Pitching up for meal with a view

“A MASSIVE glass building right next to the Millennium Bridge,” was how Mrs Eats responded to my question about what Pitcher and Piano was like.

She wasn’t wrong, but I was hoping for a bit more of a foodorientated reply after our visit there on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

“That’s your job,” she pointed out, again correctly, but I was struggling to form a solid opinion on the place following our meal – a very mixed experience.

The day started with a peek out the window and, as the weather looked promising, we jumped into the Eatsmobile for a trip to the Quayside.

One pleasant stroll alongside the River Tyne later, punctuated by stops at almost all of the

VENUE

108 Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3DX Phone: 0191 232 4110

Food served: Noon to 5pm Rating: 14/20 Character........................... Quality................................ Service................................ Value................................... Quayside market stalls, we were hungry. I was weighed down by the bath bombs Mrs Eats had bought, so didn’t fancy traipsing back up towards the city centre in search of food. That, combined with a desire to spend more time looking at the view saw us plump for the spectacularly located Pitcher and Piano. We had not been in since the place was refurbished last year, costing half a million quid. If I owned a building in that location – and had that sort of money – I would want it built out of glass too. The views a r e Car park..................... Kids allowed...................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle........................ Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food............................. Disabled toilets............................. wonderful.

Seated by the glass, She-whomust-be-fed quenched her thirst with an orange-flavoured concoction while I perused the decent selection on the menu, plus the roasts on offer.

I went for one unusual starter that caught my eye – satay cod (£6.25), while Mrs Eats stuck to liquids for the time being.

It arrived as a dollop in a bowl and was a quirky combination of flavours that were nice, but not revolutionary. It wasn’t the typical chinese-stye satay sauce I’d envisaged, but it was good nonetheless.

Our roasts then followed. I’d gone for beef, while Mrs Eats had pork belly.

First impressions were good. The plates were full and my Yorkshire pud was clearly homemade.

A glance at Mrs Eats’ plate also looked promising. Her hefty lump of pork belly was covered by a golden and crispy sheet of crackling.

However, look saw downhill. a closer things go

Belly pork is, usually, a fairly fatty cut of meat. But this was fattier than most.

There was a thin layer of meat, layered top and bottom with an inch of rubbery fat each side. Not necessarily the restaurant’s fault, but that didn’t stop Mrs Eats feeling thoroughly underwhelmed, and leaving most of it.

My beef was better, but only because it was all edible. While there was plenty of it, the meat was dry and too well done for my liking.

Elsewhere on the plate, things were better – the Yorkshire tasted as good as it looked and the highlight of the vegetables was the cabbage and the the nonvegetable addition of bacon, making a rare-but-tasty foray into the roast dinner scene.

Pudding was much more of a success, with the still-hungry Mrs Eats demolishing a chocolate brownie (£5.50) with pleasure.

It was surprisingly quiet inside, until a huge party of women arrived in the restaurant, and the service was fine.

Our came to just under £50 and, although you are paying for the spectacular location as much as the food, it felt a bit steep considering the disappointing meat.

I’d be open to trying food on the regular menu were we to return, as everything we ate aside from the roasts was good, but I’m far more likely to opt for a pint and people watching.