Pupil pays homage to the master

His Bistro 21 in Durham and Café 21 in Newcastle still set the standard in the North- East and he has been around long enough to have plenty of acolytes who have learned their trade with him and launched their own ventures.

One such follower is Paul O’Hara, who worked for Laybourne for six years before, with his wife Naomi and two small children, taking on the Bridge at Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, in 2006.

A colleague called a few weeks after they opened and concluded that while it was something of a work-inprogress, the signs were promising. A return trip was called for, not least because any off-the-beaten track small pub/restaurant business that has survived the recession must have something going for it.

I’m pleased to report it has, I’M a big fan of Terry Laybourne, the no-nonsense chef who managed to squeeze the North-East very first Michelin star out of that snobbish, metropolitan, classical cuisine-obsessed organisation.

His Bistro 21 in Durham and Café 21 in Newcastle still set the standard in the North- East and he has been around long enough to have plenty of acolytes who have learned their trade with him and launched their own ventures.

One such follower is Paul O’Hara, who worked for Laybourne for six years before, with his wife Naomi and two small children, taking on the Bridge at Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, in 2006.

A colleague called a few weeks after they opened and concluded that while it was something of a work-inprogress, the signs were promising. A return trip was called for, not least because any off-the-beaten track small pub/restaurant business that has survived the recession must have something going for it.

I’m pleased to report it has, mainly because Mr O’Hara seems to have kept the Laybourne faith in sticking to quality ingredients combined with simple cooking and presentation techniques that let the food speak for itself.

That the disciple still pays homage to the master is evident from the menu which features among the starters “Terry Laybourne’s” Cheddar cheese and spinach soufflé (£7). The simple philosophy extends to the rest of the reasonably proportioned a la carte menu. There’s also a set lunch and early weekend evening menu of more modest choice (three starters, five mains – one course £7.50, two £12.50).

Arriving mid-evening, we examined the a la carte over a drink in the bar. Mrs O’Hara was running front of house and waiting on in the restaurant.

She had one other to help her and we suspected the kitchen operation was similarly lean. Both Mr and Mrs did, however, have time to say good night to their pyjama- clad offspring who popped down momentarily from upstairs.

While the bar is pretty much what you expect a rural inn to be – a place where the locals are still welcome to call in for a pint (and a book of stamp so the sign on the bar advertised) – the restaurant has a very different atmosphere.

Widely spaced tables, crisp white napery, a cool white and grey colour scheme, it was more fine dining than country pub in feel. Perhaps it was a little too clinical in comparison with the cosy rusticity of the bar, but that’s a moot point. It’s certainly rather smart.

I kicked off with the aforesaid soufflé and I guess Mr Laybourne himself would have been proud of it. Light as can be on the inside, slightly crusty on the outside and sitting in a creamy sauce which had a touch of Parmesan added. Lovely.

Sylvia’s leek and potato soup (£4.50) was rich, creamy, deeply flavoured and well seasoned if just slightly on the lukewarm side. The starters were accompanied by crusty, sliced bread rolls and plenty of quality butter.

Sylvia was a little underwhelmed by her breast of corn-fed chicken with crispy bacon and wild mushrooms (£14.50). She thought the jus it came with a little thin, but she had swopped the suggested creamed potatoes for boiled when ordering and perhaps the jus would have worked better with that accompaniment.

The chicken was certainly tender, moist and well cooked. It just didn’t blow her away.

I found no fault with my fillets of sea bass, served with a lobster sauce on a bed of spinach and some spring onion mash on the side – and considering it cost a hefty £18 that was reassuring. The fish was very fresh, not overcooked and the lobster sauce was silky, sweet-ish perfection.

Sylvia was replete, but I, as ever, was tempted by the Cambridge burnt cream (£5.50) which most folk would identify as the ubiquitous creme brulee but is slightly different in that the cold custard base is unsweetened.

English purists argue the version which is supposed to have originated in the kitchens of Trinity College is an improvement on the French version because the contrast between the custard and the crisp burnt sugar topping is greater. On the basis of Mr O’Hara’s version, I wouldn’t disagree.

Note must also be made of the £6.50 cheeseboard – a selection of five British cheeses and quince which, although we didn’t try it, sounded like a bargain.

Our bill, excluding a pricey (£29) but very good bottle of Sancerre, was just a shade over £51. Fair value for generally excellent food. The O’Haras are sure to prosper.