We’ve rounded up the best in each month to give hungry readers some food for thought (sorry). From fine dining to a focus on kids’ food, there’ll be plenty of lunches, dinners and desserts on your visit list.

Millar’s Restaurant & Wine Bar

135B Upper Lisburn Rd, Belfast

It was after the fifth consecutive bad review of her curated weekday meals that Mummy went on strike. This was how we came to spend a pleasant Saturday lunchtime at Millar’s.

The kids’ menu contains the usual chicken goujons and burgers, but the boys choose fish and chips and chicken carbonara. The portions are large and packed with flavour, elevating what could easily be a beige banquet.

Husband opts for the 8oz dry-aged beef burger, which comes with oak-smoked cheese, pickled red onion and enormous chips. I go for the corn-fed chicken supreme, which arrives looking golden and enticing, complemented by a delicious little slab of chicken liver parfait and some black garlic puree.

Lucy Dougan

Sleepy Hollow

15 Kiln Road, Newtownabbey

If there is a high-end restaurant outside of Belfast more consistent than Sleepy Hollow, I have not eaten in it. First up was whipped goat’s cheese with caramelised fig, red onion and treacle marmalade, granola with date and walnut bread.

My companion went for the braised duck drum and bonbon. This was lick your lips fare, and the perfect antidote to the fog, rain and gloom outside.

Mains were a seared sirloin steak, perfectly cooked, accompanied by a sage and roast chestnut butter, parmesan and rosemary fries. I spent a minute searching in vain for anything to complain about on the plates, before giving up and enjoying the food.

Ciaran Barnes

Mumbai 27

27 Talbot Street, Belfast

When I visited early in the week, Mumbai 27 was buzzing. It’s held its head high on the corner of Talbot Street in Belfast; there’s good reason for its success.

I turned my attention to the standard a la carte menu, and the horin-er-mangsho venison jumped off the starter list. Mumbai also does a stunning lamb chop, but this dish brings a lean piece of deer with tamarind sauce. It was still slightly pink and gamey, with a subtle smoke having licked the sides of the protein as it was cooked — it’s something only hot coal cooking can bring.

There was a heft of garlic-clad ghee in the air. It appeared to be straight from the tandoor — and it was all the better for it. If we were being entirely gluttonous, another order could have gone in, but we were already approaching a full house in terms of appetite.

John Mulgrew

Donegan’s

37-39 High Street, Bangor

I had a friend visiting from the City of London and I felt an ideal place for dinner would be the recently anointed City of Bangor. Donegan’s restaurant, situated halfway up High Street above a pub by the same name, was our choice and it didn’t disappoint.

I opted for the crispy pork ribs with barbecue sauce; they were also excellent, with just the correct amount of sauce to enhance rather than dominate the ribs. For mains, I chose the surf and turf, but asked for fillet steak, as opposed to the sirloin on the menu.

This was not a problem and it was cooked to perfection and served with seared garlic and Cajun scampi, mushrooms, tobacco onions and my choice of sauce. The desserts, like the rest of the food, were indeed exquisite, causing me to vow I wouldn’t eat for a week.

Colin Breen

Castle Street Social

12-14 Castle Street, Derry

Castle Street Social is a small, family-run business in the heart of Derry city, perfect for a shopping trip pit-stop.

Mains options include beef satay, crispy spiced chicken burger, mushroom and leek risotto, chickpea burger and mixed nut roast.

My friend and I opted for the spiced chickpea falafel, panko breaded halloumi fries, chicken and parmesan salad, and crispy chicken wings to share.

The arrival of our food was one of those ‘ooh and aah’ moments. Our friendly waiter checked in on us regularly and I loved the restaurant’s relaxed, low-key vibe.

Catriona Doherty

The Barton at The K Club

Straffan, Co.Kildare

The bar when it comes to hospitality at Kildare’s luxurious K Club is understandably high

Sunday Life was treated to a preview of the new seasonal menu at The K Club’s main restaurant, The Barton.

