We try Marcel on Belmont Road - a little gem in the heart of East Belfast

In recent years the Belmont Road has become a popular destination in East Belfast with a great variety of local independent businesses that all offer something unique to the area.

While it has a couple of my favourite cafes in Belfast, this week I thought I would try out one of its restaurants and took a trip to Marcel and was delighted to have one of the nicest meals I have had in a long time.

Marcel is a relatively small restaurant and has a nice cosy atmosphere with an open plan kitchen in the centre where you can get a good view of the surprisingly quiet chefs working away.

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The menu is based on French cuisine, something that we don't have much of in Belfast, with a good selection that would keep even picky eaters like myself happy. They also have a fantastic offer of two courses for £23 or three for £25 which would be very hard to beat, especially considering the quality of the food.

To start with I had the cheese gougeres from the 'Snack' menu which were like little balls of pastry with a cheese and onion sauce filling while my partner had the French onion soup.

The gougeres were very nice and you got a lovely burst of flavour as soon as you bit into one followed by a lovely aftertaste from the onion sauce. My partner was blown away by the soup, claiming that it was the nicest that she had ever eaten and is already planning when she can return to have it again.

For our main meal I went for the Braised Beef Bourguignon that had was beautifully cooked and fell apart as soon as your forked touched it. Covered in a lovely red wine sauce with crispy bacon bits, mushrooms and a side of creamy mashed potatoes, it was a very wholesome dish that really hit the spot.

My partner had the Moules Frites, which is mussels in a white wine sauce, which also went down very well, although she was a little bit overwhelmed with the portion size! She said the mussels were perfectly cooked and had a very fresh and rich flavour that made her determined to finish her plate.

While there were a variety of desserts on offer, with a French cheese selection, Chocolate Dolce and Apple Tart, we were both stuffed after our previous courses to try them, but enjoyed ourselves so much that know we will be back soon to give Marcel another go and sample a bit more of its great menu.

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