Union Rooms: From Drab to Fab!

If you haven’t heard, the Union Rooms has had a refurb and its gorgeous! I went along to the press night but recently went back to see what they had to offer on their new menu.

You may remember the Union Rooms as a traditional Wetherspoons. Then it changed hands and no one really spoke about it after then. Until now that is. Lorenzo NE has taken over after a succession of restaurants in the Noth East. Along with their expertise in food, they have added a new look to the grade 2 listed Building.

The front of the building is still the main bar area, except with more glamorous seating areas and the perfect place for a band on a weekend too! When you head towards the back is where you will see the restaurant area. At the back, I would say there is a more casual style area in front of the new pizza oven and open kitchen. Then if you head further towards the back which is where I sat. It has a more formal dining feel to it. So it really is perfect for all eating occasions.

Union Rooms: The Food

Let’s get down to business! Because I was aware of the Unions Rooms sister company San Lorenzo, I vaguely knew to expect excellent pizza’s. But the menu was a lot more extensive

Starters

We began with starters of course. They do have a selection of bread too if you wanted something small and small plates too. I was intrigued to try the King Prawn Aglio E Olio and we were also tempted by the Pig’s cheeks and Chorizo Lollipops. I’ve never before then them on a menu and had no idea what to expect. Of course, they came out and were serviced on a lollipop stick and you get 3 large ones. They were filled with meat and perfect for meat lovers and to share also! They come with a buttermilk dipping sauce and because they are deep fried around the outside, the sauce is needed as they would be too dry otherwise.

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The prawns were fresh and served with quinoa. Again something I would never put together but added with the garlic i was a taste sensation! the prawns were fresh and I was impressed with their size. Sounds odd to say that I know, but when you order kind prawns and get shrimp in some places. You always make a point.

Mains

Back to pizza, San Lorenzo does Roma style stonebaked pizzas in their brand new pizza oven. Made fresh every time. We got the Salsiccia Ndjua pizza, all the cheese, all the meat and sauce. The toppings worked together lovely. It did not dissapoint and was the perfect size for one. They also do “lighter” options on pizza with different cheese if you want something a bit smaller.

They have lots of “large” plates to choose from but after having a starter I didn’t think I had enough room for those. I opted for something from the Grill. I went for marinated rosemary, smoked paprika and lemon butterfly chicken breast served with a garlic butter sauce. More garlic for me! I was surprised how large the dish was, so I have no idea just how big the “large” plates are. My chicken came with onion rings, coleslaw and fries too. The chicken was beautifully cooked and the plate was really filling. One thing I can say is that they don’t really do small portions unless you opt for them.

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Although I hadn’t expected onion rings, they were delicious. They were crispy and very little oil on them too. The coleslaw the fresh and handmade and with the added garlic sauce on the side. You can make it to your taste.

Dessert

The menu selection for the dessert was not very long but enough to choose something from. I opted for the brownie which came with pistachio ice cream. They were kind enough to swap this out for vanilla for me. I’m sure the pistachio would have been nice for others but not to my taste. The brownie was a piece of heaven at the end of the meal and I left with no more possible room to eat anything else.

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Overall the Union Rooms menu is extensive for all different food choices. They have a great vegan selection too! The service was brilliant from both servers we had and the setting at the back of the restaurant was perfect for a date night. I was pleasantly surprised they have managed to separate the bar and food area so well and for the food to be as good as it was. From the freshness to the menu choice. I will deffo be heading back again in the new year.