Steak and Seafood at Spanish City, Whitley Bay - A Review of 1910 Restaurant

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Although Spanish City has only been open for a year, it's hard to imagine the seafront of Whitley Bay without it. The beautiful dome has become one of our favourite places to visit and we have spent the last twelve months slowly working our way round all of the restaurants. We've had afternoon tea, enjoyed fish suppers and indulged in a few gins at the bar, but there was just one place we had left to visit - 1910, the Steak and Seafood restaurant that we have been saving for a special occasion.

We've always seen 1910 as the fanciest restaurant in Spanish City and, despite having spent far too long carefully studying the menu over the last year and planning what we'd order, we still hadn't made a plan. I think we all know that often when you leave something for a special occasion, that occasion never actually arrives, so this month we decided enough was enough! Why not celebrate the new look Spanish City's first birthday with an indulgent evening of steak and seafood - it was the perfect excuse to finally book ourselves a table at 1910.

You'll find 1910 on the top floor of Spanish City with the best sea views in Whitley Bay, the perfect spot for a romantic date, Simon and I settled ourselves down on a table for two. We had managed to bag ourselves the best seats in the house (top tip, ask for the table by the window at the far end, it has the best sea views). After discovering that dolphins had been spotted close to the shore earlier in the week we spent a while just gazing out the window looking for wildlife. Trying to get Simon's attention back on me, I got the response "I look at you every day, when do I ever get to see a dolphin" - romance eh?

1910 promises creative steak and seafood dishes created using the best ingredients with outstanding service and with the menu prices on the higher end we were definitely expecting a pretty special evening. If there's one thing I really dislike it's menu prices not accurately reflecting the quality of food or service.

Our experience began with one of the best bread baskets I have ever had. Three homemade rolls including the most incredible Caramelised Onion (it was so delicious I noticed a bloke on the table next to us having a good smell of it before he tucked in!), served with a big wedge of butter and a heavenly beef dripping that I will be dreaming about for many days to come.

As a huge fan of bread it took all of my willpower to say "no thanks" when our waiter asked us if we'd like any more, I desperately wanted another of those beautiful rolls but as we'd decided to have a full three course meal it would have been a bit stupid to stuff ourselves silly on the bread.  I loved the added touch of being offered more, when you're treating yourself to a fancy meal it's nice to feel well looked after and we were off to a great start.

As 1910 is a Steak and Seafood restaurant I decided I wanted to try out both so went for a fish starter - the Grilled Queenie Scallops (£12.50) were served in Almond and Garlic Butter with Gruyere Cheese and a Fine Herb Crumb.

Can you believe that I had never tried scallops before? I guess for your first time a seafood restaurant with incredible coastal views is the very best place to try them. Served on a beautiful platter in shells they looked so good and tasted even better. I will definitely be ordering some more fish courses on our next visit.

For the main event I had to go for a steak, you can't truly judge a steak restaurant without ordering one and believe me I'm very critical when it comes to how my steak is served, this was going to be the greatest test.  1910 have three different cuts available on the menu - Sirloin 250g, Ribeye 300g and Fillet 200g, all aged for a minimum of 36 days.

I opted for the Fillet (£34.00) which came served with Bernaise alongside French Fries, Slow Roasted Tomato, Portobello Mushroom, Onion and Pancetta Compote and Water Cress.  There was an option to opt for a different sauce for an additional £3.00 and there were a variety of sides available at £3.50 each including Mixed House Salad, Steamed Greens and Maple Glazed Root Vegetables. I was a little disappointed there wasn't a Mac n Cheese option because it is my absolute favourite side when I'm enjoying steak.

I've recently introduced Simon to ordering his steak rare (he used to always be a "medium" kinda guy) so he decided to order exactly the same as me which is a good job because he would have been gutted if he'd missed out on this. Our steaks were superb - perfectly cooked, they were pink, so tender and packed with flavour. We were also particularly smitten with the french fries which were thinly cut, perfectly seasoned and not at all oily.

Hands down one of the very best steaks we have ever had, we both cleared our plates and I noticed that we weren't the only people in the restaurant praising our meals, the table next to ours were commenting how great their food had been. Nothing beats a restaurant of very happy diners.

We were full, very full! But when the dessert menu appeared, we couldn't say no. Simon went for the Fresh Cherry and Vanilla Meringue (£8.00) served with Cherry Sorbet. I have to admit that usually a meringue dish wouldn't get me very excited but when Simon's beautiful presented meringue sphere appeared I did feel a little jealous - how incredible does it look!

As he cut into it I couldn't help but stare, it was filled with zingy colourful fruit and ice-cream and wow did it look good!

I had my eye on a dessert that wasn't in the ala carte menu, I had spotted the Cherry and Almond Tart on the early evening menu when we first arrived and had my heart set on trying it. Deciding that "shy bairns get nowt' I asked if I could order that instead and was over the moon when I was told it was no problem.  When a restaurant goes above and beyond to give you a great experience I immediately add it to my little list of very special places, I was so happy that they were so accommodating.  The tart was delicious - a very generous portion and the perfect sweet treat, it was a great way to end our meal.

We were completely blown away by our first experience of 1910 at Spanish City. The setting was stunning, the service was first class and the food was spot on. As we waddled our way back to the car we actually discussed if we had any criticisms at all that we could share on my review and neither of us could think of a single thing.

It was one of the best dining experiences we have had, I wouldn't hesitate to go back and even though it is a little on the pricey side I honestly feel like our incredible evening justified the price tag.

What you need to know:

• 1910 is open for dinner Thursday - Saturday 6:00 pm to late (last tables at 9:00 pm) and Sunday Lunch between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm.
• If you're after a bargain, the early evening menu is available between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm serving a set menu of 2 courses for £28.00 or three courses for £32.00
• If you're a dedicated foodie try out the 1910 Dining Club for amazing collaborations and experiences. Find out more here.

Find 1910 at:

Spanish City
Whitley Bay
NE26 1BG

0191 691 7090

spanishcity.co.uk/

We were treated to a complimentary meal for two people in exchange for this honest review.