Jesmond Dene House Hotel & Restaurant - Newcastle upon Tyne Review

Jesmond Dene House Hotel & Restaurant
Jesmond Dene Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE2 2EY

Type of Cuisine Modern British
Chef Pierre Rigothier
Number of Covers 85

Lunch 12.00 - 2.30pm (4.30pm Sun)
Dinner 7.00 - 10.30pm

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Review of Jesmond Dene House Hotel & Restaurant, Newcastle upon Tyne

Terry Laybourne has done a great deal to raise Newcastle's culinary profile over the years – first with the Queen Street Restaurant and more recently with his Café 21 group. Now his is dipping his toes into the luxurious world of the country house hotel.

The setting for his latest venture is a grand pre-Victorian house overlooking the wooded enclaves of Jesmond Dene, five-minutes' drive from the city centre. Its richly decorated interior is a blend of light modern design, colourful fabrics and original 'Arts and Crafts' features. Double doors lead from the lounge into the handsome restaurant, which is divided up into two areas: the former music room with its delicate plasterwork and the oak-floored, leafy garden room.

Assured, unfussy food with oodles of craftsmanship and honesty are Laybourne's trademarks. He's also a master when it comes to sourcing high-quality produce – whether it's organic beef from the Tyne Valley, oysters from Holy Island or Neil Robson's smoked salmon. The results might include slow-cooked knuckle of pork with softly boiled egg, mangetout and mustard emulsion, hazelnut-crusted monkfish with lemon gnocchi, baby leeks and red onions, or best end of organic hill lamb with aubergine caviar, coriander and orange gomasio.

Desserts aim for a touch of boozy flamboyance – perhaps warm apple espuma with poached apples and Calvados ice cream or lemon délice with Drambuie foam and raspberry sorbet. The Jesmond Dene wine list is a majestic tome, with pages of French regional classics and pedigree stuff from elsewhere.

Also featured in: AA Guide, Good Food Guide, Michelin Guide.