Business Lunch: Artisan 

Visiting a restaurant within an art gallery, you’d expect strong attention to detail to be paid to the dishes’ presentation and Artisan, at The Biscuit Factory, did not disappoint.

Each dish my two colleagues and I were presented with during our lunchtime visit last month were culinary works of art; the venue truly impressed with every course.

There has been a restaurant based at the 15-year-old commercial art gallery since it first opened but Artisan, which opened in March 2014, is the first to be owned by The Biscuit Factory itself, and is open from Wednesday to Sunday each week.

Head chef Andrew Wilkinson crafts modern British-inspired dishes each day, depending on the fresh and seasonal produce available to him.

The result is that the choice from the a la carte and the lunchtime set menu (priced two courses for £15 or three courses for £20) may be limited but you are guaranteed a different dish each time you visit.

My colleagues and I opted for the lunchtime set meal which offers a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts. As we were a trio, we were in a position to order the full menu!

I’ve said that every dish was beautifully presented – but Artisan’s food is by no means style over substance. The quality of the ingredients and exceptional culinary skill shone through. The sweet yet savoury Lyonnaise onion tart and decadent bavette of beef proved to be highlights in what was a much-enjoyed meal all round.

With its fine dining, good value and chic interior – complete with original artworks commissioned especially for the restaurant – Artisan really is a perfect place for a working lunch.

And if you haven’t finished the business talk when your meal is finished, you can always spend a few extra minutes walking around the main gallery space afterwards. Bliss.

Artisan
The Biscuit Factory, Stoddart Street, Newcastle
0191 260 5411
www.artisannewcastle.com 
@artisan_NE

Starters 

Wild garlic soup with poached egg, smoked salmon and buttermilk

Pressing of pig’s head and black pudding

Smoked ham hock, celeriac and kohlrabi

Goats curd with beetroot, walnut and honey

Mains 

Sea bream with fennel, blood orange and brown shrimp

Bavette of beef with pink fir potatoes, caramelised onion and green sauce

Lyonniase onion tart with duck egg, asparagus and morel mushrooms

Dessert 

Glazed lemon tart served with yoghurt ice cream and strawberries

Dark chocolate pave sith créme fraiche, lime, cumin and espresso

Vanilla burnt cream and Yorkshire rhubarb

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