“Being a rebel isn’t about breaking the rules. It’s about creating your own.”
I love that quote. I try to live by it. But is it just marketing spiel to Rebel, or is this a restaurant that plays by its own rules? Perhaps it’s — yawn — A.N. Other restaurant chasing Michelin copy-paste recognition?
We first visited not long after Rebel opened its doors on Heaton Park Road. House prices have shot up, but it was kinda exciting, seeing the resurgence of the area. I love Heaton for drinks, but it has always lacked ‘serious’ restaurants. Rebel clearly aimed higher. Michelin aspirations checklist: mono-ingredient menu descriptions ‘Lamb’, ‘Turnip’, ‘Chocolate’. Minimal interior stylings. Tasting menu. And predominantly, its owners being House of Tides alumni BoH Lindsey & FoH Rosie (yes, much like at Faru).
Of course, Rebel did graduate the Michelin-machine and make its way into the Michelin Guide shortly after opening 👏🏼 and unlike Faru’s clear Kenny Atkinson influence, Rebel is happy to, well, rebel. Three years in, it’s a restaurant that’s comfortable enough to do its own thing, and so far it has always done that with heart, precision and geniality.
We’ve been back every year since 2022, and it’s interesting how Rebel has moved on from the Old Shoe Tree Cafe site. 20 covers, follows the seasons, and has already been through a series of menu restructures. From a la carte, to small plates, Sunday lunch, longer tasting menus, shorter menus, and everything in between. Probably annoys restaurant owners, but sadly a sign of the times and economy. Move fast, fail faster, keep evolving.
Compared to House of Tide’s current five-course £95 menu, Rebel is (for now) four courses (£35) and eight (£60). Thankfully not going down the wanky million-course route, and putting it more in line with Coarse, which feels right. Four for a casual visit. Seven for a treat, neither completely breaking the bank.
Anyway, I’ll briefly cover the four course menu we had this month, but I’ll also touch on some other faves over the years.
Snacks are on the simpler, more playful side of things which I dig, even if they’ve become a supplement (everywhere is doing this and just 🫠). Twists on cheese & onion crackers, Ferrero Rochers, and tonight every table seemed unable to resist the ‘scampi fries with curry sauce’ because, duh. It’s chips and curry mayo.
Bread is by Northern Rye ✅ , sourdough ✅ warm ✅ with fermented butter ✅ and pads things out. In the early days of Rebel I would say portion sizes were a bit ‘chips on the way home?’ but thankfully this is no longer the case even with the value menu.
Mussels & buttermilk is very en vogue, as is the ‘cover everything with foam’ presentation which was three of the courses tonight, so these aren’t the sexiest snaps you’ll see. Bloody perfect warm-up act though and no, the four course menu wasn’t boundary-breaking but it was grounded in comforting, tried and tested flavours that work, done about as good as you could hope for.
See also Baron Bigod (in a foam), with similarly en vogue black garlic ketchup. I kinda wanted to knock these two dishes as cliche, but they were bloody banging. Baron’s umami funkiness is rightfully having its moment as ‘good as or better than brie’ everywhere right now, and I am here for it. Bear-paw scoops of this, and some sourdough. 👌🏼
Even better was ‘I think that’s the best ragu I’ve ever had’ duck. This is dreamy. Super salty, super rich and sticky, and topped with an aerated smoked potato foam/whip and duck fat crumb… perfection. I want to douse it in a kilo of spaghetti and drown in it. And here’s the direction I think Rebel has finally decided to head in. After starting out with some tweezering action and ‘Hey look at me Mr. Michelin’ dishes, they’ve settled on big flavours, simplicity, and three finessed things on a plate. I like it, a lot.
Rebel has no sommelier as such, but the wine pairings are well chosen and the team is enthusiastic. They clearly love what they do, and it shows from start to finish. There’s always something a bit different in a glass — most recently, a Leeds-grown Seyval Blanc. Yes, Leeds. There’s also some well-picked by the glass which I love to see, and nothing is daft priced either. It’s a shame they couldn’t make Ro. across the road work, as the team obviously loves their grapes, and Ro. was always a much needed sophisticated spot for Heaton. As well as being home of the OG Patty Melts. I hope they give a mk2 a go, perhaps in a better location.
The four-course menu at Rebel is a shoe-in. Just go if you’re after a nice tea out. Liked it? Come back for the tasting menu. It works. Rebel isn’t just another offshoot of House of Tides — it’s a place with its own voice, its own flavour, and a youthful confidence. Occupying a space sort of on it’s own in Newcastle, Rebel defiantly knows what its customers wants, and gives them a great version of it. As Emmeline Pankhurst said, and perhaps the greatest success of Rebel is to: “Be a rebel, not a slave.”
Not on tonight’s four-course menu, but some of my faves from the last few years:
Hen of the Woods (Summer ’23): is among my favourite mushroom dishes of late. Deep, pure, earthy. And bloody look at it.
Wild garlic velouté (Spring ’22): rich, luxurious, and loaded with that ‘green’ note that feels like a woodland walk. Served with more bread to soak it up. Simple stuff, but an all-timer.
Raspberry and white chocolate (Jun ’23): I sighed a bit of a 🥱 when I saw this on the menu. It’s a flavour combo done to death, boringggggg. But oh so more than a single-note sweet chocolate and bitter raspberry, I loved this, and how elegant?
Pork & Wild Garlic Kimchi (June ’23): proper main course crescendo that’s often missing on shorter menus. Quality pork, perfectly cooked, and a lovely sharpness from the kimchi. Just phwoar.
Contact: restaurantrebel.co.uk
Open: Weds-Sat 6:30-11, 4-course menu not Sat
Address: 150 Heaton Park Rd, NE6 5NR
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