Delectable goods at St. George's Market

I’m in a boutique called Harrison on the Lisburn Road in Belfast with Cathy Martin, director of Belfast Fashion Week, and I’m holding a fabulous cardigan by ultra-cool Danish label Soaked in Luxury. Hard to find in London, coming across it outside of the south east practically never happens, but here I am in Belfast holding a piece I’ve had my eye on for ages. Then I discover that Harrison also stocks my current favourite, Dutch brand Maison Scotch. Completely unexpectedly, I’m in retail nirvana. I’m shocked. Cathy isn’t. She, you see, knew all along that Belfast has plenty to offer the serious style hunter.

Perched on the western end of the Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland’s capital city has undergone a renaissance in recent years. That’s not to say that all evidence of its long and sometimes troubled past has been obliterated – far from it – but Belfast is without doubt an interesting place to be. From the plethora of fabulous boutiques lining the ‘style mile’ along the Lisburn Road to culinary hotspots like Shu, James Street South and Nick’s Warehouse, the city is now more hotspot than trouble spot. And that’s not all. New hotels such as the Merchant are good enough to give London’s finest a run for their money, while the nightlife has rightly won plaudits from the likes of Trip Advisor, thanks to the friendly locals and wide variety of places to go. But shopping, partying and eating aren’t all that Belfast has to offer. With the Ulster Museum it’s got a world-class museum, beautiful botanic gardens and some spectacular architecture, framed by the green hills which are visible from every corner of the city. Once a no-go area, Belfast is now making headlines for all the right reasons.

Belfast might be surrounded by greenery but the skyline has a distinctly industrial flavour. From the towering yellow cranes that dominate the harbour to the grand neo-classical guild buildings and City Hall in the centre of town, the city’s past as a linen-making and shipbuilding centre is plain to see. While Harland and Woolf, builder of the Titanic and her sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic, has long since left the city, an artisan linen industry persists, and along with Atlantic sea salt, local linen is one of Belfast’s must-buys. Ultra-soft and of far superior quality to the naff old tat produced by Far Eastern factories, one of your first stops should be at Avoca, a pretty little boutique on George Street. Beginning life as a linen specialist, it has since branched out to sell chintzy homeware and luxury bath goodies but still stocks some of the best local cloth around. Avoca also does a neat line in locally woven Irish wool, including brightly coloured blankets which are perfect for styling up your summer picnics. And it’s close to the Victoria Square Shopping Centre, a huge new shopping mall that has everything a high-street honey could possibly want, including favourites such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters, H&M and an enormous House of Fraser. But even if high street isn’t your thing, there’s still another reason to visit Victoria Square and he has a name: Gerry.

Belfast's bustling Bourbon restaurant

As well as shops, the centre has an enormous eye-catching glass dome which does double duty as a skylight and vantage point for a bird’s eye view of Belfast. Stationed at the lookout most days, Gerry is a local charmer on hand to point out local landmarks and is a man who really knows his city. Did you know, for example, that Jonathan Swift’s inspiration for Gulliver’s Travels came from the Belfast view? No? Then take a closer look at some of the hillside rock formations, which includes one that looks uncannily like a giant human face in profile. Any idea what the locals call Harland and Wolf’s two enormous yellow cranes? That’d be Samson and Goliath. These are just two of the many nuggets floating around in Gerry’s encyclopaedic memory and as a way to see a city, it’s thoroughly entertaining.

Equally amusing is Belfast’s nightlife which has a deservedly good reputation thanks to the sparkly charm of the locals and its profusion of excellent places to eat. One of the best is James Street South which does a good line in modern British cooking, including some gloriously gooey desserts such as the gingerbread with amaretto mousse and the white chocolate crème brulee. Also worth a visit is Nick’s Warehouse with its jolly atmosphere, Gulliver-sized portions and excellent wine list, while Shu on the Lisburn Road, is the perfect place for a pit-stop between shops.

The culinary winner though, is the afternoon tea at the Merchant which is about as perfect a way to spend a Sunday afternoon as it’s possible to imagine. Featuring a towering silver platter crammed with delicate sandwiches, scones smothered in cream and jam and what are quite possibly the best lemon macaroons in the world; afternoon tea, Merchant style, is a real treat. Not quite such a treat but great fun all the same is the Spaniard, located across the road from the Merchant, and a good place to go for a drink. While Nick’s Warehouse and the Merchant are good for civilised wine-quaffing or a cocktail or two, the Spaniard is hilariously good fun and has a great, retro playlist.

If you can make it out of bed after a night out in Belfast, head over to the historic St George’s Market for an early morning gander at the excellent local, artisanal produce. From unusually shaped cheese to organic, handmade beauty products, there really is something for everyone. Particularly handy is the little coffee stall which sells brews in strengths ranging from ‘Red Eye’ to ‘Kick Start’. Kick Start packs a hefty punch. There are also plenty of places which sell traditional local dish, the Ulster Fry. Not surprisingly, given the name, it’s a fry-up of epic proportions, so a bad idea pre-fashion week but brilliant the rest of the time. Like the English version, it has bacon, eggs, sausages and black pudding but includes a few extras like white pudding, soda farl and potato bread. It’s seriously calorific but really, really good, especially when it’s the morning after the night before.

The luxurious Merchant Hotel

Luckily for us, we’d spent the day before whizzing around Belfast on two wheels with Gerry (a different one) whose cycle tour of Belfast could easily double up as a work out. He even took us to George Best’s house, which provided even more sporty inspiration, before taking us across town to the harbour where the Titanic was built. Interestingly, the tour also addressed some of Belfast’s more turbulent recent history, taking in a Protestant area bedecked with the sort of paramilitary graffiti seen on newspapers’ front pages during the Troubles.

It’s easy to forget when immersed in Belfast’s wonderful city centre, shops, restaurants and museums that the Good Friday agreement was only reached a decade ago; yet the city doesn’t attempt to hide its past.  Far from it in fact, as the Belfast Museum’s excellent display on that era proves. But occasional physical reminders and the museum’s exhibition aside, you’d be hard pressed to recognise the city that once featured so regularly in news reports. Once the UK’s most troubled city, Belfast today presents a very different picture indeed.

Need to Know:

Sleep: If you’re feeling flush, the Merchant is without doubt the pick of the bunch. From the huge tapestry dominating the reception area to the Kelly Hoppen-esque bedrooms, Belfast’s newest five star is too cool for school. The spa is also worth checking out and has one of the funkiest wet rooms in the UK which features black tiles, red and blue lights, and an aromatherapy steam room. Doubles start from £125 per night.

Eat: As well as James Street South, Shu and Nick’s Warehouse, try Avoca’s upstairs cafe, which is perfect for a light lunch, or head to Bourbon for local food with flair in baroque surroundings. Must-try foods include the local soda bread, the Ulster fry and champ – potato mashed with leeks, cream and butter. James Street South does the best version.

Get there: EasyJet flies to Belfast from London Stansted daily.

For more information on Belfast visit www.gotobelfast.com

For more information on holidays throughout Ireland visit www.discoverireland.com