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Oldfields Noted Eating Houses
Ground Floor, Milburn House
Dean Street
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 1LF
Tel. 0191 212 1210
www.oldfieldsrestaurants.com
Having heard good things about their restaurant in Durham, we decided to have a trip over the Tyne Bridge into Geordie-land to visit Oldfields in Newcastle. Being situated on Dean Street between the Quayside and Grey Street and not far from the Bigg Market, this could be the ideal, mid-way point to start an evening out.
We made a reservation for 8pm on a Saturday. Someone must be watching over us as we managed to get a parking space just a couple of doors up from the restaurant, which is located right on the corner where Dean Street meets the Side. No need to scramble in my purse for coins for the parking meter; it was beyond the cut off time for payment. There\'s always Dean Street multi-storey car park if street parking isn\'t available.
We arrived just before 8pm and entered the restaurant. The restaurant itself is housed on the ground floor of a listed building - Milburn House. The main entrance opens onto a small staircase that overlooks \'the round\', one of three distinct dining areas offered in the Oldfields\' premises. The staircase, the walls and the floor of the round are dark wood and this adds to the sense of history that is evident with the presence of an original fireplace and numerous black and white pictures of this magnificent edifice in various states of progress of being built. The other two areas are \'the pass\', where you can be seated opposite the kitchen, watching the chefs as they prepare your meal and \'the halls\', where the original wall tiles and fire places are still intact.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted by Stephen, one of the three members of restaurant staff to look after us on the night. He welcomed us, confirmed our reservation and allowed us a choice of tables for two. We chose one against the wood panelled wall of \'the round\'. Stephen gave us the evening menu and offered refreshments.
A pint of Angel from Wylam Brewery was Michael\'s choice. It\'s a real ale. Stephen had described it as being dark and strong. Michael took a mouthful and concurred with this assessment. He was impressed how it maintained its taste and texture right to the last drop. I ordered my usual sparkling water and as it was a large bottle (750ml), I shared it with my hubby. I was contemplating my drink of choice for my main course, but as I hadn\'t decided on the food yet, I felt I should wait!
The menu is entitled \'your British menu\' and the food available is brilliant British fare. The ethos behind the food on offer is that, where possible, it is sourced from local businesses. The branded, paper placemats on the tables tell stories of contributors to Oldfields such as \'The Fisherman\', catching and delivering locally caught fish and \'The Chefs\', passionate about their food. Unpretentiously, ever-replenished sauce bottles (HP & Heinz Tomato Ketchup) are available on every table for those who like to add their own extras as they would if they were dining in their own home.
Alice came along to take our order. For his starter, Michael chose a traditional prawn cocktail and I was tempted by the homemade curried potato soup. Main courses were scrutinised, pored over, changed and ultimately decided upon! Michael selected the Neasham Farm beef and mushroom pie and I opted for the Neasham sirloin steak from the grill section of the menu. Alice prompted me to consider the pepper sauce to accompany the steak and I succumbed.
Having now made my decision on what was to be my main course, I was then slavishly drawn to the great wine list. I examined the red wine section and settled on a glass of Panul Merlot. This is of Chilean origin and was simply sumptuous. It is described on the wine list as fruity and rich with raspberry and plum... it more than lived up to this description. Michael was taking his time drinking his pint of Angel so did not order more to drink. He was happy to continue with the sparkling water too.
The service was very prompt. Alice brought us our choice of bread roll and soon after, Rebecca brought our starters to the table. If only I liked seafood! The prawn cocktail looked wonderful; the prawns nestled on a bed of lettuce inside a glass bowl, a perfect amount of marie rose sauce on top, alongside a whole king prawn to finish the garnish. I usually have a terrible tendency for reaching for the pepper pot when I am served with soup, but refrained on this occasion until after I had tried a spoonful. There was no need to further season the soup at all. It was spicy and had deliciously fruity undertones. What a super start to our meal.
Alice came and cleared our plates away - I couldn\'t quite recall if my soup bowl had had a pattern on it when it was brought to me... I can assure you it did not by the time I had finished trying to extract every last drop of soup from it!
Demonstrating their excellent teamwork again, Alice and Rebecca then served us with our main courses. Boy, what a main course! Michael\'s chosen dish of Neasham Farm beef and mushroom pie was nothing short of tremendous. The beef and mushrooms were served in a rich gravy and presented in an oversized, deep bowl with a crown of golden puff pastry perched atop the steaming mixture. The generous filling of beef and mushrooms was melt-in-the-mouth tender. The pastry was light and crispy. In a separate side dish came his homemade, golden and dry chips. Delicious.
My sirloin came cooked just as I had ordered. Medium. Absolutely, perfectly cooked. Although I had been supplied with a steak knife, I am confident that a butter knife would have done the trick such was the quality of the cut of meat. The steak came served with a huge piece of mushroom, flash-cooked watercress and both halves of a cooked tomato - I\'ve opted for \'cooked\' as I am not sure whether it had been grilled or baked. Either way, it had a hint of garlic and was scrumptious! Again, chips were presented in a separate side bowl and the pepper sauce arrived in a small jug. The steak was full of flavour in its own right and the pepper sauce was the ideal accompaniment. All in all, a marvellous main course.
Rebecca came along and cleared our dishes away, leaving us to ponder the dessert menu. She said that there was no rush and that we could take our time. We gave ourselves a 20-minute breather and then ordered our desserts and filter coffees.
Michael had decided to indulge himself in the vanilla cake served with fruit and cream. I yielded to the call of my savoury palate and chose the cheeseboard. I faced further torment when choosing the three cheeses I was to have. I finally decided on English cheddar, British goat\'s cheese and Stilton.
When our final courses were delivered to our table, we realised that we had fallen into the trap of \'eyes bigger than the belly\'... but bravely soldiered on! The vanilla cake was drizzled with fruits of the forest and topped with a large quenelle of cream. The cake was light and airy. The tang of the fruit was complemented by the smooth, sweet cream. What can I say about the cheese? I was in mouse heaven! It was served with savoury and sweet biscuits and a generous ramekin of sweet chutney. Really tasty.
We ended the evening with filter coffee. The coffee was served in good-sized cups. Actually, they were bigger than cups, but not quite mugs. The coffee gave off an irresistible aroma and delivered in taste too. An exquisite end to our evening.
It won\'t end there for us though. I registered for the Oldfields\' Real Food Club and I am now an official card-carrying member!
This card entitles me and up to 5 friends to 10% off my total bill in either of the Oldfields Noted Eating Houses. What\'s more, I will receive promotional emails with great offers too! Get yourself registered!
Jo Westworth
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Alan McColm is QFOL's Restaurant Critic and Travel reviewer. Alan is working all over the country ... more
