A leading restaurant in Newcastle kicked off its spring menu with a specially crafted dish in support of NUFC manager Rafa Benitez.
Chris Wardale, head chef at Blackfriars Restaurant and Banquet Hall, is a lifelong fan of Rafa Benitez – who hails from Madrid – and created a special Spanish dish to mark Rafa’s arrival on Tyneside earlier this season.
The dish consists of Wild boar imported from Spain, black pudding and potato gratin, apple sauce, grelot onions and crispy sage.
Blackfriars, though based in the heart of Newcastle city centre, has strong links to Spain, as the restaurant is set within a former friary which housed Dominicans who originated from Madrid. Chris’s Spanish creation was inspired by a meat dish which was a mainstay of the Dominicans, and the dish now has pride of place on the restaurant’s spring menu.
Andy Hook, owner of Blackfriars Restaurant and Banquet Hall, said: “Chris – and many of us here at Blackfriars – are passionate NUFC fans, and we were delighted when we heard that Rafa the Gaffer would be coming to Tyneside. To show our support for Rafa, Chris created a taste of Rafa’s homeland – a very succulent Spanish dish, full of flavour, which is proving to be a popular choice on our spring menu. Rafa is of course welcome to try the dish for himself – and we’d be very interested to hear a post-match analysis of his experience at Blackfriars.”
Blackfriars’ spring menu, including the Wild boar dish, is available to view at: www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk/menus/33/evening-a-la-carte
Blackfriars dates back to 1239 and is one of the oldest restaurants in the UK. Its ornate 50-seat Banquet Hall was built to entertain guests and nobles to Newcastle, and it was the celebrated venue used by King Edward III to receive royal Scot, Edward Balliol, in 1334.
The restaurant received the Taste of England accolade at the North East Tourism Awards and was voted Best North East Restaurant in the Licensed Trade Awards.
For further information about Blackfriars, visit www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk, email info@blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk or call 0191 261 5945.
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Blackfriars Restaurant, Friars Street, Newcastle, NE1 4XN.