If you don't already know by now, I love meat, I am an absolute carnivore and if I don't have meat based meals I eventually start craving it! When Harriet and I were in Barcelona we even went to the Jamon Experience, if you're in Barcelona, do visit, we had a cheap ticket from the tourist bus and got admission plus 2 glasses of cava and a tasting of 6 different Jamon for 10 euros!! Suffice to say I am now Jamon addicted and so when I received an invitation to an intimate blogger dinner at The Curing House, a charcuterie bar and restaurant in Middlesbrough I booked my train ticket before I could even mutter the words "I love meat".
The Curing House, based on Bedford Street in Middlesbrough is one of the only Charcuteries in the north east that I know of, it's definitely worth the hour and a half train journey it takes to get there, especially if you love meat although they do offer veggie options for the omnivores amongst us.
To me the Curing House is big enough to have an atmosphere but small enough for a perfect intimate date night, I went on a Tuesday night with 4 fellow bloggers and the restaurant was pretty much full, testament to the quality of food they're serving I'd suggest.
The menu's offer Charcuterie plates from Italy, Spain, France and Britain and for any fans of Iberico, yes there is an Iberico Bellota Dulce Chorizo which to be quite frank I was so excited about I may have got a touch giddy.
The restaurant actually opens at 9am for brunch and it doesn't close until 11pm at night, I could pretty much eat my way through the day in meat and cheese.
It's not just about the Charcuterie though, after eating through the most delicious tongue tingling rare roast beaf with horseradish intermediate it was on to the main event, all of the bloggers chose one of two meals, I went with the Roast Gressingham Duck Breast, Confit Duck Leg Boulangere and Spring Greens, House Bacon and Smoked Rhubarb - £16.50 (GF) the most delicious combination and something I'll be trying in my very own kitchen. The duck is served pink just as it should be and is a generous portion big enough for even the heartiest of appetites.
A couple of the bloggers chose to go with a beef skirt dish which looked absolutely divine and we all munched our way through a shared bowl of beef dripping chips. I couldn't fault The Curing House at all and the only thing I was sad about was that I had to jump straight back on the train and missed out on the delicious desserts and the cheese platter.
Look, it's a bit of a drive or a trip on the train or bus if you live in Newcastle but good food is always worth travelling for, so the next time you want to have an intimate lunch with your girlfriends or the perfect date night to remember why not book a table (nice and early though if you are coming on the train from Newcastle) and sample the heavenly meat based delights of one of the North East's best restaurants.
I received a meal in exchange for my honest review, these are my words, my photos and yes, I'm definitely going back for more meaty based treats soon.
No comments
Post a Comment