Eating Out
| NORTH YORKSHIRE |  | | | CLEVELAND | | | | COUNTY DURHAM | |
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The Sutton Arms, Faceby, Stokesley
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| GOOD IN PARTS: The Sutton Arms at Faceby |
JOURNALISTS love debate.
On the one hand, it has
been encouraging to read
some of the correspondence
this column has prompted
in recent months.
But it does make me ask myself
whether people are forgetting
some key ground rules?
Restaurant reviews are purely subjective
sources of opinion: one
man's meat is another man's poison;
one diner's idea of good taste
might be another's idea of tacky
kitsch, etc.
The journalists
who
write this
column are
not restaurateurs,
just
food lovers
who are
lucky enough to get the chance to
eat at a broad range of the region's
establishments and just about call
it "work".
We are sometimes accused of
being nit-picking or fussy, yet we
attempt to be honest and to paint
a warts-and-all picture. To have a
restaurant review completely free
of criticism would be a bit like having
a newspaper containing only
"good" news.
It's a noble and laudable concept,
but it wouldn't half be dull.
Which brings me off my soapbox
and to this week's eaterie, which
came to our attention thanks to
the efforts of two readers who submitted
their own review (via
www.dst.co.uk/leisure/readerseatingout)
of the Sutton Arms, in
the small village of Faceby, just off
the main Stokesley to Northallerton
A172.
Their mixed review (loved the
food, disliked pretty much everything
else) prompted a fellow reader's
glowing retort, again via the
web pages, a few weeks later.
We thought we'd better take a look.
I took care not to read either review
before setting out for Faceby
on Saturday, to avoid prejudging
the pub.
It has been run by Dave and
Yvonne Lee for the past four years
or so, with their son Stephen in the
kitchen. They arrived after a spell
at what was the Duke of Wellington
at Welbury.
The couple are clearly proud of
their offspring's produce, and
rightly so.
Almost everything else about the
pub is unexceptional,
from the
Middlesbrough
FC
scarves
adorning the
beams in the
lounge area
to the rather dodgy quotations
adorning the walls of the over-lit
dining room (James Beard's "A
gourmet who thinks of calories is
like a tart who looks at her watch"
has always baffled me).
The service veered from unsmiling
to almost falsely cheerful, with the
kind of waitress who brightly asks
if everything is alright while already
walking away, perhaps because
she doesn't really care about
the answer.
Having said that, the service was
efficient and prompt.
It was our misfortune to be shown
to a table too close to the epicentre
of landlady, serving
staff and kitchen
door: not a relaxing
or intimate experience.
Yes, we could have
asked for a different
table, but perhaps
that particular location
should not be
used for diners at
all? Just take my
word for it and
avoid table 8.
My wife started
with garlic prawns
in a bread tower
(£4.95). The bread tower was in
fact an upended slice of baguette
with the aerial end cut on the diagonal.
A perfectly tasty creamy
sauce laced with plenty of prawns
compensated for the gimmicky
presentation.
My French black pudding with
bacon and a chilli sauce (£5.50)
was a much better prospect. The
pudding was deliciously light, almost
fluffy, and the dish was wellproportioned.
Next, Anna's sea bass fillets with
crab, spring onion and chilli mash
with herb sauce (£13.50) looked
and tasted great. The grilled (or
were they fried?) fillets were
stacked higgledy-piggledy atop the
GOOD IN PARTS: The Sutton Arms at Faceby, above, and, below, the dining area - Pictures: Mike Gibb/D&S
Weekend
Eating Out
by Gareth Dant
The Sutton Arms
Faceby, Stokesley
Tel: 01642 700382
How do you rate the Sutton Arms? Post your own
comments or review and vote in our eating out poll
at: dst.co.uk/leisure/weekendtimes/eatingout
Local suppliers of furniture to
bars, hotels and restaurants
www.hillcrossfurniture.co.uk
01325 378307
Sponsored by
Hill Cross Furniture
Eileen and Allan Bruce
multi-flavoured mash, amid a
scrumptious puddle of delicatelyflavoured
sauce.
My "gourmet" fish pie with parmesan
mash (£12.50) was massive,
bubbling hot and packed with
plenty of fish, but otherwise fairly
unexceptional pub fare.
Side orders of hand-cut chips and
boiled new spuds and veg were
well cooked and sized right. There
was also a bowl of salad.
Two things about the menu puzzled
me. Firstly those side dishes.
A firm but stern note points out
that any extra vegetables ordered
are free only if eaten up - to cover
"wastage".
It's the first time we'd seen a (laudable)
attempt by an establishment
to discourage food waste.
The second thing was a stern
warning, printed on the top of
every page of the menu, requesting
diners to pay at the bar and
not leave any money on tables.
Was this because of a bad experience
with untrustworthy staff, or
light-fingered customers? Anyway,
because we'd not dared go for
extra veg, we had room for puddings.
Anna's hot chocolate fudge cake
(£3.95) was uninspiring, with a
"miserly" amount of fudge, while
my treacle and orange tart (£4.50)
was a tasty combination in a
rather miserly portion.
Both dishes were spoiled by a
scraping of cheap, nondescript
vanilla ice cream. Puddings at that
price deserve much better.
With a gin and tonic, a tonic water
and a glass of house dry white, the
bill came to £52.10 - too much for
a pub meal with only flashes of excellence.
