Jesmond Dene House

This establishment has all the trappings of a modern country house hotel but transplanted into a prosperous city suburb. Originally Georgian, the building was extended in Victorian times & was put to several uses in the 20th century. After a substantial refurb it reopened in its current guise in 2005. Service in the restaurant has a Geordie accessibility, while the menu zips along with a verve that is more than backed up by the skill of the kitchen. Lunch (£22, three courses) offers a buffalo mozzarella starter with orange, Gran Padano parmesan, mizuna, frisee & radish sprouts – a great combination. Another starter might be an excellent pork terrine with spiced pear puree, lamb’s lettuce & walnut bread. Northumberland cod for a main comes with fennel, onion & black olive stew, while a rich & warm chocolate pudding with blood orange sorbet rounds off the meal nicely. One of Newcastle’s very best.