1st visit special deal of 2 course. 2 people.
main dishes looked fine, meals where warm, plates cold,vegetables of green beans lovely colour,very raw,roast pots/chips as should be but skimpy.
mushroom/spinach pie, very average.
local roast sirloin served, no heat in it at all, sweets tasty but very small ,could improve presentation.
decor fading inside and outside.
thank you for listening
Lh
Having been disappointed once before at Oldfields in Jesmond (now moved to near the Quayside), I recently went to the Durham restaurant and was thoroughly impressed. The food was simple but very well put together and tasty, using local ingredients such as the divine Durham Cow Blue cheese. All 3 courses were excellent, finishing with a moreish gooseberry, shortcake and vanilla cream dessert which was pleasantly tangy, not too sweet. As it was the early evening menu it was also exceptionally good value.
Ropot
We were more than disappointed on Sat eve. Waited ages for my Champagne Cocktail which they were promoting. I was told they could not find champagne! My Crispy Duck Salad with air dried ham and cranberries was pathetic. The duck was small bits of burnt meat similar to that on the bottom of a grill pan. The air dried ham was so dry it snapped when I put my knife and fork to it. The Venison sausage Toad in the Hole starter was poor. Sausage was bland and Yorkshire pudding was SOFT and Soggy. The main courses were not much better. The French Les Slices Pinot Noir £21 was like a bottle of vinegar. That said the management were very apologetic and did not charge for starters or wine and gave me a complimentary glass of Merlot which was very drinkable. This restaurant is self promoted as a server of good locally produced food. It certainly is not that. It is a place to avoid.
Martin
I've eaten at Oldfield's 3 times over the last 18 months and won't be returning there again. On each occasion, I have been disappointed. First, a Sunday lunch: the roast beef was overcooked, the purple potatoes were hard and not at all tasty and the overall experience was poor. It felt like they'd thought a Sunday roast was easy and hadn't put enough care into it. Second, a midweek evening meal: the menu promised much and each of the 3 courses was acceptable but uninspired - nothing wrong as such, but not living up to the expectation suggested by the menu and not good value for money. Finally, a weekday lunch: the menu promised an appetising selection of cold sandwiches with hand-cut chips; we ordered these, which then took 30 minutes to arrive, even though the restaurant was hardly busy. The sandwiches were tasty enough, but the chips were disappointing; they evoked memories of collegiate catering roast potatoes. We received no apology for the delay in our food arriving and as such asked for the discretionary 10% service charge to be removed from the bill; the waiter did this but didn't bother to enquire why we had not wanted to pay this. 3 disappointing experiences at a 'noted eating house' that clearly has too high an opinion of itself and prices to match.
niki
Although i have a wheat intolerance i thought it would be fairly simple to order a made to order meal could be altered, for example make a sauce without the flour and let it reduce. i was disappointed to find that i was asked to order from a completely (and somewhat restricted) menu that was more expensive. The service was good and the food was nice but maybe the dishes should be a little more flexible, after all as retailer of the year (no idea how) and restaurant of the year i expected a little more. maybe the fact that the bloke who owns Oldfield's gives out these awards explains why it was named restaurant of the year as i have been to better.
Eater out
Absolutely fantastic visit here, everything great
joe
a bit wishy washy in places but it could improve with some work and a bit of planning, the local aspect was ok but surely the quality would have been better if they shopped around, and lets face it, 60 miles is no selling point, they could have bought the stuff at Asda a few miles away, that said it was nice enough, and I didn’t feel sick or anything, i wont be going again, its nothing special, but seriously its ok for a cheap and cheerful look out if you have just got your giro .
Lyndsey
I had one of the special deals of 2 courses for £12.99. The selection was really good and the food was delicious. The meat was local produce which was nice to see. I think Oldfields is a definite for all to try.
