In recent years, the Ormeau Road has become one of the city’s best places to eat. For those of us there in the beginning, it’s still a bit of a novelty; if you trip on the road you’ll likely fall into a cafe or restaurant. Drip is the newest kid on the block and by 10am on a Saturday morning, had a queue out its brand new door.
Stylishly designed — expect pared-back decor with slick coral-coloured tiling — the great and the good were lining up to sample what was on offer. And it was really good. Not just a pretty plateful of food.
My friend had the blueberry pancakes with mascarpone — their arrival gave me food FOMO. A trio of what looked to be perfectly freshly cooked pancakes arrives, liberally dusted with icing sugar, with a blueberry compote and significant portion of vanilla flavoured mascarpone. This is no messing about, no tiny portions for the dainty eaters.
Thank goodness for that. After quizzing the team members as to whether I should opt for the huevos rancheros or the Drip bravas, spuds won out. What landed in front of me was a plate heaving with potato cubes, Drip seasoning, diced chorizo and two fried eggs, runny enough to coat the cubes but sturdy enough to not fall apart when you’re trying to put it on a fork.
There was a hint of spice — I could have happily taken more — but it was delicious, the salty tang of chorizo cutting through the richness of the eggs. Other dishes include the Hong Kong French toast — unsurprisingly a hit on social m.