The Cherry Tree, Jesmond

The Cherry Tree in Jesmond is somewhere that I've walked past so many times and often commented to Simon that we should pop in, so don't ask me how I've gone so long without actually visiting.

When news reached me that the popular restaurant had recently undergone some changes with the arrival of head chef Farhad Rakani and a new menu I thought it was about time I visited. So I made a catch up plan with my friend Farzana and we booked a table.

You'll find the Cherry Tree in my favourite leafy Newcastle suburb, Jesmond. It's pretty hard to miss on a Winter's evening with its beautiful fairy lit "cherry tree" welcoming in diners from the cold. As soon as we stepped in we were greeted with friendly smiles as our coats were hung up and we were shown to our table.

 We were very lucky with our choice to dine on a Tuesday night as we were treated to live music as we dined with a performance by international singer Coco Rouzier. Performing with a live band, Coco opened with a soulful performance of "Favourite Things" from my all time favourite musical, the Sound of Music and then put on the most amazing jazz set which gave me goosebumps. With no additional cover charge for the performance and a guaranteed table for the entire evening, I'd recommend checking out the Cherry Tree live music evenings.

Turning our attention to the food, we ordered from the Evening Menu, served between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm Monday to Thursdays and 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm on Friday, it's £18.50 for two courses or £24.00 for three.

I started my meal with the Black Pudding topped with Poached Egg. It was absolutely delicious and I loved every mouthful.

For the main event I ordered the 6oz Bistro Rump Steak served with tomato, mushrooms, fries topped with an onion ring with a generous jug of peppercorn sauce on the side.

Being a huge fan of Steak I ordered mine rare and was so happy by how easily my knife cut into the meat and how deliciously pink it was inside. With so much food to work my way through I was in heaven enjoying my perfectly prepared steak and crispy chips whilst enjoying the fantastic music. What a treat!

Looking round at our fellow diners (because I'm nosy like that) I was so impressed by the presentation of each dish that came out of the kitchen. Every plate that went past looked so beautiful and smelt amazing. Add to that the wonderful attentive service that each person was receiving and this was pretty much the nicest dining experience that I've had in a while.

Despite being full to bursting we were committed to dessert as soon as we saw what was on offer. I opted for Lemon Cheese Cake topped with fresh fruit and was very happy with the generous portion that appeared in front of me.

I took my time, really savouring each delicious mouthful and my only complaint is that it didn't last forever. That was some cheesecake!

I really loved how The Cherry Tree found the perfect balance of fancy and friendly, it's so hard to find a restaurant that manages to pull off high end dining in such a relaxed atmosphere.

Has anyone else been to The Cherry Tree?

Please note as of November 2017 the Cherry Tree has closed for business

We received a complimentary meal for two people for the purposes of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.