Barry Nelson finds style and elegance at a Teesdale pub-restaurant that doubles as tearoom by day

FIRST impressions when you walk into The Bridge Inn at Whorlton are of space, style and elegance. On a chilly early March night there was also the welcome sight of a roaring log fire in the bar.

When we arrived we were immediately greeted by the cheery landlord, Robbie, who settled us in by offering drinks and a menu.

While my wife chose a comfortable seat next to the fire I checked out the beers.

For a small Teesdale pub-restaurant – which doubles as a tearoom during the day – The Bridge Inn provided plenty of choice for drinkers. Because I was driving I restricted myself to a half of regular strength beer, and Dere Street bitter (3.8 per cent alcohol) was just the ticket. Brewed in nearby Aldborough St John it was a sharp, bitter, but creamy example of craft beer at its best.

The missus enjoyed her gin and tonic while we took in the compact but attractive menu and chatted with other guests in the friendly bar area.

I like it when a restaurant offers a limited range of dishes it knows how to do well. Looking down the list, all the firm favourites were here: steak and ale pie, horseshoe gammon steak; Whitby scampi, beer-battered haddock along with a 10oz sirloin steak (my choice) and duck breast fillet (my wife’s choice).

To start we chose home-made broccoli and Stilton soup and a chicken and pork terrine which we shared half and half. Both dishes were served with beautifully warm, crispy baguette bread and were both very well flavoured. So far, so good.

While we awaited our mains we took in the convivial dining room where there were two parties of six and eight along with several other couples creating a lovely hubbub.

Decor-wise the tongue-and-groove panelling carried on through from the bar to the dining room in a tasteful cream and eau-de-nil colourway giving the dining area a cool, almost art deco feel.

Hard to miss is the impressive, silver four-tier cake stand at the entrance to the room which apparently is laden with afternoon tea goodies on occasion. That would be something to see.

We had chosen “Robbie’s favourite” red wine, a Faustino Rivero Ulecia rioja (2011), of which I allowed myself half a glass while awaiting our main courses. After a couple of glasses, my wife pronounced it her favourite, too.

After only a short interval the mains arrived, making a good visual impression. My sirloin steak looked magnificent, accompanied by scrumptious home-made chips and a vibrant, fresh and colourful garnish of salad and grilled cherry tomatoes on the vine. The whole effect was light and healthy, despite being a hearty meat-lover’s choice. Incidentally, it tasted magnificent too.

My wife’s duck breast was cooked perfectly to her taste. Not quite pink but not overdone – reminding us of Robbie’s earlier remarks that one of his guests had asked for the duck to be cooked “properly... and not ruined”.

This was accompanied by a delicious raspberry puree and Cointreau gravy (Robbie even provided a list of ingredients from chef when we asked what was in it) and some lovely baby seasonal vegetables which looked and tasted terrific.

Again, we remarked on the fresh and colourful appearance of the food on the plate which seems to set this restaurant’s food apart.

However, the desserts were not quite on song for us. The Belgian chocolate brownie, which was my choice, was somewhat different from what I expected in taste and texture, though the raspberry coulis and whipped cream were spot-on.

My wife’s British Burnt cream choice (yes, we were intrigued too) fell short of the more traditional creme brulee.

The accompanying home-made shortbread, while delicious, did not seem to sit quite comfortably with the custard pot.

Nevertheless this did not detract from an overall extremely pleasant experience.

Service throughout was attentive, without being overpowering and we certainly enjoyed our evening at The Bridge, which set us back a reasonable £68.70, including drinks.

Having been closed for more than a year and a victim of flooding, this splendid establishment is certainly back on the dining map and landlord and landlady, Robbie and Kelly Stewart, deserve every success in their endeavours to build their business in the coming months.

Incidentally, on a practical note, visitors arriving in the dark should note that when they park in the spacious car park behind the pub (you are requested not to park in front of the building) there is an entrance for customers at the back of the pub – don’t worry, you will not be walking into the kitchen, which is what we feared.

Food facts

The Bridge Inn, Whorlton, Nr Barnard Castle, County Durham 01833-627341 thebridgeinn-whorlton.co.uk

Quality of food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5