For starters, I had the king scallops, which were fresh from the Irish Sea and perfectly cooked with smoked leeks.

For mains, I chose the cannon of Irish lamb with carrot and cumin puree, torched baby carrot, goat’s cheese fondue and braised shoulder croquette.

The dish was topped off with a garden mint-scented lamb jus. The lamb was tender and the jus, fondue and puree added a host of interesting flavours, while the croquette offered a differing texture to the dish.

All in all, the new menu at The Barton is fine dining as it should be.

Andrew Madden

Seahorse Restaurant

Grand Central Hotel, Belfast

The Seahorse’s brand new eight-course tasting menu was certainly the best thing I’ve eaten this year, and maybe even sneaking into my all-time list.

Rarely would I pick a cold dish as my favourite, particularly when the beef which followed was so tasty, but that honour goes to the pea panna cotta with crab, caviar, mint and buttermilk dressing.

Silky, sweet and creamy, the panna cotta was a showstopper, the only thing more impressive than the dazzling medley of flavours was the presentation itself.

Maxie Swain

Stereo

18 Cregagh Rd, Belfast

I’d like to pretend we weren’t the first through the door at 9.30am but, well, we were. Besides, there was FOMH: Fear of Missing Hash browns. Having only heard not just good things but superlatives about the triangles of potato perfection, we didn’t want to miss out.

We ordered a portion — two — of the beauties and can confirm they were the best I’ve eaten. Not that I’m a hash brown aficionado but still, when they are presented, all golden brown and gorgeous, you’ll gobble them up.

We had one each but really, I’d have eaten both and all portions that came my way.

Aine Toner

Holy Smokes BBQ Shack

92 Drumnasoo Road, Portadown

This place is truly a meat lover’s paradise — and if you don’t believe me then feel free to ask anyone in the seemingly constant queue of people.

The pork ribs with their wonderful smoke ring proved that you don’t have to use rubs to get that incredible smokey taste, while the chicken in the gigantic portion of dirty fries came with a Nashville BBQ sauce topped off with pineapple chilli cream.

For me, the star of this show was the beef short rib which had an incredible black bark which perfectly captured the unique burnt smoke taste. The thick and meaty burnt-end baked beans had a mix of smoke and sweetness that I have never been able to manage when cooking at home.

Geoff Frazer

The Banks

28 Main Street, Strabane

The food was every bit as modern as the venue, with lots of big plates with neatly arranged morsels in the middle of them.

For the mains, there was a flaky cod fillet, topped with a meaty piece of crisp battered monkfish both with superb seasoning. They sat in an enticing emulsion which was rich and smooth with a flavour of broccoli and lemon.

The other main consisted of a moist chicken breast, a salty ham croquette and a meaty jus.

There were lots of great techniques and skilful cookery in those two dishes to complement some quality ingredients.

Colin Breen

Dufferin Arms

25 High Street, Killyleagh

The Dufferin has a lovely atmosphere. We were given the snug just beyond the dining room and it’s a lovely space for a little more privacy.

For starters, we ordered the salt & chilli chicken that vanished in no time, with all four of us taking turns to make it disappear.

The crispy chicken on a bed of salad was full of flavour and the saltiness was offset by a lovely chilli dip that had the right kick to make it sing.

On to the main event and the roast beef that I had been craving. And boy did it deliver.

Paul Keown

The Teal Monkey

89 Dublin Road, Belfast

Take a bow The Teal Monkey, on the Dublin Road in the centre of Belfast for having the courage to do something rather radical.

Kids eat for free: not a new concept, but something it pushes to the absolute extreme.

Two children ate with two adults and their mains, desserts and drinks came in at a grand total of £0.

This wasn’t frozen chicken dippers, tap water and supermarket ice-cream. It was well-seasoned chicken breast goujons encased in a deft batter, deep-fried until lightly browned and served with crunchy fries.

The chocolate brownies that followed were even better.

Ciaran Barnes