Solstice, Newcastle

🔜⭐️⭐️?

Solstice is Kenny Atkinson’s second Newcastle restaurant, following in the footsteps of House of Tides which recently celebrated a decade at the top end of the city’s high-end restaurants.

The name comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), and to be honest I worried that Solstice might be a case of ‘it worked at House of Tides, so more of that’. But there’s nothing static here. Rather than being just a big sister to the Quayside restaurant just 300m away, Solstice has always been a bold and clear bid for 2-Michelin stars.

If you remember the old Café Buée or the string of budget pasta restaurants that once occupied this space, you’ll remember it’s an awkwardly shaped little restaurant on The Side. They’ve made the best of it. Intimate, with an open kitchen (though you can’t really see in) and the dozen covers are generously spaced. Minimal, crisp clean lines from the walls to the plates to the ingredients themselves is the name of the game here. And yes, there is a curtain on the main window to keep the passing riff-riff out of sight on a Saturday night. 🧐😂

Now a couple of years and 1* in, Solstice missed out on that second star this February, but its ambitions are obvious. Single tasting menu at £175, and what you’ll find on the stark single-word description menu is occasionally seasonal, but already has its own classics.

The first and arguably one of the most successful of the opening bites are wafer-thin, salty chicken skin shards, super brtitle. They’re for scooping up a luxurious smoked eel brandade topped with N25 caviar. Cliché luxury ingredient #1? ✅ Yes. But it works wonderfully, and I want more.

These are followed by a flower of beetroot on a crosutade (great, but tried and tested), and a duck liver parfait in a madeira and PX gel (top). Super technical, gallery-worthy, and even more delicious. It’s a triumph, a pretty one.

A halibut sashimi course follows. It’s sharp and refreshing, with bright finger lime and a ponzu dressing acting as a palate cleanser after already a fair bit of richness. A shot of tomato consommé is the purest expression of 🍅 you could ever hope for from an anonymous yellow liquid. I wanna drink it by the pint.

Bit of a gripe — the first four dishes arrive in rapid succession, well paced, yet there’s no drink from the matched wine pairing to accompany them. Basically forcing you to order an extra glass (that’s £17 for an ESW), defeating the point of a pairing. Considering the final cost of your bill here, it’s mean.

All dishes have been tweezered to within an inch of their life, and everything is incredibly measured, detailed, and elegantly simple. It’s exactly the ‘look’ you know that Michelin is looking for.

Nothing better encapsulates Solstice’s take on that than ‘pea and celery’, a celebration of peas in multiple forms including their pods, and in a bavarois with a pool of buttermilk. Think it doesn’t sound like it would excite that much?

Well, it was the standout dish that I chose from Solstice on my ‘best things I ate in 2024‘ list. It’s both fresh and comforting, and a wondrous transformation of the simplest ingredients into something that delights and surprises.

Service is highly polished, occasionally a little OTT and rehearsed but that’s what you’re here for isn’t it? The team is young and friendly, much like at House of Tides. And dishes are brought from the kitchen by the chefs, with sauces and garnishes added tableside. It adds a touch of theatre, and in such an intimate setting, they just about pull it off without it being overbearing.

iPad wine list is extensive and somewhat thoughtfully curated. You’ll find something you like. If you’re here to splurge, there are bottles from £40 and a decent selection by the glass, but my advice would be to embrace the experience and go for the pairing. The selections were well thought out and semi-interesting, if on the safer side.

The pea dish kicks off a run of bangers, the next a hand-dived scallop — barely cooked, contrasted with Nahm Jim and a shio koji foam. It’s unexpected, fiery, and one of the best scallops I’ve had in ages. The menu compellingly balances local nods with bolder Asian flavours, anchored by classic techniques. I’m not sure where head chef Scott’s influence starts and Kenny’s ends, but the two seem to be in sync.

The final seafood course ‘catch of the day’ is whatever fish is off the boats, steamed and wrapped in nori. It’s served with (smoked this time) caviar, but the real star is the Craster kipper cream sauce — an ‘aye’ to the North East, finished at the table, it’s decadent and ties everything together. Comes with a stottie, or they call it that but it’s more of a bread roll. Mopping up that sauce with it, whatever it is, is a high point.

Lamb course comes in two parts. First, a single takoyaki bite, topped with shaved truffle (yawn). Can’t argue with the impeccable execution though. Same for the ‘main’ loin’, which despite being adorned with cherry, rose, Madeira and rice vinegar, is ‘just’ a stunning piece of lamb. Super wholesome, and cooked bang on. But very familiar.

Desserts finish strong. ‘Honey’ is the standout — a delicate, striking celebration of bees. ‘Pineapple’, meanwhile, is as good a financier as you’ll ever find swimming in a rum sabayon. Petits course are also of a high standard — covering peach sencha, chocolate, and Amalfi lemon.

Solstice engulfs the hole that is special-occasion restaurants in Newcastle city centre. It’s a real treat.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already decided you fancy Solstice (and have the means to go) but are looking for reassurance. To that end, Solstice offers the most refined dining experience in Newcastle for as long as I’ve been alive, with technical, precise care and attention of quality ingredients.

If you’re new to Michelin-starred restaurants, you’l have your mind blown over three hours and some eighteen courses. And in many ways, that’s exactly what Solstice is designed to do. If you’ve dined at similar high-end spots across the UK, Solstice will feel familiar, even safe in places — but that doesn’t make it any less intricate, impressive, or worthy of celebratory dining. It might end up being NCL’s first ever 2* restaurant, but until then it’s just a wonderful ‘fuck the cost of living crisis’ evening out.

Contact: solsticencl.com
Info: Wed—Sat only at present
Address: 5-7 Side, NE1 3JE
See also: House of Tides, Pine, Hjem
Detail: This menu was from July 2024.