In good TASTE

The tasting menu shines at Whitley Bay’s hidden gem, The Roxburgh

Weekends in Whitley Bay are drawing diners from across the UK, thanks to The Roxburgh and its tantalizing tasting menu. Guests are served a seven-course tasting repertoire of dishes, but with no printed menu to guide them, so the meal is an immersive and exciting experience.

The use of a set tasting menu means diners relinquish control of their meal into the hands of owner and Head Chef Gary Dall, who fronts up a small dedicated and talented team at The Roxburgh. Gary trained via the Jamie Oliver Fifteen scheme and cut his teeth at the Copthorne Hotel and Jesmond Dene House, before immersing himself in the vibrant foodie culture in Sydney working for ex Banc chefs Justin North and Colin Fassnidge. He then worked as a personal chef for musicians and bands on tour, cooking for Shakira, Van Morrison, Sting, Al Green, Girls Aloud, Muse, Alice Cooper and Kasabian.

It’s no surprise, then, that there's a dash of rock n roll to The Roxburgh, something a little di erent to the norm for a topnotch eatery. Gary’s aim was to take a little something from the restaurants and bars he has visited and worked in around the world and blend them into a truly unique establishment. Guests enjoy a cosy, relaxed atmosphere with a soundtrack blending soul, R n’ B, indie and 80s music, amongst some of the best rare tracks of the last 90 years – no quiet clink of cutlery here. The Roxburgh is only open on Friday and Saturday nights to showcase the tasting menu and serves only 18 covers on each evening. On some Sunday evenings the restaurant hosts ‘The Occasional Supper Club’, showcasing and collaborating with guest chefs to explore di erent themes and styles of cooking.

Gary grows most of the herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables used to create his tasting menu, so it’s all highly seasonal, changing every three to four weeks. Suppliers are sourced from the local area wherever possible, which gives The Roxburgh team an enviable selection of farmers and growers to tap into.

That local area includes the North Sea coastline, the Scottish borders and the sweeping and diverse countryside between Whitley Bay, the Northern Pennines and Northumberland National Park, meaning guests sample North Yorkshire Texel lamb, retired dairy cow from County Durham and native Lindisfarne oysters.

The multi-course tasting menu format, with all the dishes planned in advance and with a fixed number of covers each day, means Gary can predict the amount of ingredients needed for every single course which keeps waste to a minimum. The team can estimate the ingredients required for each meal with precision, and they aim to utilise virtually every part of the vegetables and meat cuts used. For anything which truly can’t be used, there’s a compost heap waiting which, in time, produces a rich mulch to feed the restaurant’s vegetable beds and fruit bushes.

THE ROXBURGH

4 Roxburgh House, Roxburgh Terrace, Whitley Bay, NE26 1DS theroxburgh.co.uk