Having not had a date night in a few years we were delighted to be invited along to try the menu at The Kingslodge Inn, Durham. Son number 2 on babysitting duty, make up on and that sense of freedom leaving the house with no kids in tow we set off for a night of delicious food in beautiful surroundings.
Open daily with food served from 7.30am and situated in the heart of Durham this little gem is tucked away which gives a sense of privacy and seclusion yet just a stones throw from the shops and bustle of the town centre.
First impressions count and from the outside the Inn has it all, beautifully kept gardens, hidden seated areas which scream warm summer nights and a stately feel to the whole building.
Inside was just as impressive with shabby chic, tartan style furniture and fittings with a real home style feel to the decor. Comfort is obvious yet class and taste spill from every room.
Having been shown to our table we looked over the menu and decided upon the Wedges of breaded brie with cranberry jam and oatcakes (me) and Deep fried potato skins with sweet chilli sauce and garlic mayonaise (hubs). The brie was deliciously melted and gooey inside with a crunchy crumb that was very moreish! Hubby loved the potato skins but had to give up half way through as there was just too much.
The staff were very attentive and asked if all was ok through the meal and were pretty hot on removing the used plates and keeping the carafe of water filled.
There is a huge selection of dishes available for main course and after much deliberation we opted for Moules en Frites cooked with cream, garlic and parsley and accompanied with fries and bread for dipping (me) and The Kingslodge Burger, Aberdeen Angus steak mince, topped with melted cheddar cheese & relish, served with fries, salad & coleslaw. (hubs)
Unfortunately no picture of hubbies as I relied on him to take the photo and it was so blurry you couldn’t even make out what it was! (moral of the story – need something doing do it yourself! lol)
The muscles were delicious and I love food that you have to get your hands in to, a real rustic feel and the combination of the cream, garlic and parsley for the sauce was very decadent! Hubby loved his burger and compared it to a recent meal we had out giving it a huge thumbs up, preferring the meat, way it was cooked and overall presentation!
Approaching bursting point but salivating over the dessert menu we decided to go for it, opting for the Caramel and Apple pie with warm custard (me) and Sticky Toffee pudding, Homemade date sponge, topped with sticky sauce, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The caramel and apple combination were perfect but my only critique of this dish would be that the pastry base didn’t seem cooked properly and was a little soggy (no one likes a soggy bottom!), the warm custard was light and creamy with a beautiful vanilla hint and I ate the whole thing anyway (soggy bottom too!) Hubby said that the sticky toffee pudding was one of the best he had and the ice cream was very rich and creamy which worked well with the dark toffee sauce.
Overall we would highly recommend The Kingslodge Inn for a fabulous pub style meal and can’t wait to take the children there! The prices are on par with chain pub meals but the venue and service offer so much more value for money.
Quiet and beautiful surrounding certainly make this the future choice for our family nights out!
XOXO
Debbie
*we were offered a meal in return for review, all opinions and views are my own*
