The Cartologist — Restaurant in Great Britain

Where to start! Itison voucher birthday treat for my daughter was afternoon tea. We took my mum along too as an extra special treat. I has booked beforehand for two of but asked if I could call later to confirm my mum would join us. Which I did, and was assured she had been added to the booking the evening before. I was contacted on the morning of our booking asking if I could confirm the third person as they had not heard back from me. I explained and clearly my previous conversation had not been relayed.

Arriving at the Cartologist, the room at the rear was pleasant and practically empty. Nothing was set up for us and we were told to " sit where you want".

Tea and a latte was brought. Large tea pot each - great. One tea bag - not so great. Tea was weak and was never going to be anything else. Latte was tepid and we requested another but hot this time. Sugar in sachets, not enough.

Then came the afternoon tea. The sandwiches, cakes and scones were presented in a tall, wooden shelved frame. This already restricted conversation with mum.

Without a shadow of doubt, the majority of the sandwiches had been made a considerable time before and the bread was curled up, dry and crispy. There were beef sandwiches with some kind of dressing on that was probably mayo but the beef was scraggy, the dressing sloppy and the bread was so bad I actually asked if it had been toasted. I was told that perhaps the chef had! These were inedible. They were replaced with an apology. The fresh sandwiches had fresh bread but the beef was tough, sinewy and dry.

The chicken sandwiches had a sweet chilli dressing. The bread again, inedible. Fresh sandwiches were there, egg and cheese. I'm sure they were made fresh because staff clarified with me a request I had made about 2 of us not wanting cheese.

There were 2 plain scones and a cheese scone. These were ok, however, butter in packets again and not enough.

The dry, hard bread theme continued with the cake selection. These were so dry by now they were hard. Each one was dry, crispy to the touch and again, inedible. Even the cake containing a cream filling - the filling had developed a skin.

After trying to make light of this and rescue the situation, and having only been able to each some chicken filling and my mum and daughter the scones, then started the building work.

Constant drilling 10 metres away in the outside area. I was appalled. The video I have is a small sample of what we sat through for 15 minutes until staff finally had the foresight to ask the builder to stop. My daughter spoke to staff at the bar area. This staff member had the audacity to argue back and claim each sandwich was freshly made and she had watched The chef make them. She was arrogant and rude, mostly unapologetic and defensive.

I spoke to a staff member who had waited on our table. She came over to say she had asked the builder to stop. I explained how disappointed I was that such a rare and special occasion had been ruined. I detailed all of the issues, showed her the curled up, dry bread, the poor fillings and the dryness of the cakes. The brownies (I think that's what they were?) were so brittle you could robustly tap them on the table. I explained this experience was so beyond poor, the food was atrocious, the presentation lacking, but the excuses given that the chef had toasted the tops of the sandwiches was incredulous.

This member of staff was very pleasant, apologetic and empathised.

Our experience here was terrible, really from start to finish. Some of the food offered I would not give to my dogs. 15 minutes of constant drilling does not make for a pleasant ambience. Staff arguing back when presented with inedible food is a huge red flag for any hospitality establishment.

Do not waste a moment further considering The Cartologist as being worth a visit. A special day for us wasted, leaving us...

Sunday lunch… Decided to try Sunday lunch without a reservation. Tables were available as we arrived late afternoon. Not sure if busy previously. Parking was fine but you have to pay, only free for permit holders. Atmosphere was quiet and the staff very friendly. Menu was limited. There was beef, pork belly, chicken thighs and a vegetarian option. Belly pork was unavailable. Never seen chicken thighs as a main on a Sunday dinner before. Personally I dislike so was disappointed. The food arrived in good time. The potatoes seemed over cooked or hot plated so didn’t taste good. The vegetables were nice but over garnished with dried thyme which was annoying as kept having to pick it out of my mouth. The desert menu was predictable to other restaurants, however there were 2 options for cheesecake, one being rhubarb cheesecake which seemed strange. Overall I thought the meal was good but nothing special. Prices are high considering the...

19 January 2025 We had visited last year and been impressed (review below) so we tried it again. The menu has changed and the price gone up. It was all nice enough- we had pork loin which was tasty, with excellent crackling..but vegetables are now a lot less, gravy in a tiny pot. Somewhat bizarrely no chicken on the roast dinner menu, but they did produce a roasted chicken breast when we asked…but then charged the same as roast beef.

We are on a hunt for a good Sunday lunch in Durham and came here at 3pm after another pub we had booked at turned out to be closed..

We had roast lunch - pork loin & also turkey. Meat was really moist and tasty, veg was also tasty - swede mash, potato mash, roasted carrot, parsnip, Yorkshire pudding and greens..we asked for apple sauce and extra gravy.

Screen was off, music on…nice lighting and nice atmosphere,...