Harden's survey result
Summary
James Close’s cuisine “could scarcely be more indulgent” at his Grade-II-listed old pub (with rooms) in the boonies of County Durham, which achieves a large volume of feedback for somewhere that’s relatively remote. “Luxury ingredients are treasured and celebrated throughout with exceptional imagination and intensity” in his multi-course tasting menus that are “a tour de force of technique and style”. Reporters’ main reservation is the “minimalist grey, white decor that seems rather sterile” (although the approach also can seem “just a bit too much: literally, and metaphorically… too formal… and with an intensity of labour put into the food that maybe justifiably underwrote the cost, but was just altogether a little overwhelming”). Overall, though, the most common view is that “the stunning food just makes everything else irrelevant!”
Summary
James Closes’s “global-quality cuisine” – “enjoyed as part of a 15-course tasting menu” – and “stunning wines” (“make friends with the sommelier and you will drink a more interesting selection”) have won foodie fame for this converted old pub with three rooms, out in the sticks of County Durham: the only restaurant in the north east with two Michelin stars. Even fans concede that it is “expensive”, however, and critics feel that “there’s too much hype and fuss” surrounding cooking that “at the eye watering prices, is good, but not that good”.
Summary
James Closes’s “global-quality cuisine” – “enjoyed as part of a 15-course tasting menu” – and “stunning wines” (“make friends with the sommelier and you will drink a more interesting selection”) have won foodie fame for this converted old pub with three rooms, out in the sticks of County Durham: the only restaurant in the north east with two Michelin stars. Even fans concede that it is “expensive”, however, and critics feel that “there’s too much hype and fuss” surrounding cooking that “at the eye watering prices, is good, but not that good”.
Summary
“One of the most memorable meals I have ever had…”, “an out-of-this-world experience…”, “just magical…” – folks don’t hold back in their praise for the Close family’s restaurant-with-rooms, set in an off-the-beaten-track village in County Durham, which “balances a modern kitchen and a clubby old-school dining room of dark wood panelling very effectively” and serves a “15-course menu of superb cooking coupled with great invention (to leave us gushing over a ‘salad of winter vegetables’ is deeply impressive!)”. Some resistance crept in regarding the level of expense however this year: even those who rate the cuisine highly can find the overall experience “overpriced”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Summerhouse, DL2 3UD
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 6 pm‑8 pm |
| Thursday | 6 pm‑8 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑8 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑8 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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