The Bonny Comet, Low Fell, Gateshead restaurant review

My gastronomic recollections of growing up in the Gateshead suburb of Low Fell over twenty years ago are rather thin on the ground.

There were the honkingly potent garlic prawns and flamboyantly flambéed crêpes suzette from the Italia, which seemed to be perennially stuck in the 70s.

There was also the Imperial Chinese restaurant, located upstairs from a branch of Greggs, where I over-enthusiastically ate too much crispy duck and spare ribs, making myself sick during a family celebration.

And let's not forget the Indian restaurant, whose name eludes me, which had a rather tatty stuffed bear guarding its entrance. It was definitely the most memorable thing about the place.

So, last year I was rather excited by the news that the Bonny Comet, a rather chi-chi sounding all day dining destination and bar, was opening along the Fell.

That was until The Guardian's Grace Dent popped along for a meal and had a rather disheartening experience, dampening my expectations in the process.

Still, not to be deterred, Mrs G and I popped along for dinner during one of our biannual visits to the Northeast after a few craft beers at the excellent Beer Drop.

The Bonny Comet is a rather stylish looking place. With its deep blue exterior and beautifully designed dining room, it certainly wouldn't look out of place in ritzier destinations.

Their eclectic all day menu features oysters and pheasant as well as fish finger sandwiches and haggis on toast. So whether you’re looking for a bit of posh or something more casual, there should be something to float your boat.

On the booze front, I enjoyed a half of Dortmunder Union Pils (£2.75) whilst Mrs G preferred a zesty alcohol-free margarita (£6) to a rather too sweet glass of prosecco (£7.50).

To start, a northern portion of meteorite-like cheese and mushroom croquettes (£6) had a good earthy mushroom hit and were filled with plenty of pieces of soft spud. But they were light on the billed cheese and a thick puddle of mushroom puree didn’t provide much in the way of flavour contrast.

An excellent piece of black pudding (£8) had a soft boudin noir like texture and was sat in a pokey mustard sauce alongside pieces of soft potato. It was a big flavoured bit of cooking which wouldn’t look out of place in the bouchons of Lyon.

Both of our mains looked rather home cooked compared to the refined versions on the Bonny Comet’s slick social media account. But, they delivered in terms of flavour.

A golden crusted pithivier (£17.50) was filled with a coarse mushroom and chestnut duxelles and served with crisp, caramelised-skinned Jerusalem artichokes, charred hispi cabbage, which was a bit too firm in texture, and a curiously tepid mushroom puree. Despite its flaws, it was a tasty bit of Autumnal cooking.

A whopping puck of slow-cooked shredded beef feather blade (£20) had a lovely soft texture and a good beefy flavour but was at its maximum limit for seasoning. Its accompaniments all hit the mark - a rich glossy beer reduction, smooth mustard mash, which could have taken a bigger hit of mustard, roasted sweet root vegetables and parsnip crisps.

Dessert was the star of the meal. Sticky toffee pudding (£7.50) so often misses the mark by being too dense or too cakey. This was an absolute belter, the pudding was light yet soft and squidgy with a liberal amount of toasty toffee sauce, and a scoop of excellent honeycomb ice cream.

We had a very enjoyable meal at The Bonny Comet in a lovely setting with really friendly service. Whilst the reality is rather more down to earth and rustic than its swanky appearance, it’s a welcome addition to Low Fell's constellation of restaurants.

The Details:

Address -  The Bonny Comet, 490 Durham Rd, Low Fell, Gateshead NE9 6HU

Web - https://thebonnycomet.com/

Telephone -  0191 816 2072