Eating Out: A sense of grandeur at the Cleveland Tontine

I do usually but on this occasion I didn’t and I got caught out.

Provenance Inns (that’s the group that includes, among others, Moulton’s Black Bull, the Carpenter’s Arms at Felixkirk, near Thirsk, and the Oak Tree Inn at Helperby, near Boroughbridge) is running an attractive offer in these acutely cost-conscious times of two courses for £15 and three for just a fiver more.

Sylvia and her daughter had given it a whirl at the Black Bull and had been very pleased with what they had eaten and the extremely moderate bill.

So when the set menu, which is common to all Provenance Inns, changed we thought we would venture to Cleveland Tontine (another part of the Provence empire) to try it there.

On a Friday. Unfortunately the set menu is only available Monday to Thursday so I was left feeling a bit of chump. Especially so given that the small print on the promotional emails and social media posts about the bargain offer is not that small.

Swallowing that salutary lesson, we thought we would stick to two courses, for me at least – a third would have taken our bill close to £100 for the two of us.

Eating Out at the Cleveland Tontine

Which is the cost of a full blow-out at a restaurant which still has something of cachet courtesy of its illustrious trend-setting past.

It was the Tontine back in the 1970s which first got the foodie writers on the London papers suggesting it wasn’t quite so grim up North.

The McCoy era may be long gone but Eugene’s ghost still seems to stalk the corridors and the downstairs bistro where he was the lynchpin for so many years and established its reputation locally and much further afield.

Use of the description ghost may suggest the mercurial master is no longer with us. But he is, very much so, and still weaving his magic a few miles up the A19 at the Crathorne Arms. If you miss the eclecticism and personality of the old Tontine, you’ll find it recreated in Crathorne.

Eating Out at the Cleveland Tontine

The Tontine today has its own style. It is a fabulous building and the downstairs bistro, while parts have been remodelled to create a bar and private dining room, is still a stunningly atmospheric dining room with its over-sized stone fireplace and beautiful plaster ceiling.

The Tontine Autumn a la carte is not quite the grand affair of old. The fish options, in particular, are very limited. You can go big with steak – an 8oz Grand Reserve sirloin is £32 sans sauce and sides – and there’s also haunch of venison for £25. But to a large extent it looks like a menu designed by an accountant. The spirit of the times.

With her large main course in mind perhaps, Sylvia skipped a starter leaving me to tackle a twice baked Yorkshire cheddar souffle with an apple, celery and candied walnut salad (£9). Cheesy and pillow-puff light with the salad adding a welcome freshness and crunch, it was fabulous.

Eating Out at the Cleveland Tontine

Sylvia made the right call about her starter. Her steak and ale pie (£16) was a hefty shortcrust pastry-encased pile of tender beef and unctuous gravy. To describe it as stodgy would not be right but let’s just say that, with the chunky chips and fresh greens (mange tout, broccoli and Savoy cabbage), it was not a dish for the faint-hearted.

And given that we were recently served a significantly lesser steak pie in a rather less salubrious pub hereabouts for just 25p less than the Tontine price, it represented good value.

I’d opted for a similar robust main course, the Yorkshire Wagyu burger served in a brioche bun with bacon (£1 extra), chips, house relish and a salad garnish for £16.

Eating Out at the Cleveland Tontine

I’m on record as saying I’m not sure that all the fuss about Wagyu beef is completely justified but this was certainly a good burger. Nicely charred on the outside, it was still a little pink on the inside which made for the ideal combination of texture and juiciness. A slightly piquant and not overly sugary relish did its job of leavening the load.

Waiter Leonardo, who seemed to be running the show almost on his own, was accommodating and sweetness personified – once the awkward moment over which menu we could order from was passed.

And the bill was £65 but it did include a large glass of Picpoul (£10) and a small glass of Shiraz (£6).

The sense of grandeur and occasion which made the Tontine very special may not be what it was, and the menu is clearly tailored for straightened times, but we enjoyed our meal and plan to return early week sometime soon to try that set menu.

The Cleveland Tontine

Staddlebridge, Northallerton DL3 3JB

Tel; 01609 882671 Web: theclevelandtontine.com

Food served: Monday-Thursday noon-2.45pm and 5pm-8pm; Friday noon-2.45pm and 5pm-8.45pm; Saturday noon-3pm and 5pm-8.45pm; Sunday noon-4pm and 5pm-8pm

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 9 Service 8 Surroundings 10 Value 8