Crook Restaurant Guide

This polished 18th-century former coaching inn lies in a picturesque village where the Durham and North Yorkshire dales dovetail, with plenty of walks on the doorstep. It’s a “very popular” spot which is “very good all around”, from the “delightful” cooking (which spans souped-up bar snacks, sandwiches and sophisticated, locally sourced mains) to the “good surroundings”.

“The restaurant Durham city has been crying out for”, say fans of this ambitious 2023 yearling in the city centre: “a recent addition to the local dining scene run by ex-head chef from House of Tides and his wife”, Jake & Laura Siddle, who serve a 10-course tasting menu for £98 per person (the name is old English for ‘Journey’). One diner – particularly impressed by the wine selection – felt that “whilst aiming for their first Michelin star, they have a way to go with too many of the courses ‘snack sized’ to fully warrant the price and service that, though friendly, was lacking”. But others are impressed by what they see as a polished overall experience and, in any case, all reports agree that this is an “interesting” venue that “definitely shows promise”.

Promising feedback on this “delightful, small, and intimate” Chinese joint down a cobbled side street near the town centre: an established business that was reformatted in 2023 with Shanghai speakeasy styling: “it feels very plush and with above-average Cantonese-fusion food”.