THE name Bill Oldfield may be familiar to you. You might recall his role as a leading light in Teesdale Marketing's plans to build the world's longest suspension bridge across the River Tees.

Alternatively, you might remember him as the owner of the eponymous restaurants in Darlington and Barnard Castle that picked up numerous awards and then, sadly, were closed.

Some may remember, in particular, the row in Barnard Castle about the closure of the restaurant there, his first. Bill's remark, when asked why the establishment on the Bank was being shut down, that Barney was a "tea-shop town" was widely misinterpreted as a suggestion that it didn't deserve a decent restaurant.

That's not quite what he meant. He was trying to say that his style of restaurant might do better elsewhere. Elsewhere has turned out to be Durham and Jesmond, Newcastle.

This may take the column a bit off our normal patch but it was thought those whose enjoyed Bill's good value contemporary cooking in South Durham might be interested in knowing how he's getting on in pastures new.

Very well, as it happens. On the strength of trying both the Durham and Jesmond premises I can report that both establishments are in the Oldfields tradition but have developed a metropolitan edge.

The Oldfields formula has been re-applied with renewed vigour. The Durham restaurant in Claypath, in a building which once housed the offices of The Northern Echo and was originally the headquarters of the Durham Gas Company, is the grander of the two, thanks to the imposing first-floor oak-panelled and stained-glass windowed restaurant which was once the gas company's boardroom. Downstairs is a lounge bar and dining area combined.

In Jesmond, a former telephone exchange and scout headquarters has been converted, again with a restaurant upstairs and a bar/restaurant downstairs.

On a recent visit to the Jesmond restaurant on a busy Saturday night the atmosphere was warm and friendly, in marked contrast to the sheet rain that was promising to clear the ultra-trendy Osborne Road of its well-heeled, young punters.

There were plenty of those in Oldfields and it does have an undeniably trendy feel, although I suspect Bill would reject the description. It is not, however, fashionable in an ultra-cool and intimidating way. The staff are universally cheery and accommodating and seated us downstairs with drinks and menus.

The menu is common to both Durham and Jesmond and features nine starters, 10 main courses, nine desserts plus a few blackboard specials. There's also a slightly cheaper lounge menu for those looking for a snack

Sylvia's tempura prawns with apple and chilli marmalade (£6.95) were plump, juicy, tangy and "absolutely de-lish".

My leek and spring onion risotto with blue cheese fondue (£5.50) was meltingly soft in the middle but with an intriguingly crispy exterior. I later found out this was achieved by pan-frying and baking the made-up risotto. It was a novel way to treat a dish which can be bland mush. This was anything but that.

My main course also passed muster. The loin of swordfish was nicely meaty and served on a bed of creamed potato with a lemon and tomato salsa (£13.50).

Sylvia's breast of chicken with pancetta ham and a goat's cheese rosti(£12) didn't quite hit the heights of the prawns but nevertheless went down well. It was "delish" as opposed to "absolutely delish".

I finished with another novelty - a mint and dark chocolate cheesecake (£4.95) which was either going to be utterly disgusting or rather good. It turned out to be the latter and went well with some decently strong coffee.

There were only two minus points and they were pretty minor. Oldfields is not big on veg, as each dish comes complete. Some diners might jib at paying £2-2.50 extra for portions of green beans, chips, chive mash, salad or roasted root vegetables. And those with slightly dodgy hearing might find all the wood, glass and other polished surfaces make for a challenging aural environment on a very busy night. It's not an issue at Durham where the upstairs restaurant benefits from sound-deadening carpet. Perhaps I'm just getting old.

The bill came to well under £50 which suggests that Bill may have moved up market but his prices haven't. Worth a trip up North.

* In last week's review of the Nag's Head, at Pickhill near Thirsk, we published the incorrect telephone number. The number is 01845 567391. We apologise for the error