Review: Solstice, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

How has it taken me so many years to visit Newcastle? It’s a lovely place. Handsome centre and riverside, lovely revitalised ex-industrial art district, loads of friendly people, lots of good food ‘n drink. Recommended: Deep North for ace doughnuts and coffee. It also has a blindingly good restaurant in Solstice. I’ve meant to visit House of Tides for years and never got around to it (see comment about never visiting Newcastle!), but Kenny Atkinson’s new place is smaller and boasts an even more enticing menu so we came here instead.

It’s a fairly straight-forward dining room, no open kitchen here, the focus is all on the menu and the plates on the table. Something like 14 courses, each one small but perfectly formed. The presentation is wonderful but it’s the clever and unabashed flavour combinations that star.

The very first snack, a smoked eel brandade with excellent caviar and a tiny dice of granny smith apple, is nothing new but the nut-brown chicken skin crackers to scoop it out with elevate the dish to truly sleazy pleasure. More big-flavoured snacks include a ball of duck liver parfait encased in a madeira & PX gel and a takoyaki ball, but filled with rich lamb shoulder instead of octopus.

A couple of the very best dishes were seafood. A charming rose made of thinly sliced black radish interleaved with slivers of raw halibut, dressed up with lime, yuzu and sesame oil. A scallop everso delicately cooked in beef fat, topped with a fiery Thai glaze, deeply caramelised – the contrast was great, just an amazing mouthful. The main fish dish was pollock, although both the delicate fish and its accompanying fripperies were overwhelmed by a richly smoky sauce made from Craster kippers. It was a very yummy sauce, so I can’t argue too much!

The main course might be the star of the show. Very flavour-packed lamb loin, so delicately cooked, served with a beautiful gravy fired through with warm and citrusy Sichuan peppercorns. A baby white turnip was the only accompaniment, stuffed with a peppercorn relish and topped with lovage cream. This little bite was another piece of perfection.

Desserts were strong too. Very much loved the tiny sticky financier with a distinct amaretti flavour, a boozy sabayon and a tart pineapple jelly on top. Best by far was the honey parfait with rye ice cream – the two flavours of honey and rye pair beautifully into a sort of sunny-summer-grass-meadow fantasy. Strong petit four game too, particularly a chocolate with tamarind and chilli notes in the filling.

Re-reading, I’ve somehow done a poor job at emphasising just how smashing every single dish was across this menu. It’s easily my meal of the year so far (and we’re to July already) if that makes things any clearer? The menu at Solstice is £175 currently and it is really strong on invention, strong on flavour, but very elegant in execution and presentation. It’s magic, the service is warm and friendly, very personal and deeply enthusiastic about what they are doing. Go!