Take to the streets

SHOP NORTH:Belfast is the place to go for something different when you're in the mood for shopping, lunching, and a great night out, writes ROSEMARY MACCABE

ON A SATURDAY night in Belfast, people dress up. It might just be the balmy June air – yes, really – on the weekend we visit, but for women, the dress code is bare legs, short skirts and high, high heels, no matter what the age or, it seems, occasion. For the menfolk, it’s short-sleeved, slim-fit shirts with chinos and slightly pointed brogues.

At CoCo restaurant on a Saturday night, we play a guessing game – which couples are on first dates, and which have known each other for years. Usually, the game is a simple one; people will make more of an effort on a first outing.

In Belfast, winning this game is impossible. Young and old couples alike are coiffed and preened – this is a city that seems to take its aesthetics seriously. For a couple of gals out on the town and looking to shop, eat and – should the mood take us – indulge in a drink or two, this kind of glamorous attitude is more than fitting.

Shopping in the North has taken on a kind of mythical quality; you hear tales of savings made that would entice your granny out of her Zimmer and on to the train (and did you hear it has wifi now?). If you can’t go as far as Belfast, there are huge discounts on designer labels to be had at The Outlet, 10 minutes from Newry.

So what is it that Belfast has to recommend it? For those with an interest in shopping, there are only so many trips to the nearest city, be that Galway, Cork or Dublin, you can make without yearning for fresher pastures. Belfast is not the foreign country of yore – we have our own Body Shops now – but it still has lots to offer that the Republic hasn’t.

On Belfast trips in previous times, the place to be was CastleCourt shopping centre, which boasts a large Debenhams and many of the usual suspects – New Look, Miss Selfridge and Warehouse – but has been placed firmly in the shopping shade by its shiny new rival, the impressive Victoria Square, three minutes’ walk away. It’s a pity, because CastleCourt has a lot of stores Victoria Square doesn’t, and a visit wouldn’t be a wasted one, but you can’t help but feel oppressed by its dark, windowless interior, especially when compared with Victoria Square’s airy semi-outdoor state.

Let’s start with Cruise, the high-end boutique whose windows are currently full of seriously lustworthy Victoria Beckham dresses and which stocks brands from French Connection to Acne, Gucci and Barbour. It has one of the most eclectic brand selections under one chic roof, and, in a novel turn of events, the menswear selection is at the front. I guess the folks at Cruise know what us women have known all along: we’re willing to walk for it.

Elsewhere in Victoria Square lies Topshop, which, yes, we have in the Republic, but not at these prices; a pair of shoes marked at £60 (about €75) will cost you a whopping great €91 for the luxury of buying them on your home turf. Monsoon is another one worth checking out; a dress that costs £49 (about €61) in Victoria Square will cost you €75 on Grafton Street.

Urban Outfitters is another familiar name in Victoria Square, although we wouldn’t recommend going there just for the savings; check out the broad range of labels, which is much greater than what we’re offered in the Republic. Brands such as Vaudeville Burlesque, TBA and Cheap Monday jostle for space alongside Won Hundred and Sparkle Fade.

And high-street isn’t the only rewarding genre worth exploring – Big Bang, a vintage store on Ann Street, does a great range in repurposed band T-shirts from greats such as Guns N’ Roses and the Rolling Stones, with just the right amount of rip and fade going on.

We were surprised, given the level of shopping going on in Belfast on a Saturday – definitely rivalling Dublin in terms of footfall – that on Sunday, Belfast didn’t wake up until 1pm. This is a city that plays hard and knows how to rest up.

When the stores open – to a queue of punters outside House of Fraser, granted – the pace of life seems to have slowed considerably from the day before, so by the time brunch rolls around, the atmosphere in Bert’s Jazz Bar in the plush Merchant Hotel suits the mood perfectly.

The sweetness of a stack of thick, fluffy pancakes with bacon and maple syrup is offset perfectly by a tart Bloody Mary – virgin, meaning alcohol-free, as I’m driving later – while my dining companion opts for a minute steak with fried potatoes. Perfect post-party food.

After brunch and before the voyage homewards, we stop off at St George’s Market to see what this Belfast institution has going for it. This redbrick building was built in phases from 1890 to 1896 on commission by the Belfast Corporation and originally functioned as a market for the sale of butter, eggs, poultry and fruit. Today it hosts a variety market on a Friday and a food and craft market on Sundays.

There are vintage clothes and jewellery, beautifully restored vintage photographs and hand-drawn vintage-style advertisements – “gin’ll fix it”, anyone? – as well as food stalls.And Belfast obviously hasn’t yet received the memo that Dublin is currently taking to heart – that the burrito is the new cupcake – because there are cupcakes as far as the eye can see and a rainbow cake that catches the eye of nearly every passerby.