Mrs Polko and I are on a Big Cat hunt at the moment. Originally it was going to extend to a 100 mile perimeter of our house, but seems to be extending itself into a national hunt..
..more on that later, but whilst on said hunt we stumbled across a great place yesterday. We were in the North East, or at least on its border with North Yorkshire. The Cleveland hills as a backdrop and lush green livestock farmlands mixed with a little arable as far as the eye could see.
We had just finished looking at a cat (not to our liking as it needed too much spending on its cosmetic appearance for our money) when we asked about local pubs for food. We were 90 minutes away from home and it was 19:30 so thought it best to eat there.
The guy who had shown us around mentioned a place in Potto called the Dog and Gun Inn. Sounded good so we drove the 3 miles and came to a rest outside a very well kept village (famous for being the home of Prestons of Potto, a large haulage firm you often spot on the motorways - another reason we wanted to go and see it!).
Walking in we were taken aback as we could just as easily have entered the Malmaison Bistro in Liverpool (where we enjoyed lunch a few weeks before). All modern lines, browns and greys on the wall and dark brown leather everywhere. Mid priced food but clearly with a nod in the direction of providing interesting combinations and unusual meats. More city centre than North Yorkshire Moors!
I opted for Duck Two Ways.. a confit of leg and a fillet of breast with the sweetest red cabbage. Not to be outdone Mrs Polko opted for Pork done Three Ways.. again a confit of shoulder pork which was soft and gorgeous, a nice crispy braised slice of Belly Pork and sauteed loin (which I thought would have been improved by being a pork roule with forest mushrooms or pesto etc - a Polko special recipe!). The specials board was awash (ha ha!) with fish options and there was a good selection of vegetarian filo parcels or pasta based dishes.
I also had a blueberry and maple syrup cheesecake to end that was a very different taste to any cheesecake I've ever had before. They even served my espresso with a separate shot glass of water too. 10 out of 10 for attention to detail.
It would have been reasonable if it hadn't been for Mrs Polko getting a taste for the house wine! so out of a £55 bill in total £40 was for the food.
They have bedrooms that again look more akin to Malmaison than the rural idyll it was located in, if not better than your average Mal room. Nice clean toilets with automatic lights and sensors galore. Very tasteful. No gimmicks.
Well recommended if you're passing and worth a slight detour off the A1(M) or the A19 if you find yourself in the vicinity.
Shame we didn't like the cat, but spotted another one in the car park as we left. We'll be back some day I'm sure.
1 comment:
Unfortunately I was already feeling a bit peckish before reading this. I'm very much hungry now.
Post a Comment