Your guide to the best chocolate spots in Edinburgh
13 Sep 2024
13 Sep 2024
The myth, the man, the legend...
From chip shop beginnings in Northern Ireland to learning his trade at Claridge’s in London, Michael Deane has since gone onto gain a Michelin Star in his own restaurant and keeping it for 13 years – the longest ever in Ireland. It’s fair to say he’s revolutionised the dining scene in Belfast. Dish Cult sat down with Michael in his restaurant, EIPIC to discuss his career, his craft and his award-winning food.
Dish Cult: When did you know you wanted to become a chef?
Michael Deane: I didn’t know if I wanted to cook or if I wanted to cut hair, I just wanted out of school. I went into a hotel in Donegal, which is down on the coast here because the troubles were quite heavy at the time. I had a milk round in the morning, and went and cut chips in the afternoon in the chip shop, then worked in the hotel in the evening. I’d be opening boxes of Black Forest Gateaux and putting them out on the sweet trolley, and I’d think that was cooking!
DC: Were there any chefs that you looked up to at the start of your career?
MD: None at the very start. London was always the driving force though. You had people like Albert Roux and Pierre Koffman. It was chefs like them that made me want to work in London.
DC: Which chefs do you admire at the moment?
MD: I really admire Clare Smyth who’s a Northern Ireland girl. For what she’s achieved at Core, I just think she’s really, really turned it on its head – the whole Irish-British food scene – and she’s a nice girl as well.
DC: What is your favourite restaurant in Belfast?
MD: There’s a restaurant called Bo Tree, which has very heavy Thai influences. Bengal Brasserie, which is Indian, is another I really like. I do like oriental food; Sun Kee in Donegall Pass is probably the best Chinese restaurant in the area. I love Chinese food. I love good Thai food. I love good Indian food.
DC: What three ingredients do you enjoy cooking with most?
MD: I love beef, I love scallops and I love black pudding. It’s the texture more than anything.
DC: Are there any ingredients you don’t like cooking with?
MD: I’m not the biggest fan of offal. I find the preparation of that pretty difficult.
DC: Which kitchen utensil could you not live without?
MD: First and foremost a good bone knife.
DC: Which dishes are you most proud of on your menus?
MD: We serve a 100 day old beef in EIPIC. When you slice into that and taste it, there’s nothing better.
DC: What are the current food trends in Belfast?
MD: Well, apart from the modern British, which is driving forward, it’s all about keeping things very local. Lots of foraging. Here, in our place, we tend to think of protein first and then work around it, but the likes of [Stephen] Toman [Chef-Owner of OX] are more vegetarian driven and would think of the vegetables first and work around that with their protein.
DC: What makes Belfast such a great city for foodies?
MD: I think it goes to the produce. I wouldn’t compare Belfast to Copenhagen for example, but I think it is getting better. We’ve got some really talented chefs here in Belfast too, the likes of Toman and Alex Greene [Head Chef at EIPIC].
DC: What’s the most exotic thing you’ve ever eaten?
MD: I would say brains. Definitely brains. I didn’t enjoy it. Even when I’m prepping things like brains, sweet bread, tongue, I’ll often look at them and think, what the fuck are people eating these things for?
