murals and questionable meatballs.
But forget the tropes, Capparelli’s is most definitely not just an Italian joint – though it still offers some very appealing Italian dishes – instead dipping into the wider flavours of the Med’s varied cuisines, and creating a small but smart evening dinner menu with hints of the Middle East.
We took our seats at a table in the cavernous candlelit interior, reassuringly packed out with a cheerfully murmuring Friday night crowd, clinking glasses as raindrops raced down the window panes.
First up was a test of simplicity – a starter for myself of bread and olive oil, and it was exactly that, bread and olive oil, though the bread was a deliciously warm, perfectly baked, crusted sourdough, and the olive oil was…probably very expensive at 2025 bottle prices.
Capparelli at the Mill’s bread and olive oil starter
My more discerning dining partner meanwhile, boldly went for the Kale Borani to kick things off.
It’s a ponderous, heavy, overly generous dish of kale swamped with yoghurt, with Vadouvan brown butter and golden raisins.
Kale Borani
Her palate, more attuned to Med fare than my own, determined this Turkish-inspired dish was delicious, so take her word for it over mine.
Early doubts were, however, cast aside when the mains landed.
Like a culinary chicken, I chose the chicken, but (assumes sultry M&S ad voice), it’s not just any old clucker, this is Rosisserie cooked, with (squints at menu) jus gras, shawarma, Za’atar chimichurri and rotisserie potatoes.
The Rotisserie chicken main at Capparelli at the Mill
Ok, brass tacks – easily the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Eye-rollingly good; leg, thigh and breast veiled with a delicately crisp skin.
The three small potatoes were starchily satisfactory, somewhat forgettable – this dish is all about the poultry, so prepare accordingly.
On the other side of the table, meanwhile, magnificent things were happening with the arrival of the 8oz dry-aged ribeye steak, be-hatted like a beefy wife at Cheltenham Ladies Day with a flat-cap mushroom, arriving in a puddle of peppercorn sauce.
Ribeye steak, à la Capparelli at the Mill
The noticeably modest portion of chips appeared in a separate silver container, because of course they did.
A steak sceptic myself, my partner enthused over the tender texture and wonderfully rich sauce.
Those thick, steak-cut chips, meanwhile, were as you’d hope for in a destination dining spot – beautifully crispy coating with a cloud-fluffy interior.
Happy with our main choices, but left wondering about the other tantalisingly described menu offerings that will have to wait for another day, we plumped to share what sounded the best dessert on the menu – a pavlova with roast plums, bay leaf custard and a vanilla cream almond and pistachio crumb.
The pavlova from Capparelli’s dessert menu
This was…well, certainly interesting!
The main flavour that cut through was the bay leaf, giving each bite a herby, floral flavour that a generous reviewer would describe as refreshing and Alpine, and a more cynical one as ‘lozenges from the back of your granny’s cupboard’.
I’ll leave you to decide which one I felt was the apt descriptor.
Capparelli at the Mill in Dundonald.
PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN
All-in-all though, be assured that Capparelli’s is a delightful restaurant, with a bold menu, a very warm welcome, above-and-beyond service, and a style simply unmatched for its neck of the woods.
The bill
Bread & olive oil £4.95
Kale Borani £8.75
Rotisserie chicken £25.50
Dry-aged ribeye £32.50
Pavlova £7.50
Aquiline Sauvignon Blanc £7
Peroni £5
Total: £91.20
Dining and Cooking