Roam is a modern European restaurant in Belfast city centre, owned and run by self-taught Belfast chef Ryan Jenkins. Roam started as a pop up in 2018 and went through a period cooking meal boxes for those in need during the Covid-19 pandemic, before eventually finding investment for a permanent site and opening on Callendar Street in 2022.
Inside Roam has a clean, contemporary feel with moody lighting, wooden furniture and a sleek open kitchen that allows you a look at work behind the scenes. With 38 covers in total the restaurant is large enough to generate a good atmosphere on most evenings without the likelihood of getting lost in the shuffle.
Roam offers a choice of an a la carte menu at dinner, and a set menu of two or three courses at lunch. The menu treads a line between classic and innovative, sticking to classic flavour combinations but with an adventurous spirit. Alongside dishes like scallop with roast bone sauce and sea purslane, and cod with mussels, cauliflower and lemon beurre blanc, you’ll also find a smoked eel and kimchi tartlet, and a buttery brioche with bacon jam and apple.
For the most part, though, Roam is all about classics done well. That goes for puddings too, which include comforting treats like raisin and date pudding with apple caramel and rum ice cream, and chocolate cremeux with hazelnut, orange, cacao nibs and caramelised milk chocolate. Ryan is committed to supporting local producers and growers and much of what ends up on the menu is sourced from the local area. That’s no more evident than the excellent cheese selection which features the likes of Young Buck from Newtownards and Durrus Og and St Gall from Cork.
The drinks list includes some smart classic cocktails - an Irish whisky sour, Bodega Bramble and Honey Trap, for example - as well as a compact wine and spirit selection.