Jane Pikett enjoys the culinary, and horticultural, experience that is Peace & Loaf
Time was, the majority of leaves, and certainly flowers, were reserved for the plates of rabbits; the gourmets of the garden, for whom anything green and/or prettily floral constituted lunch.
Who knew that come 2014 we’d all be savouring tiny leaves and flowers for their pack-a-punch flavours and aesthetic effect?
Take the oyster leaf; tiny, yet extremely flavoursome, carrying the divine saltiness of oysters to its partners.
They’re costly – the gold leaf, if you will, of leaves – so they only appear at the best restaurants. Hence, when one appears on a minutely executed chef’s canapé at Peace & Loaf, I am suitably star struck, particularly as the dinner menu is extremely good value at £18.95 for two courses, £22.95 for three.
It transpires, from the evidence on our plates, that the restaurant’s chef and co-owner, Dave Coulson (a former TV Masterchef finalist, pictured right), is smitten by tiny and tender shoots and leaves.
He appears to have been wooed by master micro-grower Ken Holland, based up the road at Vallum Kitchen Garden on Hadrian’s Wall.
The pretty and flavoursome produce of his raised beds and forcing tunnels is very apparent; carefully placed by tweezer and steady hand on and around plates which surprise and delight for their bursts of colour and flavour.
Coulson’s food is uniquely his – each dish a work of art which prompts discussion among diners and afterwards with curious friends.
Unusually, considering that this is the first restaurant in which Coulson has a share, the food here has a character all its – or his – own.
A quiet type, who beavers away quietly at the counters in his open kitchen, leaving others to do the personality stuff front of house, its explosions of shoots and flowers are like sudden, exuberant blooms following lengthy germinations.
The flavours and colours of the fields and hedgerows are foraged or raised traditionally, yet presented with the confidence of youth. Peace & Loaf is also refreshingly relaxed, housed in a lift-shaft of a building which has enjoyed a few food incarnations, its three floors encouraging a buzzing atmosphere.
Coulson clearly enjoys surprising his diners with off-menu extras which add a little zest to the experience. These include the afore-mentioned canapés, including two tiny Parmesan crisps topped with an oyster leaf each bursting with flavor. There are also little inter-course soup cups, and a special gift to us of the boozy sorbet of the day – peach topped with a splash of Sailor Jack navy rum and Prosecco finished with popping candy for a freshen-up before pudding.
These treats book-end attractive, intriguing, conversation-prompting dishes, including button-perfect Scallops with a meaty oyster mushroom, parsnip and rhubarb, sprinkled with hazelnuts and some of those incredible micro-shoots.
We would have liked an explanation of the dishes, particularly the butter-soft hanger steak, oxtail and potato roll, beets and bone marrow sauce, but the maître d’ told us it was a deliberate policy not to do the explaining-at-the-table thing, opting instead to allow the diner to explore for him/herself, and ask if he/she is unsure.
The side dish of broccoli and almond with Hollandaise sauce lacked the meticulous balance we expected, while the Salmon with brand-new early wild garlic, fondant potato, braised little gem (I think – again, no explanation), and micro-shoots was delicious, but lacked beauty.
Our shared curried pecan tart would have fared better with a considerably lighter hand. Perhaps there is a vacancy for a pastry chef? The overall experience, however, was good. Very good. It’s a delight to visit a place where the food forms the centre of the conversation, where the much hoped-for catch up on gossip is shelved in favour of fork swapping, the exploration of new tastes and presentations, and a genuine excitement at the realisation that we have stumbled across something genuinely new and refreshing. Peace & Loaf promises much and I can’t wait to go back.
Peace & Loaf, Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, NE2 1LA, tel 0191 281 5222,
www.peaceandloaf.co.uk
