Dar Misk Grill, 199 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7EJ
SOCIETY, social media and Garfield would have you believe that Monday is the worst day of the week. This is a lie. The worst day is – as you’ve always suspected – Tuesday.
At least Monday offers a sense of renewal as you come in through the office doors feeling fun, fresh and funky after a relaxing and replenishing weekend. Tuesday offers no such novelty. It is a cruel and featureless limbo without the hope to be found in Wednesday, the edging thrill of Thursday or Friday’s finality.
Tuesday is often the day that I yield to a second cup of coffee and decide to microwave a spag bol for dinner, because what’s the point?
This week, however, I opted for a rather different dining experience.
Dar Misk Grill is Belfast’s newest open charcoal grill spot, just in case the waft of cumin infused smokiness that hits you as you come through the door doesn’t give it away.
Having only been open for a few weeks, it’s always a good sign when there’s a buzz about a place on a Tuesday evening: we seemed to time our arrival perfectly, as they were just giving their one free booth a thorough clean.
Spacious and comfortable, it easily sat the four of us as we eagerly peered down at the double-sided A4 menu bursting with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern delights, from Baba Ganoush served with lightly charred flatbread to slow-grilled Buqari chicken.
Although I like to think of myself as rather adventurous when it comes to food, I must admit I haven’t tried a lot of Middle Eastern dishes, so like a total food tourist I was forced to out myself and ask the obvious question, “what would you recommend?”
“The chicken shawarma is unreal.”
“I trust your judgement; I’ll go for that.”
Don’t be fooled by the term ‘Dar Misk Plates’ on the menu - they should, in fact, be called ‘Dar Misk massive chopping boards’, but I suppose that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.
Out came heaps of thinly sliced roasted chicken lathered in the house garlic and chilli sauce, all wrapped in crispy paprika flatbread with a small mountain of golden chips lightly coated in mysterious sweet and spicy seasoning stacked on top.
Admittedly, garlic was the dominant flavour running through the shawarma, so if you’re planning on taking a date out for dinner or treating a colleague from work to a business lunch, it’s probably best avoided. But overall, it was very tasty.
We also ordered the hummus starter as an additional side, because when in Rome – or in this case the Middle East - why not? And we were absolutely right to do so.
Dredging that lightly charred flatbread through the craggy mounds of hummus seasoned with paprika, diced tomato and parsley, all drizzled in olive oil, was addictive.
My sister and her boyfriend opted to share the crispy chicken meal which very much delivered in terms of crispiness, with a crunch you could hear from across the table, before reaching the succulent, soft tenders which also came with a generous portion of flavourful fries.
However, the real showstopper was my mum’s ‘Broasted’ chicken meal, which we were told would take about 20 minutes as they’re made to order - but I promise, these bad boys are worth the wait.
Seasoned with a secret blend of herbs and spices that would give the Colonel a run for his money, the crust was a crispy but subtly spiced batter and the skinless chicken underneath was tasty and well cooked without being greasy, confirming that chicken on the bone will always beat chicken off it.
Although the food itself makes for a decent dinner, there are elements of Dar Misk that could do with a little finessing.
The drinks menu consisted of quite an eclectic mix, including Fruit Shoots, Irn Bru, Barr’s cola/cream soda and water. All of which were served in their tins or bottles without glasses. I’m not overly fussy when it comes to drinks, but a glass and some ice never go amiss, especially if there’s a little bit of heat to your dish.
Dessert was also a disappointing endeavour, because there wasn’t one. I don’t know who decided dessert shouldn’t feature on the menu, but they were wrong. Given the standard of the savoury stuff, I think the restaurant is definitely missing a trick.
That said, Dar Misk is excellent value for money, and with the Belfast food scene predominantly consisting of places serving burgers, steaks and barbecued bits, it’s refreshing to see somewhere doing something entirely different.
It put an unexpectedly positive spin on my usually terrible Tuesday.
THE BILL
- Hummus Starter - £5.95
- Chicken Shawarma Meal Arabi - £9.95
- Crispy Chicken Meal - £12
- Four Piece Broasted Chicken - £12
- Four bottles of water - £6.40
