Feasts that won’t break the bank
SALTWELL Park is, in my opinion, one of our region’s gems.
While it serves the people of Gateshead it doesn’t stop there and I’ve got many pals who will travel from across the North East for a day out there.
But what it has in beautiful green space, a lake, a pets corner and plenty of children’s play areas it lacks in Sunday food.
It’s a shame they can’t turn Saltwell Towers into a Sunday lunch heaven. There is a cafe inside but no such luck on the Sunday lunch front.
So after a stroll round the splendid Victorian park working up an appetite Mrs E and I found ourselves strolling out the park and to Low Fell.
Admittedly we had booked ahead at The Bank as we’d visited in the past and been impressed. So it was time to see if the good food and low prices were still up to scratch.
The venue opened inside the old Lloyds bank (no great surprise there) back in 2013 after the building stood empty for 13 years.
It’s changed management a couple of times but more Car park..................... Kids allowed...................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle........................ Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food............................. than four years on is still going and still offers something different to the mix of straightforward pubs in Low Fell. It feels more like a city centre cocktail bar than somewhere you’d find in the suburbs. When we arrived we were led upstairs from the bar to the restaurant which was plenty full. I remembered it being much quieter on our last visit so it was a goo good start to see more people thr oTh through the door. The lunch menu is priced at £13 for two courses and £15 for three. That’s £2 up on two yea years ago so I was hoping the foo food was worth the extra. For starters I had the North Se Sea fishcakes which came w with tartare sauce and a sa salad garnish. It was a genero erous portion with two cakes of decent size for a starter. And they were delicious. Mrs E had the goats curd, beetroot and croutons. She was ecstatic and declared it a taste sensation. For mains we had a choice of turkey, beef or lamb roast plus a veggie roast (no meat basically) or fish and chips.
Needless to say it was roasts for both of us with lamb for me and turkey for Mrs E. And what great roasts they were – succulent meat, huge Yorkshires, creamy mash, crunchy roasties, plenty of seasonal vegetables and gravy. It was delicious.
Such were the good portion sizes we were both quite full after mains, but we soldiered on to dessert.
Chocolate brownie with ice cream for me and vanilla cheesecake with mixed berry compote for me.
Both were top notch (I tackled a bit of both) with a big chunk of brownie and a creamy cheesecake the perfect end to the meal.
The quality of food at The Bank was excellent but it is perhaps the value for money that is more impressive. If that type of food was served in a city centre bar I’ve little doubt the price would be higher.
So, while the price has gone up so has the quality.