A mere 5 minute drive outside of Durham City Centre sits Ramside Hall Hotel. A popular spa destination hotel, wedding and golfing venue tucked away from the bustle of the A1 and the A690. The Rib Room is the hotels main restaurant and on a Sunday offer a 2 course lunch for £16.95 or a 3 course for £20.95 (supplement for steak).
The restaurant itself has an old school elegance to it thanks to it’s décor and sumptuous booth seating. With a split level arrangement, the restaurant can accommodate a cosy couple up to a large family seating.
In the far corner of the restaurant you will find the meat locker and it’s viewing window. Bit gruesome for Vegetarians but you can go and look at the steers hanging in refrigeration before being used. The Rib Room prides itself on using locally sourced meat and there is always a board up telling you where the meat is from. On this visit it was from Hereford beef Bishop Middleham 10 miles down the road.
For all the primary focus is on meat at the Rib Room, the vegetarian offerings are always just as tasty as well as the fresh fish option too. The service is spot on and the quality of the food just speaks for itself.
Let’s start at starters…..
The prawn cocktail was plentiful and fresh. The salad was crisp and the sauce wasn’t overpowering. A small piece of brown bread would have gone down well with this, but maybe that’s just too retro?
The mushroom and courgette risotto was the perfect blend of creamy and rich without being overpowering as a starter. The courgette added a unique taste that we hadn’t seen before. The garnish added vibrancy.
The Durham blue cheese soufflé was the star of the show. Served in a gooey unctuous sauce, the soufflé was well cooked and well presented in a cast iron dish. It could have stood up perfectly well on its own as a main course. The cheese wasn’t overpowering and it wasn’t too heavy for a starter.
Up next were the mains. 2 Beef, a lamb and a steak for Mr T.
The beef was slightly pink, juicy and tender with a delicate fat marbling throughout. Served with mash, roasties and turnip on the plate, the dish is then accompanied by mixed vegetables on the side.
The lamb was cooked to perfection and served with a ‘mint salsa’ which is quite possibly the tastiest mint sauce you can imagine! Served with mash, roasties and turnip on the plate, the dish is then accompanied by mixed vegetables.
The steak was a generous portion and cooked perfectly to rare /medium. Served with salad and skinny fries, the steak was accompanied by a fresh rich peppercorn sauce.
We did opt for desserts but you know what happens, you forget to take photos and then it’s been devoured! Afterwards we had coffee in the conservatory which was a really nice way to end the meal.
The service on this visit, and all other visits has been stellar. The food is great but the service and attention to detail, they are stars of the show.