This dinner was complimentary in exchange for an honest review. As always, all thoughts, opinions, photos and food-loving are my own. Please read my disclaimer to find out more.
Have you heard of Wellingborough Road in Northampton?
It’s well known in the county for its lively bars and clubs and is arguably one of the best places for a night out in Northampton.
But when you actually look past the nightlife, Wellingborough Road offers some of Northampton’s hidden treasures when it comes to food and dining.
One of those hidden treasures is Old House Northampton.
The Old House Northampton, a quintessential English Pub & Kitchen, is a beautiful Victorian building perched on the corner of Wellingborough Road.
If you’re looking to escape from the hustle and bustle of the town, Old House is warm, friendly and couldn’t be more relaxing and comfortable.
Don’t be fooled. Upon the first appearance, Old House Northampton looks like your typical English pub which is ideal for those pre-drinks and weekend gatherings before hitting the clubs.
But what people need to do is go upstairs inside the Old House Northampton, where you’re taken to their rustic, cosy and intimate restaurant.
Josh and I got to pick our seats, which was really nice for the waitress to let us do, as it meant we got to sit right next to their big Victorian window overlooking the view of Wellingborough Road.
Despite a few police cars going up and down (typical N town), it was a really nice view to look at whilst we dined.
The decor was really warm, inviting and vibrant and was full of pretty and unique pieces which caught our eyes.
I loved how Old House Northampton have decorated their upstairs space compared to their downstairs bar, as it gave a real contrast from the wide-open spaced, modern and trendy vibe downstairs, to the smaller, but more intimate and cosy vibe upstairs – perfect especially if you are looking to have a quieter evening.
The creative décor choice of the hanging lights and bulbuls gave me a festive feeling walking in and it made the room feel like I was walking into someone’s living room. A very warm and welcoming start to the evening.
As we sat down, we were greeted by an incredibly lovely waitress, who was bright, bubbly and she had cool hair! She presented us with the menu’s and offered us something to drink.
To start, I just went for a Cola Cola to quench my thirst and to give me some sugar after a day at work, whilst Josh enquired what beer they had on tap.
Our waitress knew exactly what she would recommend and was able to list what they had available – Josh ended up picking a pint of Brooklyn Larger, which he ended up having a few of, which he was very content with throughout the whole evening.
Browsing through the menu, it’s clear that the Old House Northampton are experts when it comes to cooking up traditional English food with a modern twist and there was certainly plenty of surprises in store.
This was one of the few times that I didn’t check the menu before visiting, so I had a really open mind and no expectations about what I was going to experience.
Our waitress was very chatty and was happy enough to give us her recommendations when it came to choosing what dishes we ordered – however, Josh and I had no hesitation over what we were ordering, as we were both certain what we wanted for starters and mains.
As we waited, we enjoyed the view and sometimes even the drama unfolding outside the window, which was equally atmospheric and entertaining.
Suddenly, our waitress brought over a plate of garlic bread, balsamic and olive oil and olives whilst we waited for our starters – because we didn’t initially order anything prior to our starters, this was a really nice surprise and showed real customer care from herself.
Do you know when you have Garlic Bread and sometimes it can be just a bit too overpowering? So much so, it can ruin your taste buds for rest of the evening?
Well, not this Garlic Bread – because the garlic was mixed with pesto and drizzled on top and around of the bread rather than soaked in the bread, combined with the subtle balsamic and olive oil dip made for a subtle balance that was both tasty, but not in your face.
Josh also tried an olive for the first time – sadly, he did not enjoy the olives, which I can only put down to personal taste, as I love olives for starters (more for me!)
Soon enough, our starters arrived – let the feast begin!
Josh went for the Salted Battered Cod, pickled cucumber, radish and pepper coulis which when I took a bite, it suddenly hit you with a burst of saltiness, was golden in colour, crispy in texture on the outside, but flaky and fell apart with every bite.
The pepper coulis made the salty cod much sweeter and subtle, whilst still offering a flavour sensation.
I went for the slightly different option of the Duck Terrine, with gooseberry compote and toasted brioche. I’m not usually a fan of duck terrine and it was an off the cusp order, but it paid off.
The duck terrine was rich, smooth and had a wonderful combination of meat and spices and I liked how they served it cold rather than warm.
The berry compote was zesty and gave the duck terrine a zing of flavour, plus the toasted brioche was a great addition to give it that crunch – yet it was light and didn’t fill me too much before mains.
