Last week Ricky and I spent an evening at the beautiful Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle. One of the main attractions of the hotel is it’s restaurant so, needless to say, I was very excited to sample the food on offer!
I’ve got a lot to say about this stay, so grab yourself a cuppa and settle in!
The Hotel
A grade-II listed building, Jesmond Dene House is a boutique hotel set in beautiful surroundings just outside of Newcastle city centre.
The interior is full of dark wood and cosy corners making it the perfect hideaway for a chilly November evening (and believe me, it was baltic!).
We checked in just as it was getting dark and headed upstairs to check out our room in the eaves of the house.
I clocked the king size bed and beautiful bathroom the minute we arrived and knew I was going to enjoy our stay!
Our room had a well-stocked mini bar but we’d arrived prepared with our own bottle of prosecco. Obvs.
Alongside the usual tea & coffee mugs there were wine glasses and champagne flutes in the room meaning we didn’t even have to nip down to the bar before cracking open the fizz!
I’m a sucker for a nice bath and this one was huuuge! I took full advantage of the opportunity to relax for a bit before heading downstairs for dinner.
The Restaurant
We had a table booked so headed downstairs a little ahead of time to grab a drink in the cosy bar. The waiter brought us drinks (Marmalade Collins for me, and a local craft beer for Ricky) and dinner menus. I’d assumed this was just so we could have a nosy ahead of the meal so I was a little surprised when he came back a few minutes later to ask if we were ready to order.
In hindsight, I should have asked to wait as the service from here on in felt a little rushed. We generally like to take our time over a meal, getting plenty time for a chat between courses and to really savour the food and wine.
We were taken to our table at 7.30pm and found our starters arrived immediately, before we’d had a chance to finish our pre-dinner drinks or even look at the freshly baked foccacia we’d been brought (which, FYI, was incredible!).
Nevertheless, the food was beautifully presented and equally tasty. Ricky chose a beetroot and goats cheese tart (winning combo!) whilst I went for salt beef hash with a perfectly oozy fried duck egg on top.
I think those starters spoiled us as we weren’t quite as impressed with our mains. The dauphinoise potatoes in Ricky’s dish were soft and buttery, exactly as they should be! His chicken breast, though, came with skin that hadn’t quite been crisped up so was just a bit too fatty.
My venison was perfectly cooked but I found the peppery crust a little too overpowering. The parsnip puree though, was something else. I could have ate that aaall day long!
Oh, and dessert. Do I even have to say anything about that dessert?? It started life as a chocolate sphere, before being melted away by a generous pour of hot chocolate sauce. Underneath was shortbread, peanuts, caramel sauce and ice-cream. Sooo basically all my dessert dreams come true!
Ricky’s carrot cake was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, although he was less keen on the ‘deconstructed’ style of serving and would have preferred a regular slab of cake with maybe a little more frosting. There should always be more frosting!
Breakfast in Bed
The next morning we woke up about an hour before our room service was due to arrive. I loved being able to laze about in bed without worrying about getting organised to head down for breakfast. Someone arrange for me to have breakfast in bed every day please?
The room had a selection of teas as well as some local coffee and a cafetiere, plus proper fresh milk. A little thing, but one that makes such a big difference to someone like me who can’t function without a decent coffee first thing!
Not gonna lie, the idea of a fancy breakfast in bed had me waaay too excited! I spent far too long the previous night trying to decide what I fancied from the amazing menu. In the end I settled on Eggs Benedict whilst Ricky went for French Toast.
Oh, and a Pain au Chocolat each too, because even breakfast needs dessert sometimes 😉
When it arrived, it did not disappoint!
To drink, we ordered some freshly squeezed juice (grapefruit for me, orange for Ricky). And, since we had nice coffee in the room, some hot chocolate too.
The hot chocolate arrived in a huge teapot and was the real deal. SO rich and indulgent!
My eggs benedict was the best way to start the day. Two perfectly runny poached eggs, salty parma ham and a buttery hollandaise sauce. The french toast was delicious too, although a slightly larger portion size wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Nevertheless, by the time we’d scoffed our cooked breakfasts and pastries we left with very happy, full bellies!
Our stay at Jesmond Dene House was complimentary, but words, opinions and intense love of breakfast are all my own!
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