Restaurant Pine

We had a fantastic evening at Pine. The food was sublime; the care and artistry that goes into the dishes and their presentation is truly impressive. It is wonderful to have a vegetarian tasting menu that is every bit equal to the main menu, with comparable dishes. (My partner had the vegetarian option, I had the main menu.) The wine pairing was interesting and complemented the dishes very well. We enjoyed learning about the taste profiles and why they were selected to accompany the dishes. The pre-dinner cocktails were also very enjoyable. The service was very professional, but wonderfully relaxed and friendly. You will not feel out of place, or out of your depth here. This was our first experience of this level of dining and it will stay with us. Honestly: we experienced new taste and texture sensations!

A delightfully peaceful and rural setting, this intimate restaurant can be found in Northumberland just a short drive outside of Newcastle. It was our wedding anniversary and I take reviewing restaurants (and any business) very seriously indeed! Being a 1 Michelin star restaurant this review has to take into consideration, not the quality of food but the overall dining experience and ambience. - This is especially true when you consider the final bill of almost £300 for 2 people. So why only 4 stars you might wonder 🤔. Well, let’s cut to the chase and give a summary of the highs and lows of the day! The food was delightful. Overall it was an array of delicious tastes, textures and treats for the taste buds. There were certainly more dishes that stood out for the right reasons than those that didn’t. We instantaneously loved both mushroom dishes…. in fact I’d go as far to say I’ve never tasted mushrooms as good as that! Actually for us, we both believe the vegan aspect of all the dishes was unbelievably more attractive, appealing and delicious than the meat aspects…. and that’s saying a lot coming from 2 meat eating carnivores. Quite surprisingly, my personal favourite dish was the pickled beetroot with cheddar and walnuts. It was literally one of the nicest combo of foods I have ever experienced. Okay, so now onto the few negatives and main reasons for dropping a point. I’ll keep this brief, as although they didn’t spoil the overall occasion, this was probably because we didn’t allow them to and instead chose to embrace the experience. Firstly, when you pay what most normal folk would consider vast sums of money for a culinary dining extravaganza you certainly expect an environment that’s fitting for the occasion. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side and we were faced with beaming rays of sunshine and beads of sweat. - Yes, we were in the sunny side of the restaurant with literally no way of shielding ourselves from the damaging UV rays of light! - So, in summary, a restaurant that probably takes circa £4-5k per sitting with around 23 diners paying in the realms of £150-£250 per person simply can’t afford to put up a few blinds for the poor folk unfortunate enough to sit at the weather-end of the room. - This was our main reason for dropping a point because we think it’s simply unforgivable. However, it must be stated that we still tried to NOT let it dampen our spirits… albeit whilst my wife fanned herself with the menu in an attempt to dry the beads of sweat from her brow. 90% of the food was spectacular but it shouldn’t go without mentioning that the main pork dish was a tad underwhelming. The pork was a bit overdone, dry and chewy. Most of our desserts were phenomenal, but typically the last 3 probably should have been the first (as they weren’t as sweet), and this wasn’t helped when my wife found a hair in one of them 🤦‍♂️. Also, simultaneously neither of us enjoyed that one particular taster (meadowsweet canolee) and likened it to the smell our cat emits from her rear end 🤔. So hey ho there we are… just like the day was long, so is my review! The dishes actually took around 3 and a half hours to finish, so by the end I was seriously worried that I might need a wheelchair to get out… I started losing blood flow to my legs, not only because I’m tall but because of the sunburn to my legs! On the whole the staff were great, but we were slightly puzzled by the waiter’s lack of empathy when told of the hair discovered by my wife 🤷‍♂️. We paid and went on our merry way. Our taste buds had been treated, my bank balance depleted somewhat and I was left wondering would I return!? Yes, probably once a year if I could be assured I would experience different dishes!

Best meal I've ever eaten. What an experience! Superb service, enthusiastic sommelier, very accommodating (swapped shellfish courses for the veggie options, which were fantastic) and such inventive and exciting food. Whole experience was a joy and being nearly in the kitchen was fascinating. Being served each course by the chefs was the icing on the delicious cake. Very highly recommended. Thanks too for the extra touches to make a very special anniversary meal.

The best dining experience we've ever had. Unbelievable food and service in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, just how food should be. My husband doesn't drink, they do a non alcoholic drinks flight! I was so happy that my husband got to enjoy pairings, he said it really enhanced his experience. Well done, it is much needed and appreciated. Everything about our evening was perfect, the staff were slick, funny, human and attentive. It takes a lot to run a service like they did, it want frantic or rushed and everyone was happy in their work. The food blew out minds, the best food by miles. There's some serious talent from all the chefs on show, how they get some much flavour into every mouthful I don't know. I love their ethos, it was an evening we will never forget. Thank you.

My wife and I had a lovely evening at Pine. The food was superb, brought to the table and described in detail by the chefs themselves. All the courses demonstrated originality and the best of local produce. Truly delicious