What we thought of Muse continental cafe on Yarm High Street
Something a little special seemed appropriate before heading to Yarm’s Princess Alexandra Auditorium for an audience with Sir Alastair Cook – former England captain, the country’s highest Test run scorer (until being overtaken by Joe Root), once a choirboy, now a sheep farmer and respected commentator.
In the spirit of such a high-calibre sporting legend, my sister and I went in search of a meal that could grace Lord’s, where Cook made four of his 33 Test centuries, although perhaps not at Lord’s prices.
We booked into Muse continental cafe on Yarm High Street for 5.30pm with our eyes on the early bird set menu, which is available from 12pm to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 5.30pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Thursday. It offers two courses for £22 or three for £25, which seems a really good deal when compared with the main menu.
For early on a Monday evening in February, there were already quite a few tables occupied, and from the demographic we wondered if, like us, they were about to spend an evening in the presence of Sir Alastair.
From the outside, Muse is all muted tones and tasteful lighting, and the pleasant decor continues inside, with bright artwork and hanging plants, contrasting nicely with more earthy colours for the seating and walls.
The early bird menu offers three choices for starter, main course and dessert – I went for the beef hash cake with caramelised onion, smoked cheese and fried egg, while Claire went for the Mediterranean vegetable risotto with tomato, pesto and pine nuts.
Well, the beef hash cake could have been a main meal in itself. It was presented as a stack with the onions providing a sweet, but not overpowering base. The crispy hash cake was packed with juicy, flavoursome meat, and topped with a perfectly cooked fried egg – yolk just the right amount of runny. I didn’t really get the smoked cheese coming through, but it didn’t feel lacking in any way because of that.
Claire’s risotto, with veg including courgettes and aubergines, was a much lighter way to start (and probably more sensible with mains to come). She enjoyed the sharpness of the pesto and the crunchy pine nuts as a contrast to the creamy rice and veg.
For our main courses, we were both a bit torn between the chicken and tarragon pie (served with pomme puree and kale) and the carrot gnocchi (with roast heritage carrot, spinach, garlic and sage butter and courgette pesto) so we ordered one of each and made a last-minute call as to who got what.
As it turned out we were both very content – I got the pie (what a surprise) and Claire the gnocchi. The pie, beautifully presented with the lights bouncing off its gleaming top, was seriously good. And it was a proper pie – the filling encased in some of the best pastry I’ve ever had. Light, buttery and melting in the mouth, it went perfectly with the tender, piping hot chicken filling. The pomme puree was wonderfully smooth, and the seasonal veg that accompanied both main courses was a perfectly cooked combination of crispy roast potatoes, firm broccoli and plentiful peas.
Claire’s colourful gnocchi had a subtle sweetness, and she was a big fan of the mix of flavours, with the addition of some kale adding a nice bit of freshness. The courgette pesto gave a pleasant, summery taste to the dish.
We considered adding a dessert – chocolate cake with macerated cherries, vanilla creme brulee, or salted caramel banoffee sundae – but in the end we decided to stick at two courses to avoid any sort of food-induced sleepiness when it came to showtime.
The bill, with a glass of a wine, and a soft drink, came to a smidge under £60. On the main menu, prices start at £16 for plant-based main courses, £20 for the cheapest meat-based option (a burger) and £25 for seafood dishes, so the early bird menu does offer decent value for money.
Recommended eating:
The service was spot on, and we had no issue paying the 12.5 per cent service charge (which equated to £6.64 for our bill) that Muse adds to all tables. We were grateful though that when settling the bill, our server double checked we were happy to have it included.
Was our meal in keeping with the entertainment to come? Without doubt. In fact, we were bowled over.
Muse continental cafe,
104b High Street, Yarm, TS15 9AU.
01642 788558
www.museyarm.com
Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 9 Surroundings 9 Service 8 Value for money 8