It’s probably fair to say that I don’t I have the same taste in stuff as the typical premier league footballer.
For a start, I’m more likely to be found wearing a Decathlon raincoat, binoculars and walking shoes than a Stone Island jacket, AirPods and Off-White trainers.
And, under no circumstances would I consider booking out an entire branch of Nando’s for a Christmas celebration.
However, perhaps I’m being a bit quick to judge, as Newcastle United and England starlet Lewis Hall is clearly a man of extremely good taste when it comes to restaurants.
Because, when we visited Long Friday in West Jesmond for dinner over Easter weekend, Lewis and his mates were also tucking into a post-match meal after Newcastle’s miraculous 4-3 comeback against West Ham.
Owned by food writer Anna Hedworth, Long Friday opened in 2021 and is the younger sibling to Ouseburn’s Cook House. Described by former Sunday Times restaurant critic Marina O’Loughlin as a “a restaurant that puts you on the sunny side of the street”, Long Friday has a hip yet relaxed vibe.
Long Friday’s menu consists of eclectically influenced small plates, which much like Porthcawl’s Cosy Corner, could more accurately be described as medium plates. When it comes to portion size, I’ve never been disappointed at a Northeast restaurant.
Alongside their medium plates, Long Friday has a belter of a booze list. There are creative cocktails, including a cherry mezcal old fashioned and EVOO martini, beers from Wylam brewery, and a big selection of wines by the glass with a focus on the natural.
During the meal, I enjoyed a fresh and sharp rhubarb spritz (£10), a can of Wylam Lush hoppy pale ale (£7), an easy drinking hazy Tule Bianco Cattarrato (£5.50), and a complex Dhron Hofberger 2006 Auslese Riesling (£6.50).
Superb soft and airy crumbed Northern Rye focaccia (£4) was drizzled with grassy olive oil. We’d walked past their Ouseburn bakery earlier that day and seen queues down the street – I can see why.
Excellent salami (£9), from Berwick upon Tweed’s Hammond Charcuterie, was made with a mix of wild pheasant and free-range pork fat. Spiked with green and Szechuan peppercorn, it left a lovely tingle on the palate.
A hake fillet (£12) was dressed in butter with a lovely poke and spice of kimchi. It perhaps would have benefited from crisper skin and some garnish, but it was a beautifully meaty and well-seasoned piece of fish.
The first standout dish of the meal was a whopping pair of pink lamb chops with mouth melting fat (£12) that were dressed with a vibrantly herby and meaty lamb fat chimichurri that really packed a punch.
Crusty, knobbly, caramelised pieces of earthy roast celeriac (£10) were topped with a coarse mushroom XO, which had a really good savouriness but not quite the complexity of its seafood equivalent.
Bavette steak (£11) was tender with a nice beefiness, whilst a delicately punchy wild garlic butter sauce and crisp breadcrumbs provided extra layers of crunch and seasoning. Eleven quid for a well-sized steak was a fine example of the generosity on show at Long Friday.
Smashed pink fir potatoes (£8), which sat on a bed of savoury miso twanged mayo, delivered on the gnarly crunch which I hoped for.
A bowl of cacio e pepe beans (£9) was the cleverest dish of the meal and one which we’ve already emulated at home with great results. Soft white beans luxuriated in a thick, savoury and creamy parmesan and black pepper enriched sauce. Fried breadcrumbs once again provided welcome texture contrast.
For dessert, a pile of warm, golden light and squidgy ricotta doughnuts (£8) were cannily sat in a pool of thick caramel fragranced with candied peel and a light whiff of rosemary. It’s a dessert which could have tasted like a roast dinner, but it was exceptionally well balanced.
Rather rustic looking sharp rhubarb jelly (£8) was perched on top of creamy panna cotta that was delicately scented with cardamom and served alongside the shortest of buttery buckwheat hobnobs.
We had a superb meal at Long Friday with its inventive medium plates, delicious booze and friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I really should try and tap up Lewis Hall to find out the rest of his Newcastle restaurant recommendations.
The Details:
Address - Long Friday, 46 Brentwood Ave, West Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3DH
Telephone - 0191 281 5626
No comments:
Post a Comment