Customer Review Postcards.....
'Lunch was tasty - gratin full of great colours. Puds are a great experience & finally the building, tables and chairs are all so well put together - overall just FAB! Jean
'Lovely Food Reet grand. A bit of alreet! The main course was a meal in itself! Nice ambiance and great to find somewhere that caters for vegans, Thank you. Claire Lewis & Jo Lewis
'Beautiful night, amazing food well and truely worth every penny! & reasonable too. A lovely night & service excellent. Must try the cherry beer too! Thank you X' Anne-Marie
'The wanderers return.......Just like home, a warm welcome, good food, true friends. All that a person needs on a cold winters night' Susan & George
'Cool Tuesday. Celebrating (any excuse) end of term. Some discussion over starters 2 between 3 and eventually went for 2x haloumi/pineapple and 1x mushroom & parmesan risotto- exquisite + formidable respectively. Listened to Duke Special, WOW! Enjoyed the photo/art and promised myself to prompt daughter Anna (recent graduate) to contact Luke about an exhibit here. Dreamt of Ice cream and butterscotch sauce divine and whilst the biriyani cooks staff are amazingly laid back about "Is it gluten free" on 90% of the menu. Biriyani is to die for, I/C & Butterscotch speaks for itself.' Lynn Southern
'Im just a normal ?? meat eating bloke who drinks lager and likes sport...I've had a great night, say no more. Don't get put off by the stigma of 'vegetarian' You will not walk away dissatisfied or disappointed...Peace!!' Anonymous
'Lovely experience, relaxed and happy, smiley service excellent. Food simply delicious, lovingly prepared and served. We will definitely be back, bringing family and friends.' Ann & Jerry McCourt, Guisborough
'Tasty, tasty, very very tasty! Friendly staff, atmosphere and best of all, wonderful, guilt free food.' Laura Pickthall
'From a rare fillet steak lover. Food, wine, service & atmosphere fantastic. Thanks really enjoyable' Mr Pierre. Bsc
'Went to the Waiting Room 3 days out of a 4 day visit to the area. I wish I'd found it on the first day. A lovely quirky eating place (like sitting in your front room) very warm and friendly. However it's the food that does it for me. absolutely stunning, tasteful and adventurous organic veggy food. On my 3 visits I tried something different each time and every time it just got better and better. I can't wait to come back.' Derek Doyle
(10.03.10)
Hartlepool Mail Review March 2010
OK food fans answer me this! Do you know which eaterie on Hartlepool's doorstep has been voted for the UK's best Independent restaurant? And which establishment was declared the "Best in the North East" and included in the top 40 of all restaurants in the UK by a national Sunday newspaper. And which did the BBC Good Food Magazine also recommend as a "great restaurant", making reference to "inventive dishes" and "wonderful homely, rustic atmosphere"? The answer to all the above questions is the area's best kept secret - The Waiting Room, in Eaglescliffe. As the name suggests the restaurant is situated at the entrance to Eaglescliffe railway station. And it is easy to hop on the Grand Central Hartlepool to London service which stops at Eaglescliffe for just £3 return, meaning you can leave the car at home and enjoy a drink without having to pay a high taxi fare. My partner and I visited on Valentine's Day and chose from that evening's set menu. (£35 per person). Pre-meal we were presented with a sharing plate of melting mouthfuls - amuse bouche and titillating morsels. To start I chose roast butternut squash and stilton soup with sundried tomato croutons which left me with a warm feeling inside. My partner chose the fresh fig and mozzarella salad which was delicious. For main course my partner chose the Baked mushroom, cashew and applewood smoked plait served with creamed parsnip, and roasties, with a tarragon liquor. This was a delightful dish that tasted fantastic. I chose the puy shepherds pie with rosemary skewers cherry tomatoes, turnip and gravy. This was again a warming and most satisfying dish and the skewers provided a nice touch. For the dessert we enjoyed the Assiette of puddings (for two). A glazed fruit tart, a lemon custard and a chocolate roulade finished off with a sip of bakewell love potion - and a heart shaped biscuit! We both agreed they tasted heavenly. The Waiting Room has a fine selection of drinks. I Chose the Samuel Smith's organic fruit beer and my partner the organic fruit beer.
The restaurant itself has a friendly warmth about it and the staff are warm and intentive without being intrusive. As always the meal and the whole experience was thoroughly excellent - so why not make a visit to the area's best kept secret yourselves?
- Ian Monaghan