Review: Warehouse No. 1

When it opened in December 2012, Derry-Londonderry's Legenderry Warehouse No. 1, converted from... well... a warehouse near the city's Guildhall, promised "great coffee in the heart of the city" to go with an appealingly retro decor and comforting ambience.

More than four years on, the "Legenderry" may have gone from the title, but everything else is still intact - and the business has since expanded to include an art gallery and craft shop upstairs and a bistro next door.

The rich smells, the relaxing seating, the easy-listening music and the window view of the Guildhall Square exude the sort of relaxing calm that would lure one to any cafe, were he or she to enjoy a snack, dine, or work over a coffee or tea.

As far as I'm concerned, the place is still as Legenderry (sic) as ever.
Need I say it, I'm a regular here. So pretty much everything and everyone in the room - from the tin clock in the corner, to the art on the wall, to the baristas behind the till - are familiar to me. But I've never had dinner in the Bistro until now. So there's more than a bit of the newbie about me as I get ready to eat.

But no newbie is a newbie for long at the Warehouse. There is, and always has been, a kind of familial bond among the Warehouse staff that helps anyone settle in like clockwork. Recent recruit Aine is no exception, with she, Brooklyn, Ruben, Lisa and every other worker handling each customer with attentive affability and alert professionalism. What's not working so well is the tap for the Yardsman, or so I'm told. Fortunately it doesn't matter to me as I'm driving on the night, so Coke it is.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the soups I have tasted here, and my starter, the parsnip and apple broth, is no exception. The locally sourced concoction (like everything here), tastes as good as it smells, a thick and filling mixture of pureed vegetables and baked fruit that is both heart and soul warming.

Similarly, I love the burnt edges and crispiness of the not-too-buttered griddled bread. Maybe the sultanas in the soup weren't necessary, but that's a minor issue.
My mains, the Hannan pork tenderloin, is indeed the rare breed it advertises itself as - tender, juicy and, above all, more filling than it looks.

The seasoning of mushrooms, honey roasted plums, crisp streaky bacon and my choice of a Caesar side salad provide the strong foundations of this meal with variance and substance. A thicker sauce might have made it nicer still, but again, this isn't a serious problem.

With the pork neither too much nor too little for my stomach I am eager to get stuck into dessert: a flourless chocolate cake with toffee yogurt. Like the soup, it's exceptionally delicious; like the pork, it's deceptively small.

Half way through, I think I can eat two slices of cake, but before I know it I'm almost, but not quite, full. Clearly the portions have been meticulously thought through - and the Warehouse's Bistro is all the better for it. Like a famous brand of cereal, their food is tasty, tasty, very very tasty - but much more interesting. And at £21 for three courses, indisputably worth checking out.

Simon Fallaha

The Warehouse No. 1 Bistro and Cafe can be found at 1 Guildhall Street, Derry-Londonderry. The Bistro is open from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm from Thursday to Saturday.