The arrival home of local boy Kenny Atkinson, Great British Menu fame and a couple of Michelin stars in his wake, has caused nothing short of hyperventilation among Newcastle's restaurant fans. Like Manchester and Glasgow, Newcastle has been spared the attentions of the star-makers, so there's little doubt this latest arrival comes with the full ponderous weight of expectations.
"Go on, give us a star," is the threnody that seeps from every flagstone crevice in this lovely old listed quayside building. "A little sparkler?" ask the young staff tripping around wonky floors there's not a straight line in the building as eager to please as puppies. "Just the one star won't kill you," Atkinson smiles as he pours dry ice over a zen garden of pebbles cradling Lindisfarne oysters, blootered by ginger, cucumber and lime. (OK, what he actually says is, "To remind you of early morning down by the harbour", which is very sweet.)
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