I have experienced St James's Park on a matchday on multiple occasions, and it has always been a very accommodating place for fans. I thought it would be interesting to see what else this iconic stadium had to offer, so when I was given the chance to go to the Park Grill restaurant and try their exclusive taster menu during the city's popular Restaurant Week, I couldn't turn it down.
When we arrived at the restaurant, which is situated at the Leazes end of the stadium, we got a drink at the bar and then had time to have a nice relax before we were taken to our seats. The first thing we noticed was the spectacular view of the pitch, which was perfectly visible through the panelled windows, making this a fantastic dining setting,
After surveying the menu, we decided to pay the extra £20 supplement for the fifth course, the Northumberland rump steak. This comes as an add on to the original £20 price, as well as a cheese and fruit selection and a wine with every course, which I decided not to get as I needed to remember what I thought of the food to write this review.
The first course was the Newcastle brown ale infused bread with a garlic butter dip. This was a great start to the evening, as the bread was crispy on the outside with a soft, warm centre, and the infusion of the iconic brown ale flavour added a lovely touch. I am also a huge fan of garlic butter so this was a very welcome accompaniment to the dish.
Secondly, we had a swede and bacon soup which was garnished with parsley and bacon and sourdough crumb. This was gorgeous, as the soup was the perfect creamy consistency and the added touch of the garnish brought a great crunch along with it. Although the portion size wasn't too big, due to it being a tasting menu, it was still filling and warming as a soup should be.
The third course of the night was a pigs cheek arancini served with cauliflower, black pudding and apple. I had never tried pigs cheek arancini so this was a new experience for me and it was a great one at that. The combination of rice and meat created a unique but pleasurable texture and the added flavours of the cauliflower and apple were perfect to go alongside it.
The next course was the one I had the most trepidations about, as I am not usually a huge fan of fish and I had never had sea bass before, but this one served alongside dill, potato and fennel was fantastic. The fish was a perfect mix of crispy skin and a moist middle and the potato balls that were served alongside it added to an overall outstanding dish.
The fifth course was the aforementioned extra supplement meal of Northumberland rump steak with tomato, shoestring fries, mushroom and a peppercorn sauce. I was expecting big things from this dish in particular due to the extra price that I payed for it but I was certainly not disappointed. The steak was perfectly cooked for my taste and it was so easy to cut through and so succulent. The added extras and peppercorn sauce flavour made this my favourite course of the night so far.
The final dish provided it with some stiff competition however, as it was a snickers inspired chocolate ball containing peanut, nougat and caramel and finished off with a chocolate drizzle. The warm chocolate melted the chocolate ball and created a gooey texture that was perfect. A chocolate dessert is always a winner in my book and this one was no different.
Overall, I had an amazing night and would fully recommend it. The experience of sitting up in the Leazes end overlooking the pitch was a great one, and the food certainly matched it. I had no issues whatsoever and although the price was on the expensive side, in my opinion, for the combination of the location and the food itself, it was definitely worth it. Tables are available tonight and tomorrow and details of how to book are on the Newcastle United website.
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