The glory days of Edwardian England – when explorers roamed the Empire and British cuisine was born – have inspired the menu at Newcastle’s newest bar restaurant.
Scotch eggs and smoked mackerel, buttered lobster and beef roly poly are just some of the treats on offer at the newly opened Colonel Porter’s Emporium on Dean Street in Newcastle.
The venue, named after Newcastle Brown Ale creator, Colonel J Porter, has even been transformed into an Edwardian-style gentleman’s club, complete with Union Jack drapes, chandeliers and curiosities from around the globe.
Diners can choose from a selection of small plates, featuring dishes such as English asparagus spears with garlic toast and fried hen’s egg, black pudding bhaji with curry oil and apple and Northumberland pinwheel sausage.
Those with bigger appetites can opt for large plates or sharing boards – offering a selection of fish, anti-pasto and sliders – or sandwiches, including crab, lobster and the classic triple decker club, with streaky bacon, roast chicken and egg mayonnaise.
However, chefs at Colonel Porter’s – the latest addition to the Ramside Estates portfolio, which includes Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa and Hardwick Hall Hotel near Durham – have saved the best until last, with a trio of classic desserts for pudding lovers.
Not only are they serving up traditional apple and vanilla crumble and custard and sherry trifle, but they are staging the revival of the rhum baba; a sponge cake soaked in Old J Spiced Rum and served with Chantilly cream.
Rum lovers are also welcomed elsewhere at Colonel Porter’s in Archie’s Lab – a secret room, hidden behind a bookcase and housing more than 100 brands of the spirit along with a full range of cask ales and, of course, Newcastle Brown Ale.
Archie’s Lab can also be hired exclusively for private functions and will be the venue for a variety of rum tasting masterclasses and talks by politicians, explorers and entrepreneurs.
Colonel Porter’s is open from 12.01pm to 12.31am from Monday to Thursday, from
11.59am to 2.01am on Friday and Saturday and from 12.01pm to 12.01am on Sunday.