Nick's Warehouse, 35-39 Hill Street, Belfast. Tel. 028 9043 9690
The Narrows, 6, Shore Road, Portaferry, Co. Down. Tel. 028 4272 8148

I've always liked borders; they're places where differing cultures abut, where often different languages abut, and more interestingly, where differing fiscal systems abut. Take the one between Ulster and the republic. I can remember times when things were cheaper across the border and times when they weren't, times when I felt insecure across the border and times when I felt safe. It's a constant flux, once heavily policed, but now no more than a theoretical line on a map. Right now it's actually unclear when you cross it.

Don't make the same mistake as me. I set off from the mountains of Wicklow, crossed the Sally Gap, took the M50 and joined with the new M1, and despite careful attention, didn't find a filling station until I was 200 yards over the border. That meant buying expensive fuel at expensive sterling prices. I can't think of any other route of over 80 miles that you can do without finding fuel. Anyway, I was heading to Belfast city centre, Nick's Warehouse in particular, to meet with old friends.

There's an innate friendliness in Belfast that I met almost at once. I asked in the car park for directions, and the man on duty left his kiosk and walked me to the road, where he pointed out my way. I managed to lose myself again within a couple of hundred yards, and once again a stranger went out his way to show me mine. Nick's Warehouse is in the 'Cathedral Quarter', an area of Belfast that in theory, at least, should develop along the lines of Dublin's Temple Bar. Downstairs it's a buzzy sort of bistro, full of tables and people and with a couple of bar counters. I was meeting the pulchritudinous Julia Kennedy who works at the BBC, and another old friend who refused to be named here, so I'll just call him 'the man who wasn't there'.

We ate upstairs, which has a much calmer atmosphere and many fewer tables. It's bright and airy like the downstairs with plenty of brick and glass, and solid wooden tables and chairs give it a comfortable and relaxed feel. There's a nicely chosen wine list with plenty of wines at under £15, and we picked the excellent Madfish Unoaked Chardonnay, which was listed at £16.55.

Julia started with the celeriac and asparagus ravioli, while I went for a simple cup of potato and leek soup. Both of these were really well done, the basil pesto that came with the ravioli complimented the filling well and my soup had been skilfully flavoured. Our main courses were grilled halibut for Julia, spicy roasted duck breast for the man who wasn't there, and an omelette Arnold Bennett for me. The halibut came with grilled asparagus and a little ramekin of dip, which turned out to be a cauliflower and vanilla puree. Interesting. The crisply roasted duck breast was served with a yam and red wine sauce, also unusual and interesting. My omelette, a classic that's made with smoked fish, was enriched with the taste of Parmesan - an inspired touch. We finished up with a cheese board and a couple of coffees.

Nick's Warehouse offers well-made food and carefully chosen ingredients, served professionally. Nick Price, the eponymous owner, has made real efforts to find and nurture local suppliers of fresh produce. This emphasis on real food from passionate people really shows through on the menu and in the whole ethos. I really enjoyed this place, the bill for the three of us came to £87.35, including 10% service.

The next day was bright and sunny and I started it with a fascinating two hours in the Transport museum in Cultra, on the Bangor road. Buses, commercial vehicles, cars and motorbikes from all of the last century are on display, as well as steam locomotives - they even have the Howth tram here. Only when you're standing next to a 4-6-0 do you remember just how big these steam behemoths were.

I took the shore drive down the Ards Peninsula, which looked beautiful in the spring sun. An easy drive of under an hour gets you to Portaferry, where you can almost reach out and touch Strangford on the other side. Down on the quays is 'The Narrows', a guest house and restaurant that overlooks the harbour and the ferry's berth. The whole place has been sensitively restructured; I liked the fact that the old roof timbers had been used to make the tables in the dining room. It's a simply decorated room, wooden tables, chairs and floors, and it has a friendly atmosphere, important I thought, as I was eating alone.

I was careful - I had a major meal to confront that night, so I started with a small bowl of seafood chowder, a sensible choice given my location. Good, rich and filled with goodies from the sea plus a hint of bacon, I enjoyed it hugely. The main courses seemed a little filling after that, so I chose the daily special of the seafood pancake. It turned out to be a very generous plateful, a well-filled pancake stuffed with prawns, scallops and white fish all with a tomato sauce surrounding it. The wine list is short, but fine for simple needs. I had a glass of Browns Brothers Chardonnay and a bottle of mineral water to go with my meal and crossword.

The Narrows provides simple, but well-prepared food at a reasonable price. Most of the dishes on the menu are listed at under £8 and kids meals and simple snacks are also available. And of course, if you become unable to leave, you can always stay.