This is one of those posts where I am happily going to say positive things. If you are bored and don’t want to read the whole thing here’s the gist of it. Next time you are in Newcastle book dinner at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and you will definitely not regret it.
For the people who like reading my stuff, here’s the story:
We were *this* close to give up on the notion of good food at Newcastle. Following a really bad early lunch at Jamie’s “Italian” (read my post) we went back to the hotel and decided to have a cup of coffee and see their desserts menu. It looked impressive enough so we ordered.
I had the Classic Bitter Chocolate Mousse and the s.o. had the Fresh Strawberries & Vanilla Ice Cream. I’m telling you, we had a spoonful each and we immediately made a reservation for dinner. I *love* it that MPW still has chocolate on the menu, I’m really annoyed whenever restaurants exclude it. It was creamy and smooth, a perfect mousse. The strawberries were also fresh and firm and the vanilla ice cream really yummy.
True to form, we booked a late dinner. Apart from the fact that we usually have dinner late, we were also staying in the hotel that houses the restaurant so it was no bother to just take the lift and go downstairs.
The restaurant is not too huge and the tables are satisfyingly big. I was slightly freaked out by all the photographs of Marco Pierre White around the place. The s.o., seeing a photo where MPW’s nails are, well… lacking in grooming, asked me if he couldn’t have washed his nails before taking the pictures. “Well, he is conveying the busy chef image” I said but he is also conveying the scary chef image. He thinks he is a bit of a super star I thought but the food proved him right – or at least the food prepared by the people who operate this restaurant since you can bet your bottom dollar it wasn’t MPW preparing our dinner.
We started with a Cobb Salad which couldn’t have been yummier. In comparison to the sorry excuse of a salad we got at Berner’s Tavern (check out the post) this was heaven. Great balance of tastes, the greens crunchy and all the rest cooked to perfection. A clear winner.
Once more, the waiter sensed our affinity to bread and kept bringing more. How I *love* those restaurants!
For mains we both had steak, since it’s a no-brainer. This was a steakhouse,right? We both chose the fillet steak (we are spoiled, I know) and we ate every morsel. Basically, if we could lick the plate we probably would have. As the s.o. remarked, they have meat of excellent quality and they know how to cook it so that it shines. The only thing I didn’t eat was the onion ring but then I generally don’t like them so no points take off for that.
All in all, we were raving about it for days after. The environment is nothing special but it’s light and pleasant. The service is attentive and friendly. And the food… ah, the food is amazing. So go on Marco Pierre White, take as many superstar photos of yourself as you want and put them up the walls of all your restaurants (operated by others). We’ll be coming again.
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Disclosure: We went to the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse in Newcastle on 01 January 2015 and paid our bill in full. No prior discussion with the restaurant took place.
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Marco Pierre White Steakhouse
2-8 Fenkle Street (in Hotel Indigo)
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 5XU
Tel: 0191 300 9222
www.mpwsteakhousenewcastle.co.uk
