Fine dining restaurant Faru opens in Durham this week

Chic new fine dining restaurant Faru welcomes its first guests this Friday, promising a seasonal tasting menu in the heart of Durham.

Married Jake and Laura Siddle met while working at gourmet eatery House of Tides in Newcastle, where 29-year-old Jake was head chef and 30-year-old Laura was in charge of reception.

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“It was always a dream to one day open our own restaurant, and now we’ve taken the plunge,” said Jake.

The team of Faru (LR), Assistant General Manager Sophia Mercer, Owners Jake and Laura Siddle and Sous Chef Liam Cavana. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“We thought, ‘We can do this for ourselves.'”

“We worked on it in the background for months and quit our job at the end of January. Since then we have been working really hard to make the opening possible.”

Located on Silver Street in Durham city centre, the restaurant, whose name derives from the Old English for ‘journey’, will be open four days a week.

The hand-painted Faru signage is given the finishing touches before the opening. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A ten-course tasting menu is available for £98, with dishes such as aged beef, crab tarts, duck and rhubarb on the first menu.

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Laura said: “For us, it’s about offering a tasting menu using the best local and seasonal ingredients.

Jake and Laura met while working at a gourmet restaurant in Newcastle. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“We tend to use ingredients that everyone knows but cook them as best as we can. We just want people to come along, trust us and our ethos, and keep an open mind.

“We have been practicing behind the scenes but when we open on Friday that will be the first official service.

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“The restaurant is a good representation of ourselves. We had an idea of ​​what it should look like and it turned out how we wanted it to be.”

Jake Siddle, 29, wants to impress with his dishes. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The final preparations are made in the kitchen. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

It follows in the footsteps of rival fine-dining restaurant Coarse, which opened last September and earned a spot in the Michelin Guide in January.

Faru will be open Wednesday through Saturday, with an additional lunch service on Friday and Saturday, with a menu designed to last two to three hours.

The Northern Echo took a peek inside the restaurant ahead of the opening: