The people of Barnard Castle have been keeping a delightful secret since 2007, but now, the secret is out; nestled on the banks of the river Tees, overlooked by the castle and the county bridge, is the Riverside Restaurant.
This hidden gem, founded on the principle of good food and service, is all about quality. Beginning with the freshest, finest ingredients available locally, and then crafted with skill and passion into food to die for, borne on the principles of good, honest, simple food, driven by the passion and creativity of chef Andrew Rowbotham and his committed team. Andrew says, ”It takes more than a talented chef to create outstanding food and a lot of hard work and dedication goes into producing and sourcing fine ingredients. The Farmers, Fishermen, Growers and Artisan Producers are invaluable to make the Riverside what it is.”
Inside the restaurant there is a real sense of warmth, enhanced by low beamed ceilings, an array of candles and Moorish scatter cushions.
Service is relaxed and efficient, with a friendly welcome and warm words to perfectly complement your dinner.
The Riverside Restaurant is truly a destination that wears its heart on its sleeve.
With the success of The Riverside, Andrew and his family have taken on a major refurbishment of The Crown at Mickleton, Barnard Castle. A “Real Pub”, along with everything that goes with it.
Beef
4 x 4oz Dexter beef fillets
groundnut oil
Ribs
1 rack of (4 bone) Dexter beef short ribs (Jacobs
Ladder Cut)
Real Ale Jus
1 large onion (peeled and diced)
1 carrot (peeled and diced)
2 sticks celery (peeled and diced)
½ leek (washed and diced)
2 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
a couple of sprigs fresh thyme
500ml bottle of real ale
METHODFor the ribs - Part 1 - The day before
Place the short ribs in a deep roasting tray, add half a bottle of ale and roast in pre-heated oven for 6 ½ hours at 160°C. Once cooked, turn off oven and leave for an hour before handling.
Remove foil and cover a clean, flat baking tray in baking parchment then carefully lift the ribs and place fat side down on the parchment. Cover the ribs with parchment and cover with another flat tray. Weigh down with a couple of tins and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Pour all of the liquid stock from the tray into a bowl or jug and scrape the sediment from the tray. Refrigerate until later.
The following day
Take your fillet steaks out of the fridge to allow the core to reach room temperature.
For the real ale jus
Heat a saucepan, add a tablespoon of oil and sweat the onions, carrots, garlic and celery until soft then add the remaining ale and thyme and bring to the boil. Take the stock from the fridge, remove all of the hard fat from the top and discard, add the stock to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Then strain the liquid through a sieve. Return to a clean pan and bring to the boil, rapidly boil until the liquid has reduced by half in volume.
Set aside until required. Reheat later.
For the ribs - Part 2
Pre-heat oven to 220°C. The ribs should be set up from the fridge and cut alongside the bones into 4 equal ribs. Trim and square all sides. Place the ribs skin side down uncovered in a non stick roasting tray for 15 minutes. Carefully turn over and roast skin side up for a further 15 minutes.
For the fillet steak
Heat a frying pan until very hot then coat the fillet steaks in groundnut oil and season with salt and pepper. Immediately sear in the pan. Turn over after 1 minute and continue to sear all of the outer edges 1 minute per side. Set the steak aside in a warm place and allow to rest for 3/4 minutes. This will cook medium rare, cook for longer depending on how you prefer your steak cooked.
To serve
Place the short rib onto the plate opposite the fillet and drizzle with Jus. Served best with mash, broad beans and peas.
Chef’s tip
The Key to sucess with the ribs is to ensure the tin foil is airtight and crimped around the lip of the roasting.
Serves 4
Drink - Chamuyo Estate Argentina