It didn’t stop me from eating it all up though!
It’s perfectly acceptable to have a glass of wine with dinner, right!? My usual choice of tipple with dinner is either a refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio wine, or a zesty gin and tonic.
However, on this occasion, I decided to switch things up and browse the wine menu for a red wine, seeing as we were having very autumnal food and my main was lamb, I thought a red wine would compliment my dinner.
Our waitress was good in helping me decide what wine to have, plus Josh is pretty good at knowing what I would like, so with a joint effort, I went for the Malbec red wine – full of richness with fruity notes that were pleasing on the pallet.
And once my main of a Lamb Duo of shoulder and loin with tossed greens, beetroot, garlic potatoes and a red wine jus arrived, it was as if this wine was made for this dish.
What made my Lamb Duo even more special was that the lamb loin was hidden inside a ball of cabbage that I had to cut in half to reveal – so different and so yummy when eaten together as clearly, cooking the lamb loin with the cabbage made the lamb so tender and moist.
The lamb shoulder was equally as tender, wrapped around its fat to give it a unique flavour. The garlic potatoes were cooked to perfection, with its golden crispy coat and fluffy inside, with a fresh rainbow of vegetables and the rich red wine jus all coming together to create a winter wonderland of flavour.
Josh opted for the Garlic and thyme chicken breast, with chorizo, red peppers, potato puree and diabolo sauce. In Josh’s words, it was one of his favourites dishes he’s eaten in a while. The chicken was extremely moist and very well seasoned and the chorizo gave it a salty but powerful kick.
But with the diabolo sauce, the chicken and chorizo were married together in such a way that it all just melted in the mouth.
Safe to say, we were both pretty full after our mains… but when our waitress came over with a smile, a bit of chat and banter and afterwards offered us the dessert menu, we couldn’t say no.
First impressions of the dessert menu, I noticed that the majority of their desserts were typical English delicacies that you would usually see on a traditional English restaurant menu. So on the first instance, there wasn’t anything that caught my eye.
However, once we spoke to the waitress who recommended her favourite dessert, which was the Tiramisu, she explained how it was a deconstructed version that was different from your traditional Tiramisu.
That was Josh’s mind made up, whilst I went for the Grilled Peach, vanilla meringue and passion fruit sauce after the waitress informed me that the meringue was freshly cooked. It was safe to say I was intrigued by what was to come…
When they say “don’t judge a book by its cover” it is so true because our desserts were easily the highlight and biggest surprise of the evening.
Turns out, fresh meringue is a common delicacy in Italy and I can see why because it’s out of this world and so much better than the traditional crumbly meringue you get at your local supermarket.
This one was so creamy and sweet, with all the vanilla essence coming to life and I find it almost hard to describe and I am lost for words over how it lifted me into a vanilla filled cloud.
The Grilled peach itself was a little on the firmer side for my liking, however, the vanilla meringue was able to contrast this and make it an unbelievable dessert experience along with the crunchy crystalised sugar scattered on the slab.
Josh’s deconstructed Tirimasu was certainly all over the place in terms of appearance, but no less delicious and presented in such a unique way.
The whole experience was like drinking a silky, milky mocha but in dessert form. Creamy, sugary, chocolaty and full of rich coffee flavours that swirled together nicely.
Overall, the experience dining at the Old House Northampton made us feel very relaxed, very at ease and away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
As we had our desserts cleared away, we were able to enjoy each other’s company without feeling the pressure of needing to leave, but our waitress was kind enough to offer us any further drinks or after dessert drinks.
After three courses, we were comfortably full, without feeling too heavy!
We enjoyed our waitresses company and service so much, that we didn’t want to walk out of the restaurant without personally giving her a tip to say thank you. Yes, we were invited for a complimentary review, but when you witness a waitress who goes above and beyond to make our experience worthwhile, I believe it is worth rewarding.
I would highly recommend coming to the Old House Northampton, especially how it’s in the ideal location right smack bang in the middle of Wellingborough Road and especially if you’re looking for somewhere above and away from the busy nightlife.
It’s definitely an ideal place for a weekday date night like we did.
Our starters ranged from £6.50 – £6.95, mains ranging from £15.50 – £18.50 and desserts all came at £5.95. Plus, my glass of regular red wine came at £7.50 Unfortunately, we didn’t get the price of Josh’s pint of Brooklyn larger.
Have you ever visited Old House Northampton?
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