This well known restaurant near Bangor has seen several changes since its starry days as Shanks, under the late Robbie Millar, but the arrival of Stephen Jeffers looks set to mark the beginning of a new and happier era.
For Stephen Jeffers not only goes back a long way with the Clandeboye Estate, having cooked for Lady Dufferin before branching out into restaurants, but he has a loyal following at his Bangor seafood bar, Jeffers by the Marina, and is highly regarded in the area and beyond – which is encouraging both destination diners and casual visitors to come to this slightly off the beaten track venue, as well as pleasing golfers.
The main restaurant is on the lower ground floor and used for evening meals and Sunday lunch; a pleasant room with windows along one wall and the kitchen visible through a glass screen at the end, it’s furnished quite casually with lightwood furniture and leather banquettes, with a collection of good paintings lending a certain gravitas to the informal setting.
As well as a very appealing à la carte menu showcasing a host of fine local foods – including Ewings of Belfast smoked salmon, Clandeboye Estate produce such as pigeon, eggs and milk (the latter used in the rice pudding they serve with poached berries, for example), Copeland Island crab, Portavogie prawns and Strangford Lough scallops – a special Forty Five Pound menu offers exceptional midweek value (meal for two including a bottle of wine, Tue-Fri), and this is also available at Jeffers on the Marina, in Bangor.
Upstairs, an all day bar menu is served to golfers and the growing number of casual visitors who are now getting to know about Jeffers at Blackwood.
Beginning with the aroma of freshly baked scones first thing in the morning, there is always something to entice people in for a bite and their appealing, well-priced Snax menu offers golfers’ favourites (steaks, of course, also a range of burgers with great variations, including Crozier blue cheese) and a tempting range of less predictable dishes such as pickled herrings on toast, salt & pepper squid, duck confit and Irish seafood skewers.
All round this is a pleasing venue and the offering is well pitched for the mood of the times, with well sourced local foods served at accessible prices – all of which explain the growing numbers of repeat visits.
: Bar Menu all day in The Hunt Room; evenings - Forty Five Pound Menu (also offered at Jeffers by the Marina). Evening restaurant downstairs, à la carte.
