🎵 The welcome sound of me mother saying ‘hinny howay’.
Hinnies (East Parade, Whitley Bay, NE26 1AP) is the baby sister restaurant to Blackfriars and Dobson & Parnell. It’s part of a restaurant group which seems to be able to weather the storm and stand the test of time while many others do not.
Like any youngest sibling, Hinnies finds itself at the bottom of the pecking order. Dobson & Parnell offers an adventurous tasting menu, and is somewhere to impress your date or for a business lunch. Similarly, Blackfriars fits the bill for a celebration meal with the family, and more refined takes on classics. Hinnies finds it home as an afternoon out with the grandparents. They don’t wanna see yuzu, oscietra caviar, freeze drying, or amuse-bouches — they’re just gonna want a good value, familiar feed.
Describing itself as serving ‘a rustic and Geordie-inspired menu’, it reminds me a bit of the old Staith House inside – somewhat nautical, lots of wood, no frills, does the job. Perhaps ‘safe’ is the order of the day.
To make it even simpler, there is no à la carte menu. What that means is you get 2 or 3 courses at lunch for £19/£24 or later in the day for £23/£28. A few quid cheaper than Blackfriars, but by the coast this makes a difference.
North Sea fish soup has a good depth of flavour of prawn shells roasted and stewed with a fair bit of tomato and cream. Sure, I’ve had better, but the tableside finishing and salt-of-the-earth Geordie service helps to cover a few cracks. The menu, and indeed the whole shtick for Hinnies, is ‘Geordie Comfort Food’. It must have been really hard not to make Hinnies a caricature restaurant, maybe a Jimmy Nail signed pic, and some ‘Live, Laugh, Howay‘ mural on the wall. But they’ve let the food do the talking. It says ‘alreet?’.
My black pudding was straight out of Blackfriars. Like a blood sausage Magnum ice cream, it’s all crispy on the outside and gooey inside. Homemade brown sauce pulls together a just about poached egg. Better than expected starters, though both mine and Kate’s plates are fridge cold. Pretty basic 🫤.
In keeping with the local dishes theme, I get the pan haggerty. And genuine respect to the group for continuing to put things like this on. I’m sure the allure of grilled sole, or bacon pie is strong. But on the menu, there’s plenty of North Shields fish and seafood, and keeping dishes of yesteryear like this going is important.
Blackfriars currently has this on with truffle, pickled walnut and black garlic mayo which sounds like a delight — and signifies the difference in approach between the two.
It’s all well done. The sauce has enough mustard and acidity to lift it to being more than just a 19th-century potato terrine. Green veg is barebones, no complaints though. It’s a wholesome dish and just what you need after a cold walk along the bay.
Kate’s venison burger is far more average, though not something I would normally really order. Saved somewhat by the chips. They’re big old chonkers, fried a couple of times, with a good waft of truffle oil through them. Better than most chip shops…
Desserts don’t beat around the bush, from STP to steamed sponge pudding, it’s a halfway house between Heinz tinned steamed puddings (am horrified to learn these have been discontinued), and the familiarity of mam’s cooking.
Crumble is seasonal with apple and rhubarb, very tart and a bit mushy. Could have been rescued with a good thick custard, but it’s thin and insipid. Less crème Anglaise, and more, well, Birds. Finally, the eponymous Singin’ Hinnies (top) are an easy choice. Hot from the griddle, they’re as nostalgic and as ‘tearoom’ as you want them to be. ‘What the hell’s a singin’ hinny?’ I got you covered. I must get a message from someone once a month asking where to get these, and AFAIK, it’s only really here.
If you’re an existing fan of Blackfriars or Dobson & Parnell, Hinnies will have an unmistakable aura of solace about it. It does what it says on the tin — Geordie Comfort Food, so if you’re looking for food that’s got its heart in the right place, but doesn’t necessarily go out of its way to dazzle or delight, you’ll be alreet.
Contact: hinnies.co.uk
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