Fabulous experience in the Orangery in Rockliffe yesterday!Went for afternoon tea which was a faultless experience from friendly greeting to farewell.Wonderful service and delicious food beautifully presented.Parking: Easy to park for a short walk to the hall and amenities.
Kevin B
We have been on a few occasions but every time i cant help feeling underwhelmed. The restaurant lacks ambience, the room is just dim and very bland. No art, plants , just nothing . I wanted to feel a vibrant atmosphere but it was just very flat. The food, whilst nice was just that. Didn’t blow me away and wasn’t very memorable. I really want more from this place, when spending over £500 on a meal for two i want it memorable,. Please Consider a dinner dance night with a live music band ( Look at what the Ritz on a fri & Sat) and make it a place that is more lively and somewhere to spend the full evening and more importantly somewhere that you cant wait to return. As it is now i wouldn’t really be in a hurry. Sorry.
Sarah Scott
Recommended 100%
Christopher Wilson
Took my fiancé here for her birthday for a spa day at the Rockliffe Hotel. The restaurant serves food at Michelin star prices but food doesn't quite cut it. Service is fine and brought up allergy note on reservation at the beginning of meal, but staff should try to smile a bit more and try to be more engaging.More annoyed than anything else as the restaurant engaged in the age old sin of set menu/taster menu sized dishes on the à la carte menu. As expected left feeling extremely hungry despite spending over £250 for two three "course" meals and a bottle of wine, left the hotel premises a couple hours later to get McDonald's. As for the food itself, okay, but just didn't quite cut it. Lamb was bland, the risotto nothing to shout about (unoriginal), and nothing that I couldn't get at a French Bistro in Edinburgh or Newcastle for half the price and twice the quantity. Bakewell tart for desert was somewhat redeeming.@Chef check out l'escargot bleu in Edinburgh for three courses done right, or do what Hjem in Northumberland does and get rid of the à la carte menu so people know not to come if they don't want to sit through 8-10 courses. Not sure about the mix of English and French dishes either, local ingredients but no local inspiration. Feel free to invite me back when you've fixed this, and please fix this as you are obviously quite talented.
932gd
On a very warm, sunny day we went for afternoon tea at The Rockliffe, in The Orangery. What a lovely room with lots of staff. Our booking had been made well in advance with the dietary requirements for 2 of the party. One had been noted. The other had not. Response of the staff was ☹️. To paraphrase "too much for the chef to suddenly cater for the vegetarian!" Really?! This then set the tone for the meal. Instead of being received welcomingly, we had become a burden. Given the heat of the day and this particular room in the venue, the food did not cope well. The cakes, brought just minutes after the sandwiches, melted on their dishes. A coffee pot was taken away to be refilled. Great! No. We had to ask twice for it to be returned. Upon payment the gift cards were taken as previously agreed. The excess could be paid by card or with cash. If cash was paid no change was given! They would not give change. This is an establishment highly rated by some. It has not matched my expectations. At £29.50 per person this is poor value
laurafH6456RL
Amazing food. The tasting menu was a delight from start to finish and the wine really did compliment every single dish. Our favourite dish was the salmon, but it was all very enjoyable. There was just the perfect amount of food to eat and the service and knowledge of the staff was very impressive. The eggs for breakfast were cooked to perfection. Would highly recommend.
942rachaelc
We had breakfast absolutely gorgeous staff very nice couldn’t do enough for you, great service plenty of good to choose from , nice and quite with a lovely view,
robertdS8906EG
We booked RH because it was convenient for a business meeting I had the following day. The menu at The Orangery looked interesting but not outstanding. How wrong we were! Head Chef Paul Nicholson had a Michelen Star at The Clockhouse in Ripley and his experience and ability shines through at The Orangery. Obviously not cheap but then cooking at this standard is never going to be. Beautiful confit salmon and the cod-iest cod dish I've ever had. Simply exquisite chocolate mouse! I'm sure it will not be long before the Michelen inspectors catch up with Paul and his brigade. Well done all round!
simplyh2018
Been visiting rockliffe Hall for 7 years and usually pay £4.50 for a tea. On visiting today was told prices had gone up and it was now £6.50. Feel like they are ripping people off at this price, I run a gourmet tea business and we pay £20 per kilo and that is enough tea for 100+ cups
The Orangery restaurant is a nice space. The dinner menu comprises a La carte and tasting choices. The a la carte offering comprises a choice of three dishes for starter, mains and dessert; essentially a fish, meat and veggie choice. It rarely changes despite the website suggesting otherwise. Stay for a few days and your choice is extremely limited! There is the Club House and Nu Sana but neither are fine dining. The portion sizes are on the small side but balanced out over three courses they are “adequate”. Sadly vegetables are not offered but are nice when requested; note that there is a kitchen garden on site which is superb! The new head chef is well experienced and only a couple of weeks in; let’s hope he brings about some improvements. Also, the recommended dress code is shirt / jacket for men (no jeans or trainers); despite this both jeans and trainers are in evidence! Either smart casual or jackets etc are fine but if there is a “rule” it should be enforced!
