A Mediterranean-theme bistro restaurant, which has brought a ray of sunshine to Newcastle's dining scene, is now soaking up a whole load of praise after impressing Michelin judges.
Lovage in Jesmond only opened in September and is delighted to find it has already made it into the latest edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide. Its head chef Kleo Tabuku sums up the news - which sees the restaurant singled out for both its quality food and its welcome - as "absolutely fantastic".
The Albanian-born chef, who is part-owner of Lovage, set out to recreate the food of his childhood when he launched what is his first restaurant, which is named after the plant and herb which features in various dishes on his menu. And clearly the food he loved as a child proves just as popular with customers - and now Michelin inspectors.
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He said: “It is absolutely fantastic to be recognised by Michelin in such a short space of time. “Everyone is absolutely delighted to have been mentioned in what is the world’s most prestigious restaurant guide and it’s testament to all of our team for the hard work they have put in.”
Kleo’s partner and front-of-house manager Lisa also won praise for being “a natural hostess". Michelin describes Lovage as a “charming neighbourhood brasserie” and said, with the head chef being Albanian by birth and having "spent time in Italy before making the UK his home", it is “no surprise to see the flavours and colours of the Mediterranean" feature on the menu.
It added: “There is a welcome lack of fussiness to the cooking - dishes burst with flavour and are designed for sharing; with sensibly priced wines from across Europe being an added plus."
Lovage has become a hit with diners for its range of seasonal dishes which currently include the likes of Cornish sardines, salsa Verde and lovage crumb plus cauliflower, spinach and foraged wild garlic fritter with minted yoghurt, which previously has been praised by Michelin on social media. Other menu highlights include Skrei - a type of Norwegian cod - mussel, clam and potato chowder; harissa roasted sweet potato, pomegranate and aubergine cous cous and - among the desserts - blood orange and passion fruit tart with stem ginger and mascarpone cream.
Stuart Young, co-owner of Lovage praised everyone at the restaurant, and said: “All the faith we have had in Kleo and his team from day one has been acknowledged in the best way possible. This is an incredible achievement in such a short space of time.”
For more about Lovage see here and for information about the Michelin Guide inclusion see here.
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