Sunday Lunch at Dobson and Parnell on Newcastle Quayside

February 18, 2017 by Rachel Kershaw in Eating Out 6

A Sunday lunch with all the trimmings is my favourite meal of the week and barely a weekend goes by without one for me and James! We like cooking together at home (his gravy is the best and I make awesome Yorkshire puds!) but what we really love is heading out to sample the Sunday lunch menus of Geordieland’s pubs and restaurants. We’ve tried so many now that I’ve lost count, there really are some fab ones to be found, but our current favourite is a relative newcomer to Newcastle’s restaurant scene, allow me to introduce Dobson & Parnell…

The Setting:

The beautifully designed restaurant is located on Queen Street in the heart of Newcastle’s Quayside and is respectfully named after the local architects who originally created it. I love the simple yet elegant interior and the layout is great too, the cosy booths feel very private.

First impressions are very good but that’s hardly surprising, Dobson and Parnell comes from the critically acclaimed restauranters who brought us Blackfriars (check out my review here) and Hinnies in Whitley Bay (I’m yet to visit but it’s on my list after reading this review from Cloud in a Teacup).

The Starters:

James normally opts for a seafood starter and I can’t usually resist the classic combination of goats cheese and beetroot but on this occasion it was the other way around.

My starter of North Shields Crab & Scottish Scallop with Curried Cauliflower was absolutely divine! I would have loved a little more of the crab but that was my only complaint. It was a delicate dish that had clearly been created by an experienced and talented chef!

James’ starter was served with spiced granola which resulted in a lovely texture combination with the goats cheese mousse. The beetroot tasted very fresh and the balance of ingredients on the plate was just right (a vast improvement on the huuuuge portion of beetroot I was once served at Marco Pierre White)!

The Main Courses:

After chatting to our friendly and helpful waiter and hearing his praise for the locally sourced chicken, I couldn’t resist the traditional Sunday lunch. James succumbed to his love of fish and went for the Pan Fried Black Cod.

My chicken was every bit as good as my waiter had promised, moist throughout with a crisp and tasty skin. It was served was seasonal veg including brightly coloured and extremely delicious red cabbage and a mighty Yorkshire pud that tasted like it was fresh from the oven. The roast potatoes were crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, just as they should be and the gravy was exceptionally good (even better than James’ but ssshhh, don’t tell him I said that)! I was also impressed that our waiter was quick to offer extra gravy when he saw me running low!

James enjoyed his main course too, the fish was perfectly cooked but I think he would have liked a little more seasoning. He loves big flavours so this simple dish was probably a bit bland for him. I noticed that every morsel was devoured though!

The Dessert:

I was pretty full after two courses and wasn’t planning on ordering dessert but after seeing this chocolatey ensemble being brought out for the table next to ours I quickly changed my mind! It was made up of fudge crumb, dark chocolate mousse, caramelised sugar and and passionfruit sorbet… wow, it was so indulgent and completely different to the desserts you usually get on a Sunday lunch menu. I loved it!

The Price:

Sunday lunch at Dobson and Parnell will set you back £21 for 3 courses which is less than other quayside favourites Cafe 21 and Six at the Baltic and only £2 more than Babucho. I think it’s very well priced for the quality and service.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a £30 option which includes a glass of house wine, still or sparkling water and coffee, this would be a great option for big groups as it would make splitting the bill a hassle free moment!

The Added Bonus!

Another great thing about choosing Dobson and Parnell for a Sunday lunch is its wonderful location on Newcastle Quayside which is one of my favourite places to be on a Sunday! After lunch James and I took a stroll through the bustling Quayside Market (it takes place every Sunday, read more HERE) and soaked up the sights, smells and sounds of the vibrant market stalls. We were also lucky enough to see the iconic Millenium Bridge open to let through a luxury yacht making its way to the city marina, check out my little video of this on Instagram.

We will definitely be regulars at Dobson and Parnell, for us it ticks all the boxes of a perfect Sunday afternoon!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary but our review was as unbiased as ever.