#bert's

[theframelines]

Spotlight: Red Hot Karaoke Star of Bert's by OyeAlejandro

[humanslikeme]

Red Hot Karaoke Star of Bert's by OyeAlejandro

[showmethesign]

i don't think that guy usually gets on the loudspeaker

guy: ATTENTION

guy: bert's cafe will be closing in one hour.

guy: .......

guy: if you want somethin', come n get it

[soulrebelwithoutacause]

How my morning was a fail

so if you live in Tacoma you know (or at least you should!) a little coffee shop called Bertilino's or Bert's. (i probably spelled it wrong oh well) anyways i go up and ask for my usual. She can't help but laugh because she's remembering the last time i came in...stoned off my balls...yeah...i'm THAT stoner. I don't go into fast food places, i go to coffee shops... -_- so i took my coffee to a near by table and pulled my laptop out thus knocking my coffee over and spilling it all over me. My O.C.D. kicked in so i immediately drove home and am now in a comfy sweater. With that, i drink my coffee and shall proceed to get le baked :P

[belfastbites-blog]

Review: Sunday brunch at Bert's Jazz Bar, Belfast

It pains me that I have to open this post with a picture of an omelette. How could I be sat in such a gorgeous bar - complete with stage and singer - and forget to take a single snap of the place? Luckily if you just imagine a 'jazz bar', Bert's (at the back of the Merchant Hotel) has pretty much nailed it.

Moody blacks and reds, booths that hug the wall up to the stage - all it is missing is a fug of smoke to welcome you.

We headed in on Sunday afternoon when the main menu is bolstered by a good value brunch menu that tempted us with the Eggs Arnold Bennett (above).

Not only was the omelette packed with Ewing's finest smoked fish, it also came in the cutest little copper pan. This would make for a fantastic breakfast - only the £10 price tag raising a few eyebrows (athough more than likely you'd be on some kind of 'meal deal' that would be much better value).

Departing the brunch menu we headed into heartier fare - the duck rillettes (above) was a great savoury start - served with a warm beetroot soup and crusty bread.

One of the benefits of heading along with @daydreamfoodie and @mattpottery was more dishes to steal a fork load off, hence the starters keep on coming. The mushroom, tarragon and gruyere tart (above) was a great example of a classic tart - light crunchy pastry around the gloriously gooey filling.

Not pictured are the ham hock and black pudding croquettes but these strong flavoured morsels are definitely worth your time. Served with pork crackling - this is a dish that deserves a pint of beer.

The macaroni cheese (above) doesn't look like you might expect - this one was filled with mushrooms and loaded with truffle oil. God it was good.

The pan roasted cod (above) was a comforting dish for a cold day. Buttery peas a la Francais, warm crushed potatoes and a well cooked chunk of fish on top.

Thanks to our mandatory plate swapping policy, a shared Chateaubriand (above) is something we would never go for - so thanks again to our dining partners for opening new doors! A beautiful piece of meat that arrived a touch over the medium rare, but was nonetheless as smooth a mouthful as you could ask of a bit of beef. The accompanying sauces were great, especially with the wonderful (if not quite piping hot) string fries. Wonderfully salty sticks of potatoey goodness.

The only disappointment of the meal was the chocolate mousse with salted caramel and banana (above). A sweet, but rather bland mousse somewhat crudely piped onto a runny caramel sauce beneath. Neither good nor bad, this mousse belongs in the land of the Rolo Choc Pot.

In terms of pure flavour, the triumphant sweet was the (sadly unpictured) pear tart tatin, the fruit caramelised to sticky perfection.

If you really want a 'wow' with your dessert, then go for the baked Alaska. The picture doesn't really show the scale, but there were no volunteers to show that the meringue makes this dessert (for two, mind!) as big as your head.

Blobs of Neapolitan ice cream hidden beneath a mound of fluffy egg white and then doused in fruit sauce. Good and certainly a technical marvel; a higher quality ice cream underneath could make this the star of the menu.

Would we go back? The first time we tried Bert's, we weren't convinced it was worth it for the food alone. But on a second look, we're pleased to say that the kitchen seems to have been invigorated to produce the food that the stunning bar deserves. Jazz lover or not, a Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to head down, grab a bite and hang out for an hour or two.

A three course meal came in at around £25, but for February (at least) they are running some pretty appealing deals that will have you fed and watered on the cheap. Be prepared for a £10 per person music supplement on some nights of the week.