Fenwick is bringing one of the most celebrated restaurants in the North East to the heart of Newcastle of an eight-week residency, offering diners the opportunity to experience some of Restaurant Hjem’s favourite dishes.
Famous for its traditional Scandinavian flavours and signature cooking style, created with ingredients from local farms and gardens in Northumberland, Restaurant Hjem is top of many foodies list of places to try.
Founded by husband and wife duo Alex Nietosvuori and Ally Thompson-Nietosvuori, Hjem (pronounced ‘yem’) is both a Northumbrian and Scandinavian word for home and is an apt name for the 24-seat restaurant located in the small village of Wall.
For the first time, Hjem is offering a unique opportunity for foodies to try an a la carte menu (or a frequently changing tasting menu) in the heart of Newcastle city centre by collaborating with Fenwick for a eight-week pop up experience. We went along to sample the menu.
If you were lucky enough to book yourself a table at Greggs Bistro at the end of last year, you’ll be familiar with the second-floor restaurant where Hjem has set up service. Stripping back from the theatrics and opting for a classic Scandinavian interior is no surprise. The tables are decorated with a simple vase of flowers and framed botanical prints hang on the green walls.
We’re shown to our table overlooking the bar and take a glance over the extensive drinks menu. From signature cocktails (including a special Mother Mercy drink) to specialty wines, there’s plenty to choose from. My friend goes with the recommendation of a dry rosé, whilst I order the Coastal Spritz, a non-alcoholic cocktail made with pentire seaward and tonic – something I’m told by our server is the perfect palate cleanser between courses.
Over to the food, the menu offers five courses including a range of Hjem röstis, snacks, starters, mains and desserts. We each order the burrata, tomato and basil röstis, a bite size flavour of freshness. Three triangle potato röstis are topped with creamy burrata, fresh tomatoes, a sprinkling of basil and finished with balsamic vinegar.
We decide to skip the snacks, although the grougère filled with Doddington cheese cream and pickled walnut sounded fantastic. For starters we go for the salmon sashimi served with Hjem hot sauce and lemon crème fraiche and the crab toast. Both portions are perfectly sized and my brown crab (caught locally in North Shields) is mixed with yuzu and horseradish and topped with pickled red onion giving the dish a welcomed kick of heat.
Moving on to the mains, the most popular choice amongst our fellow diners was clearly the duck frites (for two to share) and we decided to follow suit. Served with brown butter hollandaise, spicy fries and a green salad the sharing dish was delicious and the dry-aged duck fell apart when you cut into it.
Although our stomachs at this point were more than content, we couldn’t resist trying two of the desserts. The chocolate tarte caught my eye and was baked to order and served with Chantilly cream, whilst the waffle sandwich with vanilla ice cream, raspberries and miso caramel sauce was the ultimate sweet treat to round off our meal.
The overall experience of Hjem x Fenwick really was impressive. From the attentive and knowledgeable staff who were able to pair drinks, tell us about the history of the restaurant and explain where the ingredients of the dishes were sourced, to the fantastic flavours of the food, we couldn’t recommend this delicious pop-up enough.
Hjem x Fenwick pop-up is taking place until 4th August. Book your table here: Restaurant Hjem at Fenwick | Fenwick
