The Treebridge Hotel, Old Nunthorpe Village, Stokesley Road (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

The Treebridge Hotel, Old Nunthorpe Village, Stokesley Road

12:59pm Friday 5th June 2009

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I WOULD not say that my wife’s led a sheltered life (I wouldn’t dare –she’ll be proof-reading this soon), but it is always nice to discover new things, especially when they come on a plate.

But more of that in a while...

Turning up at the Treebridge on a recent Friday evening, it was clear we were not trailblazers when it came to this extremely popular venue – the large car park was full, a wedding celebration was getting underway, and there are 150 covers in an expansive restaurant.

I’m not really sure why I’d never noticed the place before.

Just inside North Yorkshire but very much within Middlesbrough’s orbit, it sits in a leafy spot just off the A172 Stokesley-Nunthorpe road.

It was converted from a family home by Harry Beadnall almost 20 years ago, and these days is run by his daughter and son, Lynn and Craig (the latter also has – with a partner – Starters in Yarm).

Despite the three-deep queue at the bar and our peak time arrival, service was prompt, friendly and efficient – standards maintained throughout the evening by every member of staff.

The bar’s not a hand-pulled real ale haven, but it served up a good drop of Guinness while we scrutinised the menu, complete with printed specials for those of us too short-sighted to squint at chalkboards.

“What’s a chicken parmesan?”

Anna asked. Now like her, I’m not a regular on Middlesbrough’s nightclub scene, but I did know about the famed parmo – Boro’s adaptation of parmigiana. A chicken breast is flattened, coated in an egg and breadcrumb batter before being deepfried, covered in Bechamel sauce and cheese, then grilled. It was time to try it.

But first, she enjoyed panfried king prawns and black pudding with a white wine foam (£6.95), declaring that the “sweet, soft earthiness” of the pudding contrasted well with the flavour of the plump prawns.

My salad of goats cheese, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes with olives, pine nuts and garlic croutons (£5.25) was a well-proportioned appetiser with one fault: the croutons were soaked with a non too tasty oil.

The Treebridge version of chicken parmesan comes in two sizes, served with good home-made chips and a perfectly acceptable house salad (£9.95 for the “Ladies” serving).

To say it was an instant hit with Anna would be lying: “It’s a bit like fish finger,” she said, relieved to have gone for the feminine portion.

That’s not to say she did not appreciate the experience though, “I’m glad to have tried it, although I probably won’t again, is it to Teesside what the deep-fried Mars bar is to Glasgow?” she asked.

For my main course, I opted for something off the specials list. Strips of beef New Orleans promised Cajun-spiced beef shallow fried with peppers, onions and king prawns, served in a tomato, garlic and fresh herb sauce (£16.50).

It proved to be the restaurant’s show-off dish, arriving with a head-turningly loud sizzle on an iron skillet.

Juicy, beautifully-cooked chunks of sweet pepper mixed with a generous heap of beef strips to create an enjoyable dish, although I was expecting a bit more spiciness, what with that Cajun tag. Mildness has wider appeal, I suppose.

Executive chef Jason Moore and head chef Ian Yeoman and their team deserve credit: all of the food showed a conscientious attention to detail in almost every area, although the menu sent me to the dictionary with its flowery nouns: “collops” of pork – the English equivalent of escalope, apparently; a “chiffonade” of fresh basil – the leaves are bunched tight and cut lengthways to make ribbons.

More importantly, the menu makes several references to “local” produce, but provides no further meat on the bones of provenance ie where exactly is it from?

Back to the food though, and desserts were a high point.

A big brick of warm chocolate and hazelnut brownie, with warm chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream (£4.95) was delicious, and for a citrus- addict such as me, the St Clement’ss cheescake with orange sorbe and citrus syrup (£4.95) was a lovely mix of orange and lemon flavours.

A large glass of Rioja and a mineral water brought the bill to £58.25 – not a bargain for a pretty good meal in the surroundings of an up-market pub, but a fair price nevertheless.

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