Dobson & Parnell
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear
‘We have been regular customers for a while, and it seems to be getting better each time,’ noted a reader who plunged into the ‘exceptional’ seven-course tasting menu at this grown-up metropolitan brasserie close to Newcastle’s Quayside. The gastronomic star turn on that occasion was a dish of crispy oyster with apple and dill purée (served with a beetroot ‘jammy dodger’), but bigger plates were also perfectly executed (think lightly roasted halibut teamed up with fried chicken and mushroom ketchup). Others have also lapped up equally enjoyable, ‘thoughtfully decorated’ dishes from the more modest set menu – perhaps rare-breed pork with carrots, carrot-top pesto and fried sourdough crumb followed by dark chocolate and orange pavé with chocolate aero and orange sorbet. Named after the two Victorian architects who designed the building, this is a spacious, good-looking venue with some of its original rough brick walls intact, plus white tiling, low-hanging lights and partitioned banquette seating. Service gets a resounding thumbs-up (‘knowledgeable, friendly and the right sort of attentive’), and the carefully chosen, global wine list promises sound drinking from £24. ‘Go there – you won't be disappointed.’
