Marco Pierre White Newcastle steaks its claim to be one of the best restaurants in the city with its fantastic new menu.
Situated within Hotel Indigo on Fenkle Street, this stylish steakhouse bar & grill offers a ultramodern dining experience in the heart of the city. An old business crony and I visited during a flurry of pre-Christmas trade and the message here was clear. This a premier establishment perfect for endof-year Christmas lunches or special occasions with friends and family.
When we arrived, the dining area was absolutely packed along with a chic bar area serving cocktails and afternoon tea. The restaurant boasts a real convivial atmosphere with sounds of laughter and glass-clinking pervading the air. We kicked off with a lovely bottle of Argentinian Malbec, signposted on the menu as working best with bolder flavours.
The restaurants new menu boasts a stylish offering of starters, steaks, salads, main plates, fish mainboards and freshly ground burgers. Whilst this is unquestionably exquisite dining, portions are wholesome and nourishing and also more than affordable too.
We kicked off with a sumptuous pair of starters. My friend chose the crispy calamari, delicately battered and served stylishly on a paper doily with a fresh lemon wedge and tartare sauce. On a bitingly cold, bleak midwinter day, I opted for The Governors French Onion Soup a nod to the eponymous Marco which was served with crispy croutons and Gruyere cheese. A large, monochrome image of the man himself broods over the back wall of the dining area and Im sure hed be most impressed of this rich and aromatic dish which possessed a wondrous depth of flavour.
All steaks at MPW Newcastle are 28 day aged from Royal Warrant appointed butcher, Campbell Brothers. Diners get the option to choose their own choice of cut which they can partner with an array of toppings or from a range of signature fillets all served with triple cooked chips.
My friend chose the former, pairing a sumptuous 8oz sirloin streak surf & turf style with some grilled garlic prawns. Meanwhile I opted for the latter, a signature fillet of beef au poivre served with a fricassee of woodland mushrooms, cream peppercorn sauce and buttered leaf spinach.
From the first cut of steak, this was a deeply satisfying dining experience with the meat, sauce and wine melting majestically in together in the mouth. In addition to these centrepiece steaks, the new menu offers several other notable dishes. Catching the eye was the steakhouse special roast rump of lamb a la Dijonaise and the decidedly-hearty Mr Lambs Shepherds Pie.
A host of famous names can also be found in the menus burger section, for instance the Banksy B.L.T with cured bacon, The Alex James cheeseburger and The John Lennon burger with Colonel Mustard mayonnaise. My friend rounded off the meal quite simply with the fresh strawberries & vanilla pannacotta whilst I walloped the Mr Coulsons sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch cream.
The team at Marco Pierre White Newcastle have really excelled themselves by devising a menu brimming with choice and showcasing real quality and creativity. If youre yet to set yourself a resolution this new year, pay this fabulous restaurant a visit!
For more information, visit www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk/our-brands/steakhouse-bar-and-grill/newcastle/