British

217 Jesmond Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 1LA

Newcastle, England

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Overall Rating (out of 10): 5.00

Stand Out Dish: Chowder & Sourdough

Meal Time: 3.15hrs

Ave Cost Per Head (excl. drinks): £85

Summary: style over substance

Would I Go Back? No

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Two tasting menus in as many days was probably a mistake. That said we have never had so much food in one restaurant sitting. The quantum was so extreme that we were both physically uncomfortable for the last third of the meal. For further context we skipped lunch knowing we were having a big meal.

The cooking was technically proficient and some of the dish ideas were really excellent. However, the overall execution of the cooking, dish and menu construction was poor. A good microcosm of initial promise that ultimately fell short was the dish “If Jackson Cooked Pollock”. We both liked the visuals and overall idea but felt no thought had gone into the flavour combinations of the various sauces and how they interacted with Pollock as a fish. The olive emulsion worked well whilst the others did nothing and in the case of the green sauce actually detracted. The dish could have been 1/5th of the size and still have been a good portion. We both left 1/3 – 1/2 of the dish uneaten.

Finally, the tasting menu was a haphazard crash course through a number of different cuisines (Thai, Turkish, Indian, British etc.) that just felt confused and incoherent.