Whilst visiting Newcastle, The Man Bird and I were staying at the centrally located Maldron Hotel. After a busy day exploring the city, we freshened up and headed downstairs for dinner at its Grain & Grill restaurant.
Spread across the length of the ground floor, Grain & Grill certainly isn’t short on seating for its dining guests and our server, Valerie, showed us to a quieter spot at our request. I was surprised to see that the restaurant was at about 80% capacity on a weeknight; the food must be good then, eh? Having got us settled, Valerie offered table water immediately and then took our drinks order: Malbec for me, Sauvignon Blanc for The Man. There is a fantastic selection of drinks, ranging from popular Cocktails, Wines, Beers, Ciders and softs, but it was the two-course £24 deal (excluding the feather blade beef and sirloin steak) that caught our eye – what a cracking offer.
The selection of Small Plates saw us select a trio of them to share as a starter between us: Jalapeño Poppers (£6.50), Spicy Crisp Cauliflower Tacos (£10.75), and Hand-stretched Sourdough Garlic and Cheese Scrocchiarella (posh garlic bread to you and me, £9.50). For mains, we chose slow-cooked British Feather Blade of Beef with Garlic Mash and Honey-roast Carrots (£28.50, His Nibs), and Chimichurri and Lime Grilled Salmon with Roasted Chipotle Red Peppers and Sweet Potato, and Charred Tenderstem Broccoli (£23.95, my choice).
It wasn’t long before Valerie brought out our small plates and, boy, did they look great! Each dish had been placed in striking crockery and, grouped together, they looked beautiful. The coating on the Jalapeños was super-crunchy and not at all oily, and the vegetable itself still had a bit of bite to it. There was plenty of warm cream cheese to get the lips smacking in appreciation, and the tangy Tomato Salsa grabbed the palate’s attention.
The Scrocchiarella consisted of a pair of thick, triangular sourdough slices laden with Melted Cheese, and those luscious strings soon formed as we bit into the garlic-pimped bread. Just for a bit more Garlicky twang, a pot of Aioli was soon getting used as a dunking station!
The Cauliflower Tacos were a total joy to savour, and way beyond what we’d been expecting. Small florets were hot and crunchy, with a tangy coating that popped against the Gochujang Mayo Slaw. The Red Pepper and Basil Salsa was bright and clean in the mouth, and a nice cool temperature contrast to the warm Tacos; we also noted that the ‘wet’ elements provided the perfect counter-balance to the dry Corn Taco shells.
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Equally impressive were our mains; presented beautifully again, they were also hearty portions. The Man was cooing with delight at the tenderness of the Beef – it was literally falling apart in ribbons! Wonderfully juicy and moist, the Red Wine-and-Sage cooked Beef had an incredible depth of flavour to it that was paired with seasoned, glass-smooth Mash. Still just-firm, the honey-roasted Carrots were comfortingly sweet and added a lovely layer of taste to the dish.
Chef had cooked my Salmon fillet absolutely spot-on; the skin was golden and crisped, the flesh rose-pink, moist, and fragrant. I loved the bright bounce of the herby Chimichurri and crunch of the garnishing Almonds, though that isn’t to overlook the Sweet Potato and Red Peppers either. True to its description, the Tenderstem had a gently smoky char to it, and the floret tops were still nicely firm – I hate soggy veg, as you know!
I had ordered the Mediterranean Chopped Salad (£5) on the side, and this was a total knock-out! Simple sounding, the combination of chopped Cos Lettuce, finely chopped Cucumber, sliced Red Onion, crumbled Feta Cheese, halved Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, and Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette was a master-class of taste and texture. Best of all, and I know how daft this sounds, the salad was chilled; not cool, properly chilled; a small detail but, trust me, one that makes a whole world of difference when it comes to its enjoyment. Not to sound snobby, but I really wasn’t expecting this from ‘hotel food’ - I would happily come to The Maldron just for the dinner offering!
Our initial dining plan wasn’t to go for dessert, but given how impressed we were with our previous two courses, we decided to go all-in. I ordered the Lemon Meringue and Raspberry Sundae, His Nibs opted for the Chocolate Truffle Brownie Torte (both £7).
Yet again, Chef pulled my dessert out-of-the-bag, so to speak; the sundae glass was packed with subtle colours and layers, garnished with fresh Raspberries. One of the things that discourages me from Sundaes is that they often have an over-abundance of whipped Cream which, whilst I like it, tends to drown out the other elements. Here at The Maldron, the cream is kept in proportion with the White Chocolate Sauce, allowing the Raspberry Ice Cream and fruits themselves to pop on the palate. Another thing I really liked was the semi-set Lemon Curd – this was wonderfully sharp and tart, contrasting against the sweeter components of the dessert. A perfectly executed conclusion to my meal.
The Man Bird was smitten by his dessert, too; the exotic-sounding Chocolate Truffle Brownie Torte. Let me just say that it more than lived up to expectations. Luscious in its dense, velvety texture, the cocoa-rich Torte clung to the cheeks’ insides and coated the tongue lazily. The base was soft, but dense (almost like a flapjack), making it easy to cut without disintegrating into a mass of crumbs. Bringing a clean, lighter layer of taste was an impossibly good Orange Sorbet; honestly, this was like eating a liquid version of the fruit, without any trace of artificiality or excessive sweetness. What a meal this had been.
Throughout our meal, Valerie had done timely check-backs and was very conscientious in ensuring we had everything we wanted and needed. Friendly and professional, there is no doubting that this lovely young lady enhanced our dining experience at The Maldron Hotel.
Hot Wings very happily given to Grain & Grill.
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