When hotel food doesn’t suck.
I covered Seaham Hall (Lord Byrons Walk, Seaham, SR7 7AG) a few years back. But that was an #invited thing so let’s disregard that one, as fun a night as it was…
We stayed way back in February and skimming over some pics from the trip again recently made me realise what a good meal it was. So I thought I’d share a more realistic take on the hotel’s main restaurant as a paying punter this time.
I got a package with accommodation that included the (only choice) five-course menu for two in the restaurant, and a bottle of wine which was pretty good value. Hotel rooms, even at the shoddy end of the scale are just ridiculously expensive, so you’re best off spending a tiny bit more for something pleasant. I’ll not go all hotel-blogger, but Seaham Hall rooms are very pleasant…
The Dining Room is a must if you’re visiting the hotel, even if it’s just for the afternoon tea which is very good indeed. If you’re doing a spa day and are remotely interested in food, skip Ozone (and pretending you’re eating healthily because you’ve fannied on in the jacuzzi for an hour) and come here for a treat. You get proper cooking. The dining room lives up to the expectations set by the rest of the hotel with that feeling of being a bit of a treat.
This is a quick rapid-fire of what we had on the night, but I’ll shout out head chef’s Insta again, he does a good job of making you want to visit so check it out here.
Snacks and bread (top) — the bread, described as a brioche was more of a soft roll, lovely but not the rich and soft brioche texture I was looking for. Smashing cultured(?) butter though to set the tone, and snacks are simple but well done.
Beetroot tart with cheesy custard is very light and delicate, making the most of the sweet and earthy flavours of the vegetable.
‘Dog’-braised Ox cheek, sourdough crumpet, rarebit, pickled walnut might be my favourite sounding dish ever and it did what It said on the tin. Criticising, I’d say it was a little dry, and could have done with a spoon of sauce through the ox cheek perhaps. But an insanely savoury and a definite stick-to-your-ribs winter warmer.
I love halibut, cooked with care here to let the flavours come through despite a big old fermented mushroom sauce.
The lamb dish I had here last time was a beaut, and clearly, chef knows exactly how to treat the little beasts. This nugget was absolutely a 10/10 dish, the type that lingers in the memory. Salt-aged from Cumbria, a stunning piece of meat with bags of flavour, made even better with an enormous anchovy sauce, little fresh waft of mint, and lick-the-plate glossy lamb jus. Wouldn’t change a thing…
Additional cheese course was my fave Tunworth 🥹. Truffled, with some really superb lemon thyme biscuits and a delightfully sweet & sour pear chutney. Served a bit fridge cold, but plentiful for two.
Tirami-choux was an ideal sweet to finish on, with mascarpone cream balancing a gorgeous bitter chocolate. Could have eaten a croquembouche-sized mountain of these.
Oh, and breakfast in the morning is a nice treat too. Lots of picky bits beforehand, and a solid bennie. Genuinely sad to leave.
The last time I visited Seaham Hall I was plied with so much Tattinger I can’t remember getting home (tough gig, I know), but the meal was of a high enough standard to be memorable for all the right reasons. It was encouraging to return and experience the pain of paying the bill this time, but my sentiment is, if anything, even more positive having done so.
Seaham Hall remains one of the North East’s highest-quality hotels, and while often that’s an excuse for sub-par hotel food serving captive guests who know no better, I wouldn’t hesitate to come to The Dining Room just for the food. Stay a while though, it’s lovely.
Contact: seaham-hall.co.uk
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