Telephone: 028 9033 1532
Address: 7 Ascot House, Shaftesbury Square, Belfast
Rating: 16.5/20

The name Rankin has been the standard-bearer for quality eating in Belfast for more years than Paul and Jeannie Rankin probably care to remember. There was Roscoff, the first restaurant in Northern Ireland to win a Michelin star, and there were the TV series, books and celebrity merry-go-round.

But in spite of the palaver that goes with such activity, the Rankins never moved from their base in the city. Instead, they cannily moved with the times. They were among the first chefs to recognise that the great eating public was perhaps ready for something other than the fine dining experience, in favour of an easier, cheerier, more relaxed and cheaper lunch or night out, more in keeping with their free-form, freewheeling cooking. So Roscoff closed. Cayenne opened.

That was a few years ago and, to judge by the night that Fitztucker, Fitztina and I sauntered in, it is still setting a sprightly pace. Gone may be the plush accoutrements and hush of the big-occasion gastro-palace, the hefty wine list and the three-ring circus service. But it's hello to the sexy bar, the pared-down table settings and the sense of fun. The only thing that remains constant, it seems to me, is the food, in both style and quality.

The Rankins' food carries the hallmark of their much travelled past. I am not always in favour of such polygenetic cooking - with so much fusion going on, I find it hard to detect a chef's true personality. However, I came to the conclusion that eclecticism is the Rankin personality. The three first courses - salt'n'chilli squid with chilli jam and aïoli; seared fillet of beef with Sichuan cucumber salad and chilli mayo; and hot foie gras with roast sweet-and-sour apples and grilled brioche - embraced four cultures, at a conservative estimate. It takes remarkably assured technique to pull off such dishes with aplomb, and these were faultless: the squid was softly chewy, the sweet/hot jam and feisty aïoli playing off each other; the beef was cut thinly as carpaccio, all velvety with mayo, and the cucumber salad was clean and vivacious; the foie gras was seared to melting elegance, the brioche crisp on its surface and crumby beneath, the spiced apple balancing the richness of the central fare.

Fitztucker is a man of plain habits, and chargrilled sirloin steak, chips and chard and rocket salad appealed to his simplicity. For Fitztina, it was Strangford lobster with linguine, roast shellfish oil and chilli gremolata. And, for me, peppered Finnebrogue venison with mash. The venison was a splendid piece of meat, dense, distinctive, with none of that musky rankness that sometimes marks its flavour. The sauce was a fine match, lubricating the meat and adding a layer of warm spice to each mouthful. With such richness, the mash was a light, silky, bland pillow to provide relief.

Fitztucker was as pleased with his steak as a steak lover can be. Good steaks are as much about good sourcing as they are about good cooking, and this was both. Fitztina complained that there were "too many peas and asparagus tips and suchlike", which she found distracting. Linguine and lobster is a brilliant combination, the real quality of which lies in its simplicity. On the other hand, this was a fine way to take your veg, which she needed, because she headed next for hot banana strudel with butter pecan ice cream and toffee sauce. I was more measured, with a plate of buttermilk pannacotta and vanilla shortbread, while Fitztucker drew out the pleasure of strawberry and crème fraîche parfait for as long as possible.

We spent £67.75 on drinks, including a bottle of sprightly Alsatian riesling at £24.75 and a solid South African pinotage at £23.50 from a thoughtful, sensibly priced list. Food, for once, accounted for more than half the bill, £92.50 in all. Given that the lobster was only £20, the venison and steak £16 and the foie gras £10, all of which are luxury items by normal standards, this was not exorbitant, either for the standard of the cooking or the pleasure of the evening.

· Open Lunch, Mon-Fri, 12 noon-2.30pm; dinner, Mon-Sat, 6-11pm.