Dinner at Cafe 21 - 13/05/11

Café 21 is by far the best place I have found to eat in Newcastle so far. It’s slightly pricier than other restaurants in Newcastle but it’s worth shelling out the extra pennies for. I never leave feeling disappointed. I just leave with a dented bank balance. Tegan and I started our evening off with two Cosmopolitans, this has become our standard procedure. It’s our favourite cocktail and you can always taste the vodka in it. We decided to eat off of the early evening menu as it is excellent value for money - 2 courses for £16.50 or 3 courses for £20.00.

To start with, I opted for the soft boiled hen’s egg with asparagus soldiers. Tegan opted for the peppered venison salad with celery hearts and grapes. I felt that my dish looked a little sparse. The egg cup was served on a fairly large plate which left it looking lonely. There wasn’t quite enough asparagus to dip into the egg but I loved the concept of the dish and still thoroughly enjoyed it. I tasted the venison salad and it was delicious, the venison just melted in your mouth. The walnuts added texture to the dish and the grapes added a sweet element that complemented the venison.

For main course, I opted for the roast loin of pork with summer vegetables and mashed potato. Tegan opted for the ricotta gnocchi with sage and browned butter. My pork was delicious. It was so moist and flavoursome. It was served on spring cabbage and green beans and there were a few slices of pancetta hiding underneath the pork which was a nice little surprise. It added a slightly smoky flavour to the dish. The mash was so smooth and creamy. Café 21 definitely does the best mash I have ever tasted. I had a taste of the gnocchi and you could tell it was home-made. It was the best gnocchi I have ever tasted. It wasn’t at all stodgy, the ricotta just oozed out when you cut into it. It was served with a rocket and parmesan salad and didn’t require a sauce as the browned butter kept it moist.

For pudding, I opted for the vanilla parfait with rhubarb. Tegan opted for the baked apple crumble cheesecake. My pudding was gorgeous. I love iced parfait. This one had a thin base on it which I’ve never had before but it added texture to the dish and was incredibly light. The rhubarb wasn’t overly sweet and the dish was served with toasted pistachio nuts which again added texture to the dish. Tegan wasn’t overly satisfied with her pudding. She thought it was more like an apple crumble pie than a cheesecake, especially because of the pastry case it was served in. I tasted it and there was an apparent lemon taste to it, the apple was more of a hidden flavour. She enjoyed it, it just wasn’t what she expected.

We finished our meal off with two Moscow mule cocktails and a cheese plate. I am a big cheese lover, so much so that I sometimes wonder if I was a mouse in a previous life. The cheese plate was substantial. There were five pieces of different cheeses as well as grapes and celery. It was the perfect round off to a delicious meal.