Visited Newcastle for a concert at the weekend and whilst there, we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary, so wanted to go somewhere a little bit special for dinner, without breaking the bank. Blackfriars really ticked all the boxes, wonderfully romantic restaurant with an option for pre-theatre menu (£15 for 2 courses and £18 for 3 courses). Had a bit of a job finding the place initially, but eventually some locals pointed us in the right direction. What a beautiful setting for a restaurant. It's situated in what was once a Dominican Friary, established in 1239, and has lovely grounds and a cobbled courtyard. We had booked a table and were delighted when they showed us to a quiet corner, a lovely table for two all ready and waiting for us. The restaurant has a wonderful ambiance, and the lovely lady who showed us to our table was delightful. We were brought a basket of delicious home made bread and butter whilst we browsed the menu.
We chose a bottle of house red wine, which was extremely quaffable. My husband had the home-made black pudding with beer pickled onions and English mustard cream to start with. He had Northumbrian Lambs Liver, Champ and Crispy Bacon for his main and followed this with the cheeseboard (at a £2 supplement). He loved every single mouthful of his entire meal and declared the cheeseboard the best ever, 5 pieces of delicious English cheese with pickled celery, home made chutney and biscuits with a slight aniseed/liquorice flavour, along with a couple of slices of delicious spiced fruit and walnut bread.
I skipped starters and went for the 6oz Northumbrian rump steak (medium) with garlic butter which was accompanied with hand cut chips, a Portobello Mushroom and tomatoes and it was devine. The steak was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection. Chips were perfect. I followed this up with a dessert of Dark Chocolate Delice and Cherry Sorbet, which was heaven on a plate.
All in all, we could not have chosen a lovelier place to celebrate our anniversary. The food and presentation, the ambiance and the service was all exceptional. The bill was also very reasonable.
Special mention to our waiter, Joey, who was a very professional, friendly chap, who is an asset to this beautiful establishment. We visit Newcastle fairly regularly, this is the best meal we have ever had in Newcastle, and we've had quite a few. It was in the loveliest of surroundings. I'd highly recommend this place. We'd give it 10/10 without hesitation. Keep up the good work.