Solstice, Newcastle: a curate's egg

We were fully optimistic and fully looking forward to our dinner at Solstice last Friday. Kenny Atkinson, the chef-patron, is something of a North-East name, and we had thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at House of Tides a few years ago. So, no reason to think that Solstice wouldn't be equally lovely.

And, in some ways it was. The staff were brilliant, the surroundings were great. But the food...the food was hit and miss.

When it hit, it was capable of hitting very hard. The lobster spelt risotto was among the best things I have eaten all year. I adored the chocolate souffle tart with banana miso caramel (D less sure) and we both agreed that the brown butter poppy seed Madeleines were things of absolute beauty.

Chocolate!

Madeleines!

But when it missed then...ugh. The lobster with spiced carrot puree was horrible. The aged Parmesan tart did NOT taste of Parmesan. The opening course of smoked eel brandade with chicken skin was way too rich. And considering the quality of the beef that was served as a main, it just didn't land properly. The texture was beautiful - the flavour, less so.

Brandade!

So, in summary - a curate's egg. Good in places. Maybe just not entirely to our taste. But I'd recommend HoT over this, and I would certainly recommend plenty of other places in the North East before encouraging you to venture to Newcastle proper.