12:49pm Friday 15th February 2008
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CommentPosted by: jenny j, newby,nr.stokelsey on 5:37pm Fri 15 Feb 08
Visited The Sutton Arms in December of 2007. It was the first and last time. I found the place very dreary and could not make out the theme of this place. I found the staff to be very surly for instance , upon entering the place we were asked to wait in bar area to be called by a waitress and taken to a table. In the meantime another couple came in and were seen to before us. The gentlemen explained the the lady that we were before them and she just shrugged her shoulders and said it does not matter and led them to a table. The couple we could see were very embarrased, but for us it just went downhill from there. Although not busy, the staff gave the impression they were just rushed off their feet and it was all to much for them. Even a smile from them would have gone a long way. We just felt uncomfortable there.We ate our meal,nothing special just a Sunday lunch. Queued for ages at the bar to pay for our meal and left. I would not recommend The Sutton Arms to any one. For a good atmosphere and good food try The Station at Piction
Visited The Sutton Arms in December of 2007. It was the first and last time. I found the place very dreary and could not make out the theme of this place. I found the staff to be very surly for instance , upon entering the place we were asked to wait in bar area to be called by a waitress and taken to a table. In the meantime another couple came in and were seen to before us. The gentlemen explained the the lady that we were before them and she just shrugged her shoulders and said it does not matter and led them to a table. The couple we could see were very embarrased, but for us it just went downhill from there. Although not busy, the staff gave the impression they were just rushed off their feet and it was all to much for them. Even a smile from them would have gone a long way. We just felt uncomfortable there.We ate our meal,nothing special just a Sunday lunch. Queued for ages at the bar to pay for our meal and left. I would not recommend The Sutton Arms to any one. For a good atmosphere and good food try The Station at Piction
Posted by: Keith Martin on 9:11am Tue 19 Feb 08
Having many times taken your recomendation as to places to eat and found them to be none descript, I read your sumary with dismay. We like the banter, the unstuffy none ponsey atmosphere you get at most places, never had a complaint with the food, service or decore!
The quotations you quote are a bit of fun, Middlesbrough's memorabilia - (I support Newcastle) so what? It's a country restauraunt what do you want, the usual stoneware/harvest baskets/toby jugs/brass ware?
We have been going since Martin's cafe days, having had both our 40th Birthday parties and 18 months ago our silver wedding party, nothing is too much trouble, try getting a table Friday/Saturday nights or Sunday lunch. There is a large amount of regulars who would vouche for that not to mention again the good food, the excellent wine and the well kept beer you failed to, Dave Yvonne and the staff make it a great place, friendly, warm welcoming and good value! - Keith and Marie Martin
Having many times taken your recomendation as to places to eat and found them to be none descript, I read your sumary with dismay. We like the banter, the unstuffy none ponsey atmosphere you get at most places, never had a complaint with the food, service or decore!
The quotations you quote are a bit of fun, Middlesbrough's memorabilia - (I support Newcastle) so what? It's a country restauraunt what do you want, the usual stoneware/harvest baskets/toby jugs/brass ware?
We have been going since Martin's cafe days, having had both our 40th Birthday parties and 18 months ago our silver wedding party, nothing is too much trouble, try getting a table Friday/Saturday nights or Sunday lunch. There is a large amount of regulars who would vouche for that not to mention again the good food, the excellent wine and the well kept beer you failed to, Dave Yvonne and the staff make it a great place, friendly, warm welcoming and good value! - Keith and Marie Martin
Posted by: Pat & Jamie Spence, Faceby on 7:10pm Thu 28 Feb 08
Dear Sir,
We live in Faceby and eat at The Sutton Arms most weeks, as well as various other restaurants.
We find the food extremely good value and Steve (the chef) very talented. Yvonne and Dave are always more than generous with us and in the past have helped us and others raise quite a lot of money for charity.
As for the decor, everyone's taste is different and as long as the place is clean, that's fine. We eat there for the food, which is lovely and if you know of anywhere which is better value, please let us know.
Dear Sir,
We live in Faceby and eat at The Sutton Arms most weeks, as well as various other restaurants.
We find the food extremely good value and Steve (the chef) very talented. Yvonne and Dave are always more than generous with us and in the past have helped us and others raise quite a lot of money for charity.
As for the decor, everyone's taste is different and as long as the place is clean, that's fine. We eat there for the food, which is lovely and if you know of anywhere which is better value, please let us know.
Posted by: phil o'donnell, ormesby, middlesbrough on 7:21pm Thu 13 Mar 08
Everytime I have been to the Sutton Arms with my friends and family I have had nothing at all to complain about. The food has been fantastic and the service has been outstanding. We are frequent customers for Sunday Lunch as well as weekday evening meals and the food has never failed to impress. The Landlord + Landlady are very welcoming and nothing is to much trouble for them.
Everytime I have been to the Sutton Arms with my friends and family I have had nothing at all to complain about. The food has been fantastic and the service has been outstanding. We are frequent customers for Sunday Lunch as well as weekday evening meals and the food has never failed to impress. The Landlord + Landlady are very welcoming and nothing is to much trouble for them.
Posted by: Steve Richmond, North Yorks on 9:29am Tue 1 Apr 08
Bland food. Rude staff. Dreary surroundings. Expensive for what you get.
All great reasons to spend your hard earned money elsewhere.
Bland food. Rude staff. Dreary surroundings. Expensive for what you get.
All great reasons to spend your hard earned money elsewhere.
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