66TommyBoy
The venue is fantastic and the food, drinks were really good and service was fine. But it is eye-wateringly expensive! The food we had was lovely and looked and tasted great. We also paid for the wine pairing to accompany our food. Despite the quality, it was just too expensive! The wine pairing cost £50 per person and we had 5 glasses of wine retailing at £10 / bottle (I checked on Vivino!). They were nice and we got a nice explanation but nothing special. So, here's the the thing. It was lovely, but I have eaten in a couple of Michelin starred restaurants in much grander surroundings than Hurworth (no offence :-) ) and paid a lot less. And they much more laid back, without compromising the experience. Could have done with a little more bread, or even toast with duck liver parfait? And what was with the tumpty for hand bags? But hey! So
markymark7676
Most of this meal was good, really tasty in fact but all massively let down by the main course (steak) which was so overdone it really soured the rest of the meal. Service all night was excellent and everyone played their part very well in making it an excellent experience. Owen especially was brilliant both in the evening and at breakfast the next morning. Both myself and my partner ordered the steak dish for the main course - we were doing the 3 course a-la-carte as part of a dinner bed and breakfast deal - and were both massively disappointed with it. At point of ordering the waitress checked that we were both happy with the meat being cooked medium rare which is exactly how we like it so all good. What we actually got was well done and not a drop of pink anywhere near it. We were there for my partners birthday and she asked that i didn't make a fuss about it or say anything as she is far too considerate about others for her own good sometimes! So yes, i could have said something about it and given the kitchen the chance to rectify the issue but what really infuriates me about this sort of thing in this sort of restaurant is that the chef has made the decision to send that dish out completely over done. Everything is checked and they've basically gone "meh, i don't really care about my diners experience or the money they've paid" and sent it out anyway. That to me is really really poor. As mentioned the other food was really tasty and well presented.
Mike Sweeting
Outstanding cuisine preceded by very good cocktails in the bar. The hotel deserves all the plaudits it gets. Particularly impressive that standards have been maintained at this time of chef and staff shortages. Lovely reception staff too. The original building has a real wow factor too.
Nia Manon
Fantastic! Great food great wine. Very attentive and knowledgeable staff.
Afternoon tea absolutely
Fabulous experience in the Orangery in Rockliffe yesterday!Went for afternoon tea which was a faultless experience from friendly greeting to farewell.Wonderful service and delicious food beautifully presented.Parking: Easy to park for a short walk to the hall and amenities.
We have been on a few occasions but every time i cant help feeling underwhelmed. The restaurant lacks ambience, the room is just dim and very bland. No art, plants , just nothing . I wanted to feel a vibrant atmosphere but it was just very flat. The food, whilst nice was just that. Didn’t blow me away and wasn’t very memorable. I really want more from this place, when spending over £500 on a meal for two i want it memorable,. Please Consider a dinner dance night with a live music band ( Look at what the Ritz on a fri & Sat) and make it a place that is more lively and somewhere to spend the full evening and more importantly somewhere that you cant wait to return. As it is now i wouldn’t really be in a hurry. Sorry.
Recommended 100%
Took my fiancé here for her birthday for a spa day at the Rockliffe Hotel. The restaurant serves food at Michelin star prices but food doesn't quite cut it. Service is fine and brought up allergy note on reservation at the beginning of meal, but staff should try to smile a bit more and try to be more engaging.More annoyed than anything else as the restaurant engaged in the age old sin of set menu/taster menu sized dishes on the à la carte menu. As expected left feeling extremely hungry despite spending over £250 for two three "course" meals and a bottle of wine, left the hotel premises a couple hours later to get McDonald's. As for the food itself, okay, but just didn't quite cut it. Lamb was bland, the risotto nothing to shout about (unoriginal), and nothing that I couldn't get at a French Bistro in Edinburgh or Newcastle for half the price and twice the quantity. Bakewell tart for desert was somewhat redeeming.@Chef check out l'escargot bleu in Edinburgh for three courses done right, or do what Hjem in Northumberland does and get rid of the à la carte menu so people know not to come if they don't want to sit through 8-10 courses. Not sure about the mix of English and French dishes either, local ingredients but no local inspiration. Feel free to invite me back when you've fixed this, and please fix this as you are obviously quite talented.
