Erica chose our lunch to The Tayberry, so it was Sam’s choice and she’d heard about The Newport from family. The Newport is the creation of Masterchef winner Jamie Scott. At the moment the only offering is a tasting menu, but you can choose between the 4 or 7 course. We went for the 7 course but fancied trying the vegetarian option.
We started with some of the best snacks we’ve ever had. The Fermented Turnip Tart was delicate with a sharp tang from the turnip. Next up was a rich and savoury St Andrews Cheddar Cookie. The little Celeriac Taco was one was our least favourite of the snacks, it was a tiny bit bland in comparison to the others. A bit of spicy sauce would have added a bit of interest and zing. The final bite sized morsel was a little root vegetable Samosa which was packed full of flavour.
I love onion and our first official course was a celebration of this humble allium. ‘Our Humble Onion‘ featured a slow cooked onion with an onion velouté and garnished with onion seeds. It was lovely and sweet and a real celebration.
We love pasta as part of a smaller dish like you get in tasting menus. The Dunsyre Blue Raviolo was filled with salty cheese which was balanced out with purple broccoli and Jerusalem artichoke. At this point we weren’t missing the meat or fish at all.
The Ayrshire Potato Risotto was soft and comforting, a gentle bowl of creamy potatoes with foraged mushrooms and black garlic. At this point we’d had quite a bit of food and realised that we could have happily gone for the 4 course menu, especially with the amazing snacks, bread, and dip tray. Nevertheless we marched on to the Etuvé Of Pittormie Leeks. I love leeks and with the seaweed butter it did have the vibe of a replacement fish dish.
To be honest this was our first full vegetarian tasting menu and by the final course we did feel a bit vegetable-d out. However it was lovely to try something different. The Confit Crepaudine of Beetroot was a colourful dish but it was a wee bit sweet for us. At this point I kind of wanted a bit of beef haha. That said it was really well cooked and I’m sure if you’re used to eating vegetarian food then you’d have loved it.
Our first dessert was called ‘BTP‘ which incorporated raw & cooked pear, cinnamon & vanilla. It ate similar to a sticky toffee pudding which is always welcome!
Our final treat was Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb. It was creamy and indulgent with little shards of meringue.
We were totally stuffed despite having no meat or fish which was a good thing. The Newport has quite a relaxed vibe about it so if that suits you then you’ll enjoy. Head down at dusk and apparently you might get lucky and catch a nice sunset over the water.
We’ll definitely return and probably have the four course menu next time, that said it was a lovely treat to experience all that Jamie has to offer.
Find out more – The Newport