Tucked between Strabane's main street and the Mourne River, just 15 minutes drive from Derry City, this buzzy contemporary restaurant hit the ground running when it opened at the end of the pandemic - and it's been picking up new fans a-plenty ever since.
Set in a smartly renovated red brick building, with a large glass frontage and welcoming come-on-in window tables at the front and part covered patio at the back overlooks the Mourne River, it's a buzzy spot with a view of the semi-open kitchen from most tables and a colourful bar counter along the entrance area, where staff are quick to meet and greet arriving guests.
It's a place with a touch of panache and luxury, where the local clans gather to socialise and have family get-togethers while enjoying the cool decor and the atmosphere - and, with its watery greens and dark blues, and vibrant prints of the local area (including a beautiful one of a full moon glistening over the town) there's a lovely sense of place about the clean-lined design.
Promptly seated guests are very well looked after here, with staff not only bringing menus and taking drinks orders, but also asking if you're out for any special celebrations or if you need help with allergies. It's a great start to what should be a very enjoyable meal.
And there's a menu to suit every occasion from a quick one course lunch to a relaxing outing for two in the evening, a family meal with the kids, or a multi-generational get together. Daytime offerings include a separate menu of half a dozen Salads (kicking off with the popular Charred Chicken Buddha Bowl) and the choices generally are carefully planned to allow you to be as quick and casual as you like, or to make an outing of it.
The evening menu is exciting in the modern style, with a 'shopping list' single ingredient heading followed by the components leaving plenty to the imagination. Starters like Beef Shortribs - Bone Marrow - Sour Dough - Parmesan, for example, or Crispy Calamari - Peanuts - Chilli - Smoked Mayonnaise Dip. And there's homemade Treacle Wheaten Bread, which is beautifully crusty and moist... The fish cooking is especially noteworthy, as in mains like Cod (crispy skin) - broccoli (a colourful swirl of purée) - lemon - Crispy Monkfish (Fritters), enjoyed alongside good meats like Lamb (£5 supplement, perhaps, for loin of beautifully seared and tender, sliced into medallions) - onion & truffle (purée) - watercress & nut pesto.
There are also specials clipped to the menu, say a dry aged Fillet Steak - mustard seeds - Bone Marrow and Truffle Butter (supplement charged). At the more casual end of the spectrum there's likely to be a Steakburger and a Steak Sourdough Sandwich, while Vegan and Vegeterian dishes get listed separately, say a Spiced Chickpea Burger - Beet Ketchup - Crunchy Slaw. Main meals include lovely sides like Fries (with choice of a garlic version), Buttery Mash, Broccoli with toasted Almonds or a Pomegranate Salad (like a crunchy Slaw dressed and mixed with a few blackberries).
Colourfully presented desserts are all homemade (and very much a cut above the usual) and they also offer an extremely popular Affogato in various guises that's served with a chunk of Honeycomb (aka Yellowman locally), and a duo of cheeses (Young Buck blue and a smoked cheddar, perhaps) with no supplement charged, which is unusual these days.
What all of the menus at The Banks have in common is carefully considered choices, great value and good purchasing (more detail on local ingredients would be nice, but the evidence of quality is on the plate), careful cooking and generous servings. Nothing is overcooked and there's a nice attention to detail - the bright Green Tenderstem Broccoli with its crispy Almond flakes, is a small example.
There's a full bar of course and the wide ranging drinks choices include draught and craft beers, a wide-ranging wine list (with some low alcohol variants) and some especially popular and eye catching Cocktail / Mocktail specialities showcasing some old classics like a Singapore Gin Sling and new adaptions like 'Sex on the Banks'.
They set themselves high standards from the outset at The Banks and they're maintaining them consistently. And the warmly professional and well trained staff are a big part of that. From the moment of arrival to the time of leaving (when they again thank you for calling in and wish you a nice evening), they are just brilliant - very observant in the dining room and giving genuine customer care, they have a multi-tasking attitude and show great teamwork in politely making customers welcome and relaxed throughout a very pleasing visit.
Accommodation
Ten beautifully furnished bedrooms came online above the restaurant some time after it opened, making this a great base for exploring the area. The number 28 on the street is perhaps an accidental reference to the town's American Heritage and its famous sons - a small local museum well worth visiting is The Wilson Ancestral Home, the thatched cottage homestead of the 28th American President Woodrow Wilson, whose grand parents lived in this part of the Sperrins. The National Trust also owns a shop in the town (Gray's Printing Press) that illustrates the links between John Dunlap, who spent his early years in Strabane, and the American Declaration of Independence. The genersous rooms, which are smart and modern, are accessed independently - you are sent a code for your key so yoiu can go straight upstairs and get settled without having to go into the restauant. Although that may seem a bit impersonal it gives guests greater independence to come and go as they like - and, if it's hospitality you're after, there will be no shortage of that when you go down for your dinner.
