The Rabbit Hotel in Durham launches new menu and changes layout

As the old adage goes: you should never judge a book by its cover.

And such is the case with The Rabbit Hole. Its white exterior and cobbled side street makes it look like just another of Durham's many quaint buildings.

But venture inside (after ringing the antique doorbell for entry under a red light) and it gets curiouser and curiouser.

Durham has welcomed a wave of new bars and restaurants of late, including many big chains, who go down the obvious neon signs and faux flower wall route when it comes to decor.

But The Rabbit Hole is one of the independent ventures that's flying the flag for individuality.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Durham's busier streets, it's tucked up Hallgarth Street, less than a 10 minute walk from the centre, and whisks people from the North East of England to the elegance of a 1920s Shanghai speakeasy.

Think Prohibition-era old school opulence, low lighting, fringed stools, teardrop chandeliers, cosy corners tucked behind swathes of heavy velvet curtains, antique mirrored walls. There's even light up menus to add to the ambience. It's all very Great Gatsby, a warren of decadence behind an unassuming exterior.

The Rabbit Hole has been serving up a taste of the Orient for the past five years, but it's recently had some tweaks.

The front room which was once a dim sum parlour has become part of the main restaurant and an old staircase has been removed to allow for more booth seating for groups.

It's also expanded its menu to provide Cantonese fusion dining, and reduced the prices to provide what it describes as "affordable luxury" as the cost of living crisis bites.

There was certainly a fair few groups in making the most of the new group seating on our visit on a Monday night, as well as courting couples - this is an ideal date night venue, so take note if you're looking for a place to make someone swoon.

In keeping with boosting their appeal to groups, there's a range of small plates and bar snacks on the menu which are ideal for ordering for the table - or larger mains if you're not into sharing food. There's also a decent selection of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options for those with dietary requirements.

We started with snacks of prawn crackers (£3.50), edamame (£4.50), a royal egg, chicken and sweetcorn soup (£8.50) and a hot and sour duck soup (£8.50).

I had the chicken and sweetcorn, a simple favourite of mine but one which can all too often be a watery affair. Not so here, the portion was huge, there was shred upon shred of chunky chicken, perfect for scooping up with the prawn crackers, and bags of flavour.

So much so, I was pretty full after that, but, eyes bigger than our bellies, we'd also chosen three small plates and a main to wade through together.

In our defence, we thought the small plates would be just that, but they were teetering on the brink of being mains size.

We particularly enjoyed the hoi sin shin beef (£11.50) - three tightly-packed spring rolls which contained a great medley of tender pulled beef, stringy mozzarella and house dip. I've not had spring rolls containing cheese before - I guess that's one of the fusion elements of the menu - but it works a treat.

The roasted belly pork (£9.50) also packed a punch flavour and price-wise. Again, good value for quality, it was slow cooked for succulence with a satisfyingly crisp crackling in a house sauce.

We were defeated by the size of the chilli garlic king prawns and squid (£12.50), again from the small plates menu. Served tempura style, there was plenty of plump prawns and chewy squid given a kick with lip-tingling chilli flakes, garlic and seaweed sprinkle.

Main choices include options such as curries, signature noodles and stir frys in meat, fish and veg options.

We had the miso cod, which is one of the pricier options at £21, but a fair price considering the setting and dish - you won't pay more than £23 for a main with the new menu.

Again, a great size, the dish featured a slab of wild caught cod, plenty of king oyster mushrooms, the kind you only get in a good Chinese restaurant, and a light miso sauce. Make sure to order a side of the crispy Chinese seaweed too (£7), which we couldn't get enough of.

It's all served on authentic traditional Chinese tableware in keeping with the old school vibe, that brought back fond memories for my friend who's originally from Hong Kong.

Drinks-wise, we stuck to a bottle of wine - a really crisp and vivid Picpoul - but there's plenty of new colourful cocktails to knock back on the new menu, including the classic Singapore Sling, American Sour Twist and more as well as Asian beers including Asahi, Tiger, Tsingtao and Hitachino.

It's a good quality offering you'd expect from owners, The Zen Group, who also own the long-running Zen; Tango, which has relocated to Saddler Street, and Whitechurch, which they recently took over.

It's great to see all the new openings in Durham, but it's independents like this that are worth rabbiting on about.

*The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth Street, Durham is open for lunch Saturday and Public Holidays: 12:00pm – 4:30pm and on evenings Monday – Saturday 5:00pm – 9:30pm