Crathorne Arms

I’m back at home (Aka Teesside) so as it was my lady friend’s birthday I took her to the Crathorne Arms in Crathorne village, North Yorkshire.

The Crathorne arms is under new management as of 6ish months ago and has had a refurb and new menu to boot.  I decided to go here based on the amazing pictures of the food on the restaurants new website. They’ve obviously spent a bit of money of food photography here because the dishes all look great and seeing as this is the only reason I went, I’d say its money well spent.

The venue has a rustic farmhouse appeal with polished dark wood floors, high beamed ceilings and plenty of country charm in a formal setting.

We skipped a starter with dessert in mind and ordered our mains, (once the waitress had stopped talking to another table across the dining room).

First up I had fillet of cod with gnocchi, battered muscles, cockles, samphire and creamy caper sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly as was everything else on the plate except the cockles which were like bullets. The dish was very rich and missing a squeeze of lemon or some more acidity, perhaps a little on the salty side as well, or is that just the sea I can taste?

 The second dish was Pork with black pudding and vanilla sauce. This was a woeful effort, dry pork, burnt caramel on the apple and an overly sweet very strong vanilla sauce. Pork and black pudding ice cream anyone?  . . . . . . . No? I didn’t think so. We called the waitress over to let her know about the burnt caramel and she said that is how the chef cooks this dish. Once we got the waitress away from her table of friends, we paid the bill and left.

This place has classic Tees valley syndrome when it comes to fine dining in the area. Just because the food offered is considered fairly up market it must be delicious by right and the clientele must be gob smacked by the occasion even if the food is shoddy and the service crap.

There are some decent venues to eat out in Teesside but they’re few and far between when it comes to exciting food. This place highlights the problem with many independent restaurants in the area.

5/10

Crathorne Village
North Yorkshire

TS15 0BA

http://www.crathorne-arms.co.uk/

In other news Brew Dog’s new Leeds bar is open WOOO! It’s tucked in behind the corn exchange next to Pizza express, I walked past last week and had a peer in and things looked far from finished but low and behold it opened last night. I shall be visiting in the next few days and let you know how it goes.