The Colonel serves up a superb roast
THIS is not a Sunday lunch review of Yolo Townhouse in Newcastle, despite my best attempts.
Mrs Eats had been impressed by the pictures of the new You Only Live Once (which is what Yolo stands for, according to the internet...) and so I called in advance to ask whether they served Sunday lunches and was assured that they did.
On arrival, the menu didn’t indicate anything about them, so while at the bar ordering drinks I asked about their Sunday scran. The barmaid wasn’t sure but I asked another staff member, who told me that they weren’t doing roasts, but may do in the future.
We were so mentally prepared to tuck into a roast that we went on the hunt for somewhere else.
Colonel Porter’s Emporium
Rating: 18/20
Character........................... Quality................................ Service................................ Value................................... A placard outside the newlynamed Colonel Porter’s Emporium, formerly Canteen and Cocktails, read ‘Now doing Sunday Roasts’. We walked in and were taken through the labyrinth of the restaurant, sat and were immediately brought iced water and a teacup full of goats cheese and black pepper popcorn - unexpected, but absolutely divine. The food menu was a Sunday-specific one, but with plenty of altern a t i v e s ; themed
Ground Floor, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1LF Telephone: 0191 261 7600
Real ales, ‘craft ales’, premium and normal lagers, wines and spirits available
Open noon to 6pm on Sundays. Car park..................... Kids allowed...................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle........................ Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food............................. around ‘Colonel Porter’s travels’, which range from the unusual and exotic (lobster, or seafood pancakes) to more regular options (burgers, and macaroni and cheese). The restaurant has a colonial feel, epitomised by the moose head hanging over the doorway and the way the menu called the scran ‘rambunctious roasts’. The decor and flamboyant styling walked a fine line between “unique and interesting” (my view), and “A little gimmicky, with waistcoats like Disneyland” (Mrs Eats’ view). Could the food live up to the ostentatious hype? Yes, quite simply, it could. Buoyed by the extravagant surroundings we opted to share a lobster cocktail (£7). Served in a wine glass, it was simple - a prawn cocktail with fancier fish meat - and very nice. Then the mains arrived. On the plates with our meat – mine the beef (£13.50) and She-WhoMust-Be-Fed’s the tender and succulent chicken (£11.95) – were several roasties, sprinkled with thyme and a hint of garlic, mash potato and a parsnip long and distinct enough that it doesn’t get mistaken for a roast potato - one of my pet peeves. It had also been cooked in maple syrup, giving a tasty sweetness.
Often a barometer for a Sunday Roast, the freshly-made Yorkshire on the big oval plate was light, crisp, fluffy and delicious.
When a second large gravy boat appeared, Mrs Eats declared “an armada was coming”, and by the time the heaps of vegetables had arrived, she wasn’t far wrong.
Veg-wise, there was cabbage, broccoli, swede and carrot, and asparagus spears — all wonderfully cooked. When ordering the main, I was asked whether I wanted my beef pink or well done - a sign that a place takes its roasts seriously - and I opted for the former. However, when it came, it was clearly well done (confirmed by the bill at the end), but it was still tasty and tender, and lashings of gravy allowed me to overlook this blip. Mrs Eats demolished every morsel.
To end, she opted for the chocolate and hazelnut delice - “deliciously rich with a subtle chocolate ice cream” - and, because Mrs Eats always likes to get the last word, here are her final thoughts of Colonel Porter’s Emporium: “One of the best Sunday roasts we’ve had in a long time.
“Do they have any more of that popcorn?”