restaurant deux

Lesley Taylor is a firm fixture on the Newcastle dining scene, which is all the richer for her presence - and we're not just talking about her aligot (a gruyere and potato puree enriched with butter). She mines the best of French tradition and leans to the fine end of the dining spectrum. Plating is thoughtful, flavours layered and seasonality expressed. Kitchen staff tend two community garden plots, and their efforts appear in a salad of tomatoes simply dressed in sherry vinegar and oil. Similarly, beet and apple salad is a concentration of flavour. Three types of baby beet, beet jelly and coins of dried beet and apple 'paper' are fine foils for crumbed, deep-fried orbs of warm goat's cheese. Expect classic flavour combinations, such as poached seafood with fennel and saffron; spatchcock ballotine stuffed with confit garlic and chestnuts; and duck breast with braised red cabbage. An undoubted highlight is the marvellous chocolate pave with popcorn two ways - toffeed and as ice-cream.