FOOD REVIEW: SIX at BALTIC - Keep Your Eyes Open

This is only my second visit to SIX. The last was exactly a year ago, coincidentally when they last ran their January special offer. Two courses for two people plus a bottle of wine for ?30 at a restaurant of this standard is probably the best deal in town, but I was pleasantly surprised by the affordability of some of the a la carte menu too. And here begins what I can only describe as a full-on, body-encompassing Foodgasm.

First off, pretty much every restaurant in town instantly pales in comparison because no one else has THAT view. A 360 degree panorama grabs your attention instantly (the best view?s from the toilets actually, a snowy carpark and the distant Toffee Factory lights are particularly beautiful). Despite being located in a contemporary art gallery and having a rather posh looking menu, the dining room doesn?t feel overstated, there are no fussy tablecloths or over the top accoutrements, just subtle decoration and a welcoming atmosphere ? and that?s all that matters really.

I was joined by three companions, two of whom ate from the January special offer menu. My friends had starters of citrus cured salmon, which had just the right amount of tender bite, super fresh and perfectly accompanied by the citrus salad; and celeriac soup with almond pesto, which was thick but not overly filling, the creaminess of the celeriac perfectly balanced with the salty herbiness of the pesto.

Myself and my partner chose from the a la carte menu and asked the maitre d? to recommend some wines to accompany our courses. My chicken liver parfait with blood orange jelly and granary toast (?7.50) came with a recommendation of a sweet dessert wine, apparently a traditional accompaniment to parfait. I hate sweet wines and resisted, choosing a fruitier white, but I was brought a glass of both and urged to try it. It?s not until you have the perfect pairing of wine, served by knowledgeable staff (and utterly unpretentiously, I have to add), that you realise how much it enhances the food. The sweet wine complemented the gloriously fruity and smooth parfait so wonderfully that at several points in the course I had the glass firmly gripped in one hand and a slice of warm oaty bread in the other, clutching at both as though I would never eat another thing in my life. A revelation. I wanted to take the maitre d? home with me and only drink what he recommended, forever.

My partner?s seared king scallops and confit chicken wing served with artichoke and hazelnut (?11.95) was equally as stunning, the scallops perfectly caramelised, with a soft and delicately succulent centre.

The choices of main courses from the January special offer are broad and well balanced ? none of your cheap options here. The beer battered smoked haddock with crushed peas, tartare sauce and crispy chips was a nice twist on the usual fare, the smoked haddock complementing the light and fresh quenelle of peas perfectly. A few small bones were found in the fish, which put my friend off a little, but essentially it was delicious. The slow cooked pork shoulder with English mustard crumb was a mountain of meat, and served with a lovely fresh purple sprouting broccoli and rich red wine sauce. My 20-a-day smoking friend thought the mustard crumb was a little too subtle for his pallet, but he certainly had no complaints about the portion size. I have never seen this man defeated by meat. Well done SIX.

My slow braised daube of ox cheek, Brussels sprouts and creamed potatoes (?14.95) were served in a rich, meaty sauce. Unctuous, fall apart in your mouth meat, with heavenly mash and crisp baby carrots worked perfectly with the recommended Malbec wine, in particularly complementing the Brussels sprouts. My partner?s saddle of venison, boulangere potatoes, dark chocolate sauce and pretty charred pear (?23.95) ? paired with a very nice light Petit Noir ? was more delicate than expected, the meat melt-in-the-mouth perfect and the richness of the chocolate sauce was apparently ?chocolatey but not chocolatey?. I think the wine had set in at this point.

We all dug into a side order of roast beetroot with goats cheese (?2.95) ? in particular a lovely accompaniment to my ox cheeks. Although we?re all thoroughly stuffed by now, pudding seems almost inevitable.

I checked out a glass of the house red which came with the January special offer (for review purposes, of course) ? a nice, easy drinking wine, with a decent price point if you?re ordering separately.

Choosing a third course from the January offer menu came in at only ?4, an incredibly good deal for a sorbet that tasted more like pineapples than any pineapple I?ve ever eaten. The ?dark matter of dessert? that was a panettone bread and butter pudding (?5.95) was tiny but impossibly dense and served with a cinnamon ice cream that is the reason my friend can?t eat anything else until next Tuesday. My rhubarb frangipane tart with honey ice cream (?6.95) had a lovely crisp topping, a sharp but sweet side order of fruit and was served deliciously warm, it was like having a hug from a pudding. While my partner gorged himself on the dark chocolate fondant (?8.95) with its gooey centre and a very flavourful caramelised banana ice cream. He barely stopped himself from licking the plate it was that good.

I?m struggling to find any balance here ? aside from being picky about the bendy hyacinth on our table that looked like it was struggling with brewers? droop ? I really can?t find any sort of fault in the experience SIX provided. Offering knowledgeable friendly staff, a stunning setting and delicious yet unpretentious ?modern British? food, it?s quite rightly the shining star of Gateshead?s quayside. Get in quick for the January special offer, and then go again just because there?s an ?A? in the day, or because it?s snowing, or because it?s not.

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Source: http://www.kyeo.tv/2013/01/18/food-review-six-at-baltic/

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