The Otter and Fish Bar and Restaurant, Hurworth (From The Northern Echo)

Early birds of enjoyment

4:52pm Thursday 16th February 2012 in Reviews By Nigel Burton

Nigel Burton takes advantage of Early Bird eating at The Otter and Fish in Hurworth and discovers that taking out the family to dine doesn’t have to bust your budget

I’LL be honest. Snow makes a wonderful backdrop to a nice meal but when there’s a blizzard on the way I’d rather stick closer to home. What a stroke of luck then that I decided to review the Otter and Fish, just down the road in Hurworth, the same day as the first decent snowfall of winter arrived.

I’d run the rule over The Otter and Fish on Valentine’s Day three years ago and come away impressed – the food tasted good, the atmosphere was convivial and the staff knew the difference between attentive and irritating.

This time, however, our meal was bound to be rather less, er, intimate because I was bringing along our two children – aged six and two, respectively.

Why? Because the Otter and Fish, like a growing number of bars/restaurants in these recessionary times, has introduced an Early Bird menu designed to tempt families with younger children.

Available Monday to Thursday from 6pm to 9pm, Friday 6pm to 7pm and Saturday from 5.30pm to 6.15pm, the Early Bird promises two courses for a very reasonable £12.95 or three courses for £15.95. Children get the threecourse deal for £9.95.

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The Otter and Fish was completely refurbished a few years back and it still looks very classy. The mix of fine woods, glass and slate reminds me of some five-star hotels I have stayed in.

There are two main eating areas and a small cosy bar. Although it was a fairly quiet evening when we visited, I’ve dined at the Otter and Fish when the restaurant has been packed and there’s still enough space not to feel cramped or worry about someone overhearing your conversation.

The Early Bird menu has a good selection of classic dishes (soup, prawn salad for starters, fish and chips, and rib-eye steak for the mains) and others for the more adventurous (warm goat’s cheese parcel with red pepper compote, Malay chicken curry etc).

I started with the mushrooms in peppercorn sauce, with stilton cheese and bread and Jane had the moules marinere with home-made bread. The kids stuck with good old garlic bread.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a peppercorn sauce and boy was this one flavourful – hot with a nice kick on the back of the tongue. In combination with the strong Stilton cheese these two managed to give the mushrooms extra richness and a yummy flavour.

Moules marinere is simply mussels cooked in white wine, onions, herbs and cream. The plate of bivalves arrived with a small bowl of water and a napkin for washing one’s hands – a thoughtful extra when the temptation to mop up with the chunky bread is hard to resist.

FOR my main course I had the chicken breast with butternut squash puree, roast potatoes, tomatoes and fresh basil pesto.

Butternut squash is actually a fruit, although it looks and tastes more like pumpkin, and is a popular main meal accompaniment, particularly in winter. It’s versatile, too, and can be roasted, baked and mashed as well as used in soups, pasta dishes and even curries.

The butternut puree accompanying my chicken was delicious – sweet, dense and smooth tasting. It’s a great companion for chicken, the sweetness of the fruit providing a tasty alternative to the taste and texture of the white meat.

I enjoyed the roast potatoes, although both in size and texture they were different to the traditional Sunday roastie with an exterior that wasn’t crunchy and an interior that tasted softer, and the cherry tomatoes were bursting with flavour. I’d have liked a few more vegetables, and would have paid an extra £1.75 for a selection but for the fact my children decided to leave theirs, so I can report the carrots were crunchy and the mange tout avoided that fibrous taste which can be their downfall.

Jane’s beef and ale pie looked superb – big chunks of tender meat encased in a light pastry and filled with lovely thick gravy. She reported no lumps of fat or gristle and polished the lot off before I had chance to ask for a taste – so it must have been good. Nor did she feel the need for any extra veggies.

The children enjoyed their chicken goujons, too, and I approved of the thick-cut chips which are so much more tasty than those thin strips of piped potato that pass for “fries” in most kids’ meals these days.

For dessert, I had one of my favourites – sticky toffee pud with vanilla ice-cream – and Jane had the creme brulee. The pud was spot on for a chilly winter night – sweet and warming – while Jane reported the creme brulee was just the right consistency for an excellent end to a lovely meal.

The bill was £64 including a wine for Jane and soft drinks for the rest of us – good value for three courses and well worth making the effort to get there in time for the Early Bird menu.

The service was up to its usual high standard and the presentation of the food was good. I liked the wooden platter my starter came on and the glass plates used for the desserts. It may have been cold outside, but we left the Otter and Fish with a warm glow of satisfaction.