One of Newcastle's newest eateries taking part in its first Restaurant Week event is going all-out with a special menu deal including Newcastle Brown Ale-battered cod and fennel herb ravioli.
Hugo Brasserie, which opened on The Side in May, in the Grade ll-listed building which was occupied for years by the Big Mussel, is among 112 venues - seven of them first-timers - signed up to NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week which got under way on Monday. Throughout its seven-day run, the eateries, spread across the city, are offering diners a selection of reduced-price deals and special menus costing £10, £15 or £20.
For its debut at this August's event - the 21st Newcastle Restaurant Week, which has been taking place twice-yearly except in the pandemic - Hugo is whipping up a pick of dishes from its menu of modern European cuisine which also will include some local touches such as Newcastle Brown Ale-battered cod.
Read more: How to book for NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week
Head chef Alistair Weightman, who has worked across the country including at Chris Evans' venues in Surrey as well as in restaurants in the South of France, says he has "found my home in the north" and here is keen to showcase his take on Italian, French and English dishes.
For Restaurant Week, he says: "I've tried to incorporate quite a few dishes we've put on the new menu - it's a showcase for us. We've got a very good monkfish dish which we serve with a coconut daal - which is a Middle Eastern take on a classic monkfish dish - and we've a classic duck and chicken liver parfait with a red onion marmalade, so we're basically showing what we can do in this restaurant."
The menu, which also includes the likes of rillettes of smoked mackerel for starters; slow-roasted pork belly for mains and sticky toffee spiced pudding for dessert, is slightly simplified and the idea is to encourage a broad range of customers, says Alistair. Hugo's Restaurant Week deal will be two courses for £15 or three for £20.
The restaurant, whose stylish sage-green decor features wood pannelling, leafy shrubs, marble-top tables, a mix of seating and a range of vibrant artworks extending to a second upper-level eating area, is open from breakfast onwards and has become increasingly busy since its early summer launch. It also has just introduced a new set menu which is selling really well on week-days, says Alistair.
With the kitchen team braced for a flood of extra diners this Restaurant Week, which ends on Sunday, Alistair says of his busy week: "We can't wait!"
The other city restaurants taking part in Restaurant Week for the first time are Victors, The Grey Owl, Firestone Artisan, No. 28, Persia and Société. Read all about the newcomers here and for the full list of those taking part see here.
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