The return of the Muddlers’ Club

Chef Gareth McCaughey’s first solo venture got underway in 2015 when he opened the doors on a bright, busy little bistro in the heart of Cathedral Quarter. So far, he has avoided a burgeoning menu card by focusing on food and service and consumers have responded well to his targeted approach…

The Muddlers’ Club on Warehouse Lane in Belfast is the first solo venture for local chef, Gareth McCaughey (38).

Many readers will be familiar with Gareth, whose kitchen credentials include a close involvement with a couple of the city’s best-known venues. Born in Tyrone, he trained as a pastry chef in London before returning to Northern Ireland to help set-up James Street South with Niall McKenna and former head chef, Stephen Toman, who now owns the Michelin-starred Ox in Oxford Street.

He opened The Muddlers’ Club in October with help from his new general manager, Barry Fletcher, who he met while working as head chef at the Barking Dog. It’s a modern, bistro-style offering with room for 55 at absolute capacity. The menu favours quality over quantity and there’s an open-plan kitchen and a dedicated cocktail bar.

“We had this idea to create somewhere where people could come and really relax and enjoy some top-notch food and wine,” says Barry Fletcher. “We didn’t want somewhere that was going to feel stuffy for people, we just wanted it to be known as a place where they could get something nice to eat at a reasonable price.”

The Muddlers’ Club moniker derives from a much older venue that was once located in the same part of Belfast. Peggy’s Inn used to sit on Waring Street, next to Sugarhouse Entry and in the 1790’s it changed its name to The Muddlers’ Club. A little later, it became a regular meeting place for the United Irishmen and eventually, it changed its name to the Bambridge Hotel before being destroyed during a Second World War bombing raid.

Barry says that he and Gareth knew the Warehouse Lane unit would be perfect for the new venue as soon as they saw it:

“We always wanted to have a place that was a little off the beaten track and we saw the potential for this place straight away,” he recalls. “We’d looked at places all over the city but we hadn’t found anywhere that we thought was suitable before this.”

The pair took half of the 3,600 sq. ft Cathedral Quarter unit for the new venture although it took them two-and-a-half years to complete the planning approvals and design stage of the project, with builders arriving to put the new restaurant in place about six weeks before the October opening date.

The design concept for The Muddlers’ Club came from architect Orla Maguire, who works for Belfast-based design firm, Oscar and Oscar. They have been involved in a series of high-profile projects locally, including Ox Cave, Il Pirata and Aether and Echo.

“Business is getting better and better every week that we’re open and we’ve certainly seen a seasonal upturn as we moved into December, we’ve been very, very busy recently,” reports Barry. “Feedback has been very good so far. We’re focused very clearly on food and service and on the little things that make the difference, things like the lighting, the background music and the way that the tables are set.”

And going forward, Barry says that the focus – for now, at least – is squarely on The Muddlers’ Club:

“I don’t think that Gareth wants to be a millionaire, I think what he wants to do is create a profitable business that has the potential to grow and provide a healthy lifestyle for his family,” says Barry. “So for now, he is focused on the business here and make sure that it does well and keeps thriving.

“He says that he always tries to cook the food that he likes to eat when he’s at home and that is the approach here. A small, focused wine list and menu with the emphasis on the quality of the food.”

On the menu…

Starters:

Smoked seat trout, roe, white onion risotto, curry butter, borage

Pumpkin Raviolli, chestnut, kale, sage and white balsamic

Main:

Ribeye bone marrow gratin, smoked chilli butter and parsley.

Blackened lamb rump, squash, rainbow chard and trompett mushroom.

Dessert

Espresso parfait, chestnut and orange pannacotta.

Bakes rice plum and lavender pudding.