There's A Restaurant In Belfast, Revolución De Cuba,

[sandyRoe]

Already advertising for Christmas Dinner bookings.
Much too early, or what?

[Redhelen72]

Ken was it on Callender street? If so it was replaced by Bogarts.

[Redhelen72]

The pub with small booths or at least the most famous one is The Crown

[sandyRoe]

Ken,
the bodega in Callendar St closed some time ago. I think there's a small commercial art gallery on the site now.

[Ken4155]

Bobs, i was there in the 70s and the only 3 places we were allowed into were, The Bodega Bar, The Harland & Wolfe Social Club and The Europa Hotel - despite the latter being the target for several bomb attacks.

Helen, i had Queen Street in mind. Then again, it was so long ago.

[Ken4155]

Despite the time lapse, crossed posts Sandy. So it was Callendar Street, Helen was correct.
And, of course, it's Harland & Wolff - 2 'f's, no 'e' - :-)
Gotta go, time to put the Christmas decorations up:-J

[sandyRoe]

Bobbisox1,
The only bar I know with a statue outside it was the Kremlin. The statue was Lenin.
I've never been inside so there may be booths.

Ken, as you know the bodega was inside the ring of security fences around the city centre.
You could have a drink there fairly sure it wouldn't be bombed or raked with gunfire.

[Bobbisox1]

Arh okay Ken , it was around 20 years ago for us ( Holywood)

[Bobbisox1]

It wasn’t a state per se Sandy more a life size figure , I vaguely recall having my photo taken next to it, yes it was the Crown

[Bobbisox1]

* statue* not state

[ichkeria]

I know the Bodega!
Went there to get tanked up before a game in 1986.
And the Garrick; before the Cup Final in 2018. We got there early and it was closed but there was a crowd of women inside having some sort of talk!
Barman was a Reds (Cliftonville) man but we had good craic. “No football tops” he apologised. But I’d brought a spare ;-)

[Ken4155]

Sandy, on my first 2 tours, i sometimes had to 'man the gates' within the 'ring of steel'. That meant, with the assistance of the RUC and WRAC, searching everyone and everything that passed through. Yet incendiaries still got through occasionally. Sometimes because we had become blase (repetition and a scorching hot day can do that to a person), other times because - as you can imagine - the components of said incendiaries were hidden in places a quick pat-down couldn't reach. As you say, though, i don't recall many major incidents within the 'ring of steel'.

[ichkeria]

Those civilian searches are largely an exercise in reassuring the public
As you say, a determined terrorist would always get through.
But I always felt safe in the centre even at the height of the troubles

[ichkeria]

“Were”

[sandyRoe]

I remember I bought a jacket in M&S and when I got it home found it had no pockets. It wasn't until a few months later I found it had pockets but they'd been tacked shut to prevent casette sized incendiaries being put in them.

[Ken4155]

Ich, when i was home on leave, my friends would ask how on Earth could we allow 'bombs' to get through such tight security. I guess this was their image of 'bombs' ;

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=uDog6kVk&;id=FE9A3CAE54A4D1919568D88641539816D85D9D73&thid=OIP.uDog6kVkE5pXmZk-bZv8zgHaF7&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.b83a20ea4564139a5799993e6d9bfcce%3frik%3dc51d2BaYU0GG2A%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252fastrotarot.net%252fwp-content%252fuploads%252f2015%252f08%252fbomb.jpeg%26ehk%3dBN3OffadCDsVsUCG2Z7OUTcfz0BaywS9OXMZP%252b73pbw%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=1024&expw=1280&q=bomb&simid=607994621644068930&FORM=IRPRST&ck=327ECC7764FAB0D889396D278A5E6E4A&selectedIndex=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

[ichkeria]

lol yes quite