Ireland’s self-proclaimed most honest food reviewer Paul_IsItWorthIt visited The Morning Star pub in Belfast after ChatGPT recommended it, but his feelings were mixed
Paul standing outside The Morning Star pub in Belfast after his meal (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
Ireland’s self-described most truthful food critic sampled a Sunday roast at one of Belfast’s oldest establishments – and was stunned by what he paid.
Paul, who operates the IsItWorthIt YouTube channel, has been searching for the finest carvery in the country. During his visit up north, the Dubliner turned to ChatGPT to locate Belfast’s best option. The AI suggested The Morning Star, a city landmark since 1810.
What immediately caught his attention was the carvery’s selection. Beyond the standard roast offerings, they featured items such as Guinness pies, sausages and even lasagne, which was reportedly the chef’s personal favourite.
After loading his plate with a pork roast and a small portion of lasagne on the side, Paul remarked: “How much did this cost? £8.95! One of the cheaper options. Does it look appetising? Not particularly to me.”
Nevertheless, he subsequently noted that the staff member serving the food was “the nicest guy ever”, commenting: “The man was saying they produce all the meat themselves so it is farm to here and that’s why they can do it slightly cheaper than everyone else.”
His roast dinner plated up (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
While impressed by the affordability, he described the mashed potato as “lukewarm” before suggesting the roast potatoes tasted of “grease”.
However, when sampling his pork, he observed: “The pork does look nice, looks juicy. There is some sort of sweet glaze, maybe it’s honey or something in the pork, the pork is decent.”
Paul then complimented the ambience within the welcoming establishment, though he conceded he was searching for positives following a disappointing meal.
On a brighter note, after tasting the lasagne, he remarked: “The lasagne is good. The lasagne is really nice. It’s a pity we are rating carvaries here and not lasanges.”
Despite his lukewarm response to the carvery, an unexpected moment unfolded when the pub’s friendly manager approached Paul and his cameraman, John, to introduce himself.
The food left him underwhelmed (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
The channel is renowned for its impartiality, never accepting payment for reviews and arriving unannounced, typically filming while eating outdoors to provide honest assessments of the food.
Speaking on camera, the manager, whose family has operated the business for 40 years, explained: “That’s our carvery. It’s great value. We have a chef in there, fresh every day, we have our own farm, we have got our own butcher, it’s very unique.”
Acknowledging the pricing, Paul observed: “Value for money you can’t get better than this one, 100%. It’s the cheapest one we’ve got. It’s usually about 18 to 20 euro.”
Discussing the cost further, the manager added: “You’re looking at a soup and a sandwich from Centra, that’s what you’re comparing with you know. It’s quick, it’s tasty, it’s fresh.”
Paul subsequently stated that while it was similar to a standard deli, it didn’t match up to some of the finest carveries he’d experienced in the country – though he emphasised it cost half the price.
He felt awkward sharing his honest rating after being treated so nicely by staff (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
Following the meal, Paul stepped outside to share his final verdict, and disclosed he’d also had a 30-minute off-camera conversation with the manager.
He described the staff as exceptionally welcoming and recognised they weren’t accustomed to handling such situations. This made delivering his forthcoming review all the more difficult.
He said: “Was it my favourite? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Was it good? No. Was it a great price? Yes.”
Paul mentioned that the manager had just subscribed to his channel and confirmed he’d be viewing the video.
He then offered an apology for his score before explaining that his entire channel was founded on honesty.
Delivering his verdict, he said: “I’m giving this 4.2 out of ten. I think that’s fair and honest. The roasties weren’t to my taste, the mash was not warm, the pork was decent, the veg unappetising and the gravy was just stock gravy. So 4.2 was my score. Price, taste experience, price is great, the experience was great and the food was below par.”
Following the video’s publication, which you can view in full here, one viewer commented: “I traveled to Belfast once and thought the people there were the friendliest people in the world.”
A second person commented: “This restaurant proves that there are still places to eat with reasonable prices. Looks like a nice cozy friendly place. Good job on the review.”
Another comment stated: “That looked a good place to eat, very friendly and a good atmosphere. In fairness they had a lot of options and at that price you are going to find something you like. Definitely worth a visit in my opinion.”
