The Grapevine on the corner of the Market Place and Fenkle Street is now well-established in Alnwick.
It serves up a decent selection of snacks, paninis, wraps, as well as more substantial offerings all day long. And with Turnbull’s as the owner, fresh and local produce is guaranteed.
We have enjoyed several enjoyable lunches and light teas in the pleasant, airy and vibrant surroundings.
But the purpose of this visit was to sample the latest addition to the Alnwick culinary scene – the restaurant upstairs called Louis Steakhouse.
First impressions count for a lot and we immediately felt uncomfortable with having to walk through a packed bistro, nodding at a few familiar faces in mid-chew, en route to the staircase at the back of the room. There was little to indicate there was a new restaurant on the block – no glaring signs.
It was Friday night and both floors were heaving! It was absolutely buzzing and it soon became apparent that this was hardly the place for a quiet, romantic meal for two.
Nevertheless, it was good to experience such an atmosphere in “sleepy old Alnwick”. Lively background music added to the noise.
The friendly waiting staff showed us to our table at the top of the stairwell. It was beautifully laid with gleaming cutlery, linen napkins and wine glasses.
And so to the menu! Again, first impressions suggested this was a classy joint. Nothing was particularly cheap and all the dishes sounded pleasing – for example, grilled field mushrooms and brie (£5.50) as a starter, rack of Northumbrian lamb (£12.95) for a main course, with a side order of home-made potato croquettes (£2.50), and pears poached in Alnwick rum (£4.95) for dessert. The wine list was equally impressive with a good range of reds and white priced from £14.95 to £19.95.
Somehow, though, the ambience didn’t live up to the promise of the food. It was too bright, with ceiling spotlights and wall uplighters clashing. We also had a steady stream of people from downstairs filing past to use the toilets at the far end of our room.
Half-way through our starters, the waitress clambered over the seats to open the windows as the restaurant filled with smoke from the kitchen. Better extractor fans would be an idea, especially in winter when a bitter wind could well be howling through the windows.
As we tucked into warm rolls and butter, we opted to have starters – it had been a long week and we had worked up a suitable appetite. My wife went for the soup of the day (cream of mushroom, at £4.50) and I chose the asparagus spears (£5.50). The other options not mentioned so far were Caesar salad (£5.50), chicken parfait (£5.50 and cocktail of prawns (£5.75).
I couldn’t fault the asparagus dish – it was cooked to perfection and neatly presented on an interesting bed of salad drizzled with a garlic dressing.