On a very warm, sunny day we went for afternoon tea at The Rockliffe, in The Orangery. What a lovely room with lots of staff. Our booking had been made well in advance with the dietary requirements for 2 of the party. One had been noted. The other had not. Response of the staff was ☹️. To paraphrase "too much for the chef to suddenly cater for the vegetarian!" Really?! This then set the tone for the meal. Instead of being received welcomingly, we had become a burden. Given the heat of the day and this particular room in the venue, the food did not cope well. The cakes, brought just minutes after the sandwiches, melted on their dishes. A coffee pot was taken away to be refilled. Great! No. We had to ask twice for it to be returned. Upon payment the gift cards were taken as previously agreed. The excess could be paid by card or with cash. If cash was paid no change was given! They would not give change. This is an establishment highly rated by some. It has not matched my expectations. At £29.50 per person this is poor value
Amazing food. The tasting menu was a delight from start to finish and the wine really did compliment every single dish. Our favourite dish was the salmon, but it was all very enjoyable. There was just the perfect amount of food to eat and the service and knowledge of the staff was very impressive. The eggs for breakfast were cooked to perfection. Would highly recommend.
We had breakfast absolutely gorgeous staff very nice couldn’t do enough for you, great service plenty of good to choose from , nice and quite with a lovely view,
We booked RH because it was convenient for a business meeting I had the following day. The menu at The Orangery looked interesting but not outstanding. How wrong we were! Head Chef Paul Nicholson had a Michelen Star at The Clockhouse in Ripley and his experience and ability shines through at The Orangery. Obviously not cheap but then cooking at this standard is never going to be. Beautiful confit salmon and the cod-iest cod dish I've ever had. Simply exquisite chocolate mouse! I'm sure it will not be long before the Michelen inspectors catch up with Paul and his brigade. Well done all round!
Been visiting rockliffe Hall for 7 years and usually pay £4.50 for a tea. On visiting today was told prices had gone up and it was now £6.50. Feel like they are ripping people off at this price, I run a gourmet tea business and we pay £20 per kilo and that is enough tea for 100+ cups
Restaurantji Recommends
The Orangery restaurant is a nice space. The dinner menu comprises a La carte and tasting choices. The a la carte offering comprises a choice of three dishes for starter, mains and dessert; essentially a fish, meat and veggie choice. It rarely changes despite the website suggesting otherwise. Stay for a few days and your choice is extremely limited! There is the Club House and Nu Sana but neither are fine dining. The portion sizes are on the small side but balanced out over three courses they are “adequate”. Sadly vegetables are not offered but are nice when requested; note that there is a kitchen garden on site which is superb! The new head chef is well experienced and only a couple of weeks in; let’s hope he brings about some improvements. Also, the recommended dress code is shirt / jacket for men (no jeans or trainers); despite this both jeans and trainers are in evidence! Either smart casual or jackets etc are fine but if there is a “rule” it should be enforced!
The venue is fantastic and the food, drinks were really good and service was fine. But it is eye-wateringly expensive! The food we had was lovely and looked and tasted great. We also paid for the wine pairing to accompany our food. Despite the quality, it was just too expensive! The wine pairing cost £50 per person and we had 5 glasses of wine retailing at £10 / bottle (I checked on Vivino!). They were nice and we got a nice explanation but nothing special. So, here's the the thing. It was lovely, but I have eaten in a couple of Michelin starred restaurants in much grander surroundings than Hurworth (no offence :-) ) and paid a lot less. And they much more laid back, without compromising the experience. Could have done with a little more bread, or even toast with duck liver parfait? And what was with the tumpty for hand bags? But hey! So
Most of this meal was good, really tasty in fact but all massively let down by the main course (steak) which was so overdone it really soured the rest of the meal. Service all night was excellent and everyone played their part very well in making it an excellent experience. Owen especially was brilliant both in the evening and at breakfast the next morning. Both myself and my partner ordered the steak dish for the main course - we were doing the 3 course a-la-carte as part of a dinner bed and breakfast deal - and were both massively disappointed with it. At point of ordering the waitress checked that we were both happy with the meat being cooked medium rare which is exactly how we like it so all good. What we actually got was well done and not a drop of pink anywhere near it. We were there for my partners birthday and she asked that i didn't make a fuss about it or say anything as she is far too considerate about others for her own good sometimes! So yes, i could have said something about it and given the kitchen the chance to rectify the issue but what really infuriates me about this sort of thing in this sort of restaurant is that the chef has made the decision to send that dish out completely over done. Everything is checked and they've basically gone "meh, i don't really care about my diners experience or the money they've paid" and sent it out anyway. That to me is really really poor. As mentioned the other food was really tasty and well presented.
Outstanding cuisine preceded by very good cocktails in the bar. The hotel deserves all the plaudits it gets. Particularly impressive that standards have been maintained at this time of chef and staff shortages. Lovely reception staff too. The original building has a real wow factor too.
Fantastic! Great food great wine. Very attentive and knowledgeable staff.