Description: Although I had previously visited The Stonebrook a couple of times in recent years, I had not visited since it was refurbished and became part of the Table Table chain.
So when a family meal was organised at The Stonebrook recently, I was looking forward to my visit and also this was going to be my first visit to a Table Table restaurant.
The StoneBrook sits adjacent to the Premier Inn at Holystone, Newcastle which is on the outskirts of the city in North Tyneside and also within easy reach of Whitley Bay. The Tyne Tunnel and A19 run nearby, making this easily accessible by car as well as by public transport with bus links and a couple of Metro stations within easy reach.
Although I only live a half hour drive away from The Stonebrook, we decided to take advantage of a sale at the adjacent Premier Inn and booked a room for just £19, which worked out cheaper than getting home via taxi and meant we could make a night of it.
A large car park services both the Premier Inn and The Stonebrook and we experienced no problems parking. The building itself is attractive and there is also a nice outdoor garden seating area for the warmer weather.
We had booked a table and I would imagine it is best to do so on busier nights such as the weekend or if you have a large party of people. It was a Sunday evening when we visited and although the restaurant was not full, there were a number of diners eating there, as well as a few customers enjoying a drink in the bar area. We were shown to our table by a friendly staff member who also took our drinks order and left us to read the menu before returning to take our orders a few minutes later.
The interior was quite impressive and just how I like a pub restaurant to be, decorated in modern brown, red and cream shades, with wooden tables and comfy chairs and lots of secluded, cosy areas for both drinking and dining. I always prefer to have a little privacy and hate to be squashed in with other diners, with tables very close to each other and am also not keen on open plan restaurants which have no partitions or secluded areas.
We were seated in a corner and the dark walls and low lighting made it very cosy. There were other diners seated across the room from us, but the restaurant is spacious and therefore we didn't feel at all cramped and weren't close enough to other diners to be able to hear their conversations.
I ordered a 21 day matured 10oz Rump Steak which was grilled to my liking and served with garden peas, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. My partner ordered a Gammon Steak which came with a fried egg and a grilled pineapple ring, half a grilled tomato, garden peas and chunky chips. At £10.50 and £7.25 respectively, I thought this was very reasonable. I also added peppercorn sauce to my steak which was an extra £1.75.
Others in our party also ordered steaks and a Chicken and Leek Crumble Pie which looked very nice and I was assured it tasted as good as it looked.
The menu at The Stonebrook is quite extensive and includes a lot of grills, a variety of fish dishes, including Slow Cooked Duck and Rope-Grown Scottish Mussels as well as the more traditional Hand Battered Fish and Chips or Scampi.
Curries, Chilli and Burgers make up another portion of the menu along with other 'classic' pub fayre meals and salads as well as vegetarian options which include Quorn dishes.
I was interested to read that during the week before 6.30pm main meals start at just £4.99, making The Stonebrook a good place to visit for tea maybe with prices that won't break the bank. It is certainly something I will be doing in the near future.
I was tempted by the Profiteroles for dessert which were served with warm chocolate flavour fudge sauce and cream and my partner enjoyed the same. Others in our party who couldn't make up their minds which desserts to order, took advantage of what is known as the 'Tasting Plate' where you can select three tasters from a list of the desserts. I thought this represented really good value as the three tasters were larger than I expected. Indeed there was enough on the plate for two to share, which priced at £5.50, is again really good value for money.
I finished off my meal with a Latte as I was pleased to discover they serve Costa Coffee. I had enjoyed a glass of wine with my meal from quite a large wine list and again the prices were reasonable with bottles starting at £8.00. The usual beers and spirits are also available at The Stonebrook.
The service throughout our meal was faultless and everyone enjoyed their meals with no complaints. The portion sizes were adequate, but everyone agreed the Tasting Plate dessert was the best value for money!
When we asked for our bill we wanted to pay by card and the waitress informed us that she was unable to do this at our table as the machine wasn't working and asked us to take our bill to the bar and pay there. We left a cash tip on the table but discovered on paying at the bar that you are given the option to add an amount to your card to cover a tip if you wish.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to The Stonebrook and as this is the first time I have visited a Table Table restaurant, I have no experience of any of the others to compare it to. Based on my visit here however, I am happy to recommend a visit to The Stonebrook and I will be returning again.
The Stonebrook
Edmund Road
Holystone
Newcastle
NE27 0UN
Tel: 01912 702704
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