Hern

Tucked away among a row of suburban shops, Hern is easy to miss and there's nothing outside to suggest it is even a restaurant. No menu, no opening times, and even the signage is minimal – as discreet and modest as chef/patron Rab Adams himself. Yet this tiny spot is full most nights with diners lapping up good food at keen prices. Cordon Bleu-trained Adams, who served time under Gordon Ramsay and Josh Overington, offers a short carte on Wednesdays and a four-course set menu from Thursday to Saturday. Local and seasonal ingredients are a given, along with low waste and sustainability, while the repertoire is driven by clean, uncomplicated ideas. Take a dish of Batavia lettuce, given a 'green goddess' dressing (yoghurt, lemon, anchovy, heaps of herbs) and finished with pangrattato and finely grated Ribblesdale cheese, or mascarpone, sprouting broccoli, black olives and chilli piled onto fresh toast. Fried polenta fingers are a wonderful snack, sizzling hot and crisp from the fryer and paired with vibrant pesto, while the bread is freshly baked, pillowy focaccia – a throwback, no doubt, to the days when Adams ran his own wholesale bakery. The chef's take on 'chicken parmo', the Middlesborough-invented takeaway of choice after a night on the lash (breaded chicken escalope, béchamel sauce and cheap block Cheddar) would be called 'posh parmo’ in the north-east. It's made from tender chicken and decent cheese, with asparagus on the side, though for size it would match any parmo you would find on Linthorpe Road. For something lighter, you might be offered sea bass with a vibrant red pepper sauce and marinated courgettes, while dessert might be a beautiful lemon posset, studded with strawberries and topped with a cooling elderflower granita – perfect for a searingly hot evening. A short wine list is arranged by character, while sharp, helpful service completes a terrific local package.