Review: We Check Out 1910, Spanish City's Fine-Dining Jewel

A regeneration project in recent years saw Spanish City returned to its former glory with the opening of bold new restaurants and a tearoom. Its crowning jewel however, is undeniably 1910 Restaurant, a fine-dining restaurant specialising in seafood and steak.

The first thing we notice is the view, of course, which is breathtaking even for a local who has grown up on the coast. Our table is at the far end of the restaurant and right by the window which stretches the whole length of the room. From our vantage point we can see all the way to St Mary’s and we enjoy people watching as we pore over the menu (while also keeping an eye out for the pod of dolphins who patrol these waters).

I’ve already decided to keep my choices as sea-inspired as possible and am thrilled to see a crab starter on the menu. My dining companion keeps his feet firmly on dry land and orders the ham hock terrine. The crab (served on toast with peas and radish) is wonderfully fresh and definitely a welcome break from the hot weather we’d escaped outside. My friend’s terrine comes with chutney, sourdough and a fine herb salad and I pause to ask him how it is, but see that he’s already close to finishing and take that as a seal of approval.

The wait between our starters and mains is minimal and before I know it I’m looking at a delicately constructed plate of plaice, prawns, potato and tender-stem broccoli. The fish melts in my mouth and has a slight salty crust to it which really adds flavour (my friend agrees after trying some). For his main, he opts for the pork which is served with thin slices of green apple, greens, potato and a rich sauce. We’re both more than pleased with our choices, but it’s time for dessert (because why not?).

Although the mango and coconut cheesecake sounds tempting, I opt for the baked custard with fruit sorbet and honeycomb, and the portion nearly gets the better of me (emphasis on nearly). Across the table, my friend orders the praline chocolate sphere served with caramel ice cream and hot chocolate sauce which is ceremoniously poured over the sphere by a friendly member of staff. The sphere has barely had time to collapse before we’re both digging into our desserts with gusto.

The service here is excellent, and strikes the balance between attentive and unobstructive. Although in the end we decided against wine for the table, our server had some excellent recommendations. We finish our desserts and thank the team for a lovely evening before heading into the sunshine for a stroll along the seafront, already making plans for a second visit.

Highlight: The crab starter – I’ve already tried to recreate it at home.
What We Wish We’d Tried: The oysters (served with St Mary’s Gin cucumber and caviar would be our choice).
Our Take Away: This restaurant is a real triple threat – good food, a great location, and a lovely team of staff.

Spanish City, Spanish City Plaza, Whitley Bay NE26 1BG
0191 691 7090
spanishcity.co.uk