Putting Jesmond back on the Michelin map.
Lovage (115 St George’s Terrace, Jesmond, NE2 2DN) opened in late 2022 in the site of an old Italian just off Osborne/Acorn Rd.
A good thing, given that eating (well) in Jesmond is a bit of a minefield really, I mean where would you go…? ‘I’m not queuing for that’ Francesca’s? 🤣 Dosa Kitchen is great, obvs, and there’s maybe a couple of others, but for that better-than-bog-standard? Branches is probably closest in scope.
Lovage has already steam-trained its way into the Michelin guide, had a great review in The Telegraph recently, and the team behind the restaurant have already opened venture #2 in Gosforth ‘Osters’ which looks kinda similar to Lovage. So I’m sure this is moot. But all of this just put me in high hopes when we visited. Proper little neighbourhood bistro, very smart. My kinda thing.
Whether it’s the Michelin leanings or a true reflection on the cost of running an operation like this, the menu is suitably spenny. When ordering a la carte, the average cost of a starter on the most recent menu is £14, and main courses £32.
With this in mind, we went for lunch. Also available early evenings Weds-Sat, it’s £30 for three courses which is super-accessible for most people at this level and good value whichever way you look at it. It was fittingly, full of Jesmondites who I’d imagine will keep the lights on for 80% of the time, with inclusion in the Michelin bible ensuring tables are otherwise booked weeks in advance.
‘Bread for the table’ has become a bit of a cheeky way of upselling £6 worth of bread and olives. Foccacia is Pink Lane-sourced and well-made as ever, but I guess you could forgo a starter and have this instead if you really wanted. But you’d be missing out.
My sardines come with salsa verde, and a crunchy and lively pangrattato. These are expertly prepared and cooked with a herby punch cutting through the fatty little fish. A mountain of these and the bread and I’d be happy, but for now, three will suffice.
Kate’s burrata comes with poached pear, seeds, and bits. Burrata has become passé but it’s still lush init. I never expect much from burrata dishes anymore, but this was far more dainty than I expected. Sweet and creamy, it blurs the boundaries of a pudding, but it’s a ‘just one more bite’ kinda dish, quite captivating.
Owner Kleo is Albanian, and the menu tours loosely over the Med, skirting over pasta, Spanish and French classics, and some British influence. The website describes the menu as ‘unpretentious’ which you’d have to agree — though dishes feature quality and lesser seen (for Jesmond at least) ingredients like veal osso bucco, brill, and octopus, I don’t think anyone is here expecting to see gel dots, foams, or tweezer plater micro herbs, which is a big ✅ in the box for me.
See instead: gnocchi with venison ragu. Michelin and ‘hearty’ rarely go hand in hand, but this is chunky, stick-to-your-ribs ragu, lick-the-plate-clean stuff. It’s deep like you want to make at home but never quite get there. Equally on the chunky side is the gnocchi which I initially thought was far too big but all in all it’s a great dish.
Skate wing, well look at it. Cooked beautifully, it retains its meaty bite and delicate flavour. Buerre blanc is excellent with plenty of acidity, although just a scant smattering of potatoes encourages another side. We got a grilled hispi with ‘nduja which was a naughty and overpowering choice, fiery as hell and a great treatment of a humble cabbage.
Service is friendly enough, though for the overall informality of the place maybe a little transactional given the owner is FOH manager. Hard to pinpoint but just didn’t feel very personal which is a shame. More frustratingly, desserts let the side down on this occasion.
My mille-fueille has some carefully-constructed pastry, and it’s rare I’ll say this about a pudding but it wasn’t sweet enough, and on the dry side.
Kate’s white choc creme brulee could have done with another ten seconds blowtorching, and the custard beneath was a little claggy. Far from the best example of the classics. Worse still, it looked fab but the rose madeleine had zero rose flavour. If you’re gonna do simplicity like these two dishes, they’ve gotta be good and these were a miss for me.
Something else I was a little disappointed by was the wine list. There’s a few more interesting by the bottle, but By The Glass doesn’t venture any further than chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and merlot which just doesn’t excite me anymore. When you have Michelin expectations (read: tenner+ for a small glass of wine), I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want something a bit more exciting, but hey I guess these are still the most popular (and boring) wines in the UK. For outstanding examples of by the glass, I’d go for Bawn, or Ophelia which both show it is more than possible to serve stunning wines BTG.
So much like the herb, lovage has got some compelling points for sure, but for me, it’s one I’d forget about unless I was looking for it. It’s a great restaurant for Jesmond that hopefully sparks ‘more of the same’ and while the cooking is accurate, intriguing, and broadly full of big flavours, I’d just want it to excite me a tiny bit more, and consistently knock it out the park for me before dropping another ton here.
Contact: lovagejesmond.co.uk
3c lunch for two with a beer, soft drinks + 10% service £100+
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