A little fishy (Oldfields (Durham))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Oldfields (Durham)
Date:	12/10/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent service, very good main course

Disadvantages: Slightly sterile, cramped feel, menu very heavily fish and mushroom based

When we first moved to the North East, one of the places everyone mentioned as being somewhere good to eat was Oldfields. For various reasons, it never really appealed to me and it was only recently (when I was invited to a lunch there) that I went along and found that they hype outweighs the reality.

Oldfields has branches in Durham and Newcastle. This is a review of the Durham branch, but I would assume that the experience at either branch is pretty much the same.

In common with increasing numbers of websites these days, Oldfields has its own website where, amongst other things, you can look at the menu. There are two menus: lunchtime and early evening menu (served until 7pm Sunday-Friday and 6pm on Saturdays) and an evening menu. The main difference between the two appears to be that the evening menu has a greater variety of dishes and is about twice as expensive!

In terms of both location and décor, Oldfields is really nothing special. Although conveniently situated on the edge of Durham City centre (near to the theatre), it's also in an area which has a slightly run-down feel to it, with quite a lot of empty or boarded up shops. It's not a bad area in the sense that you fear for your safety, and there are a number of excellent restaurants in that district, but equally, it's not somewhere you'd expect to find one of Durham's most recommended eating places.

The restaurant was pleasant enough, but really had nothing to make it stand it and left to my own devices, I wouldn't have given it a second glance. From the outside it's pretty anonymous and has nothing to set it apart from the many other eating places in the city. Inside, it's the same story. It has a functional, slightly clinical feel to it. There are two levels to the restaurant and the lower level which we were on felt quite cramped. Although the tables weren't on top of one another, the overall impression I got was that there was not much space separating either the various members of our party, or our table from the ones surrounding it.

The lunchtime menu does represent reasonable enough value for money when compared with other places. A two course meal (starter and main course) is available for a fixed price of £10, whilst a 3 course meal (starter, main course, dessert) costs £12.95.

What I found disappointing was that the choices were severely limited. Whilst the set menu offered around 4-5 dishes, which might sound reasonable enough, in reality choice is more circumscribed than that. The main problem from my perspective was that all the courses were very heavily fish and mushroom-based. Whilst I am not a fussy eater, these are two things I cannot eat. In practical terms, this meant I was reduced to a choice of one starter and two main courses. I don't think this state of affairs was peculiar to the one day I went, because Oldfields does have a reputation as a very fish-based pla(i)ce.

Anyway, the sole starter available to me was soup, which turned out to be carrot and fennel. This was very nice, but incredibly peppery and hot. This was fine for my taste, as I like things to have a bit of a kick to them, but far too fiery for people with milder tastes. The soup for one of our party arrived only partially heated and had to be sent back, but this was dealt with quickly and efficiently by the staff and with a minimum amount of fuss. Indeed, it was possibly dealt with rather too efficiently. When the soup returned a couple of minutes later, it was like molten lava and had to be eaten with extreme care! This combination of events meant they were left rather self-consciously eating their starter long after the rest of the party had finished theirs!

The main course was easily the highlight of my Oldfields' experience. I ordered sausage and mash in an onion gravy (again partly because it was one of the few non- fish dishes available) and it proved to be an excellent choice. The dish came with three sausages sitting on top of a bed of delightfully light, fluffy mash. There was just enough gravy to allow you to taste it properly and play "dunk the sausage", without the whole dish swimming in it. The sausages were locally produced they were far tastier than standard supermarkets (this is another good feature of Oldfields - most of their meats are locally sourced, making them far tastier, as well as supporting local producers). Certainly, this is a dish I would happily eat again. If you were being hyper-critical, you could argue that the sausages were quite crisp and well done. This is not a criticism from me - that's how I like them - but some people prefer them less well done.

The Service at Oldfields was excellent and could not be faulted. Staff were attentive, but unobtrusive; always on hand if they were needed, but not constantly interrupting to check everyone was alright. Orders were taken promptly and food arrived pretty quickly considering we went during a typically busy lunchtime period. Similarly, dishes were cleared away quickly when finished with and courses served without long delays between each. The one problem we had (lukewarm soup) was dealt with in a friendly and helpful manner, so there's no quibbles over the staff.

Ever since I arrived in Durham, people have been extolling the virtues of Oldfields. Having been, I don't really see what all the fuss is about. Sure, I've eaten at worse places... but I've also eaten at far better - even within Durham itself. Unless the evening menu is far superior to the lunchtime one (and for the difference in price it had better be!), then I really don't understand the buzz. I admit, I've only been once and only tried the lunchtime menu, so maybe my experience was atypical but the point is I have no incentive to return to see.

Put simply, the whole experience was adequate - neither good enough to rave about, nor bad enough to rant over. There was simply nothing to make it stand out from other places I have eaten and I struggle to see why it warrants its reputation as "the place to go."

Basic Information
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Oldfields
18 Claypath
Durham
DH1 1RH
Tel: 0191 370 9595
Email: durham@oldfieldsrestaurants.com
Web: http://www.oldfieldsrestaurants.com/

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: A disappointment after all the build up