Belfast-home of Bullitt,
Baltic and Babel
Driving back and forth
to Belfast for work each day-sometimes twice a day-and finding everything I
want online without having to face the crowds, results in me not actually
socialising in Belfast city centre that often and yet I found myself at one of Belfast’s newest hotels, Bullitt, three times in the last month. I am currently an Ambassador for Into Film
which involves being an advocate for film and the effect it has on young people
as well as feeding into the national Into Film programme and trialling
educational resources. I was delighted, therefore, to discover that our
inaugural meeting was to take place in ‘The Good Room’ at the Bullitt hotel. A self-contained ‘business’ area of the
hotel was perfect for our meeting-the obligatory ‘board table’, a comfy
chillout sofa, mini kitchen complete with iconic red SMEG fridge and even a
table football-the perfect combination to get the creative juices flowing and
to send any inhibitions flying.
My 11 year old son, Robbie had previously
attended a Youth Advisory Council meeting at the same venue and declared that
the pulled pork and cheese melt was the best food he had ever tasted-and he
wasn’t joking. As the hotel’s mantra says, “Leave your diet at the
door-eating’s not cheating when the food is this good”.
The hotel’s
restaurant, Taylor and Clay, prides itself on its locally sourced menu with all
food items chosen from local suppliers, including David Love Cameron’s organic
garden ay Helen’s Bay and a host of menus to meet all tastes and budgets.
Less than a week
later, I was back at Bullitt for the launch night of Babel, the hotel’s rooftop
bar and garden which offers amazing panoramic views across the city. Although
the weather was awful, the howling wind and rain did not dampen spirits as guests
met in the Baltic bar for a prosseco reception before taking the elevator to
the urban oasis which has a living wall of over 300 homegrown herbs and
shrubs-perfect for adding the finishing touch to the wide range of cocktails on
offer. The drink of the evening was a Belvedere cocktail accompanied by a vast
range of bite size canapés which were just perfect.
The interior of Babel
has hints of the eclectic décor of the 50s/60s with velvets and leathers in
bold colours which include vivid greens, blues and bubble gum pink and the
rooftop garden has a retractable roof-a necessity in this country. However,
although the weather was very inclement on the night, the rooftop offered
enough shelter without the roof
being closed, thanks to the abundance of heaters and cosy blankets.
It was also lovely to catch up with one half of the Bullitt mastermind, Bill Wolsey, even though I did remind him about the time he was a member of my Spanish class-and usually persuaded the rest of the class to cut the class early and head off for some tipples and tapas in a local establishment!
If you haven’t already visited Babel, Baltic or Bullitt, I would encourage you to make the trip-there really is a mixed vibe which suits a variety of tastes-the “Eclectic Events’ calendar offers something for everyone from arts to acts, culture and craic and technology and tunes.
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