Macken’s Bar 73 South Promenade, Newcastle. Tel: 028 4372 3430
With a brand new chef and menu in play at the well-established bar, the offerings are varied but keeping good pub grub at its core with a number of fish dishes, pies and burgers to choose from.
We were welcomed at the door and brought upstairs to be seated promptly in the bright, open-plan dining area. Sat next to the window on a rainy, windy day overlooking the crashing waves at Newcastle harbour, there’s nowhere better to be than in a cosy old-fashioned pub with bucket-loads of history.
Macken’s, Newcastle
Although we did see some old favourites on the menu, it was surprising to see some international dishes like arancini or Korean fried chicken in addition to the standard mussels or seafood chowder.
Keeping an open mind, however, we decided to sample some of the new starter dishes on offer and, it’s safe to say, we were off to a good start.
I went for the wild mushroom arancini which was served crispy and with pickled onions on the side, topped with a light dusting of parmesan and some pea shoots to garnish.
The combination of tastes was delicious, the arancini complemented well with the other flavours on the plate, and the pickled onions adding a tangy side note which offset the earthy mushrooms.
We also went for the crispy fried squid — a dish you can get almost anywhere these days — but not like this. The squid was cooked to perfection — a difficult one to achieve.
Fish and chips at Macken’s
At its worst, rubbery and bland in texture, this squid was clearly made with homemade batter, adding a bit of crunch to the seafood which was so soft it melted in your mouth. I could have eaten it as well as my own starter, but decided to save myself for the mains.
An impressive presentation overall with the starters and the mains alike; the fish was served on a long, narrow plate on a bed of chips and a side of curry sauce.
Expecting a chip shop-style curry sauce, my guest was disappointed when it turned out to be an Indian-style sweet curry — a random addition to a pub grub fish and chips dish. A side of tartare sauce rectified the matter.
Although the fish was cooked perfectly, the batter soon turned the chips slightly greasy as they were sitting underneath the fish for most of the meal. I think if they were served as a side dish of chips rather than underneath the fish, it might have saved the day. Otherwise it was a tasty dish, perfect to eat beside the sea.
My steak sandwich was delicious. The steak seemed to have been charred, in a barbecue style, and well cooked with a sprinkling of salt meaning I could still taste the meat. The crusty baguette was a little disappointing as, with the meat sitting on top of it for too long, it turned the bread slightly soggy, whereas a crustier sourdough or a brioche might have worked better.
I opted for truffle parmesan fries which were a tasty addition to the steak. Overall a very enjoyable and tasty meal.
Arancini and crispy squid starters
The food
Total £63
The rating