Marco Polo

A well established restaurant in the heart of Newcastle, Marco Polo serves delicious contemporary Italian food made with fresh quality produce. Having recently undergone a mini-refurbishment (http://www.juliechambersdesign.com/) the stylish and elegant surroundings compliment the impressive menu. Each dish is cooked to order by the talented chefs who make everything from scratch including the various breads, pizza and pasta. This is not your typical Italian restaurant and is definitely worth a visit any day of the week.  

Marco Polo Restaurant   Dean Street   Newcastle Upon Tyne

Telephone 0191 232 5533

http://www.marcopolonewcastle.com

Open 12noon until late  Monday-Sunday

Head Chef Michael Johnson

The Toon Waal

The best Pub in Newcastle (probably)
Located on Pink Lane just opposite Newcastle Central train station, The Town Wall is housed inside a beautiful grade 2 listed building on a site which once formed part of the twenty-four wards, fortifying the original city boundaries.
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The Wall opened earlier this year and immediately became my new favourite watering hole with a brilliant selection of local and international beers and ales. The locally sourced food menu covers everything from breakfast to light bites and proper pub lunches. The Sunday roast is pretty special too. 
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Next time you're in Newcastle make sure you pop in for a pint…
and maybe some scran
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Artwork by Mr Scruff

The Town Wall   Pink Lane   Newcastle Upon Tyne

Telephone 0191 232 3000

www.thetownwall.com

Open Monday - Thursday 12pm to midnight

           Friday and Saturday 12pm to 1am
           Sundays - 12pm to 11pm

Apple & Plum Crumble

For the first time in 5 years the apple tree in my garden has burst into life with an abundance of eatable fruit, probably due to the miserable wet summer we've had. I'm sick of the lack of sun and heat, and the final straw came on Friday when my heating turned itself on. Ridiculous! 

Having given up on the summer I'm looking ahead to my favourite season Autumn and the warming comfort food that comes with it. Inspired by the apples on my tree I decided to cheer myself up by making a delicious, warming Apple and Plum Crumble. Up yours Summer!

SERVES 6 (or 3 greedy people)

Welcome to Rosie's

Rosie’s Bistro and Patisserie in Gosforth, Newcastle, opened in January this year and has quickly built a reputation for serving excellent food, amazing patisserie and great coffee. It has stiff competition from the other cafe’s, restaurants and coffee houses on the high street, but the quality of what they do stands out above the rest.

To find it you need to walk through the Gosforth Shopping Centre and it's hidden away at the back overlooking the park. 

The beautiful interior was designed by Julie Chambers and is furnished with reclaimed tables, chairs and various vintage items.

 

When you enter you're greeted by an old haberdashery cabinet full of biscuits and sweet treats.  On the counter top there are various cakes such as Torta Caprese (flour-less chocolate cake), Carrot and Walnut, Bakewell Tart or Pistachio and Olive Oil. The fridges underneath are also packed full of stunning delights.

The cakes and patisserie are made on site daily and there are fruit and cheese scones baked each morning and afternoon. 

The 

bistro menu is very impressive too and is much in keeping with the ethos of Rosie's. The chefs Richard Winfield and Russell Byrne work hard to develop seasonal menu's sourcing ingredients from various local producers. 

Richard Winfield and Russell Byrne

Rosie's opens at 10am serving North Acomb Farm bacon or sausage sandwiches and home made scones.

The bistro menu is served between 11.30am and 2.30pm offering a selection of sandwiches, salads and hot dishes such as Quiche, Croque Monsieur (my personal favourite), Spiced Lamb Patties, Minute Steak Sandwich and Thai Fish Cakes. There is always a soup of the day and a regular selection of specials.

From 2pm onwards the Afternoon Tea menu is served from which you can choose a Cream Tea (two scones, clotted cream and jam) or the full Afternoon Tea as well as a beautiful selection of desserts.

Next time you're in Gosforth I urge you to drop by. It's not really the sort of place to take someone who's on a diet, but hey everyone needs a treat every now and then!

Rosies Bistro & Patisserie   23-24 Gosforth Centre   Gosforth   Newcastle Upon Tyne

Telephone 0191 213 6220

www.caferosies.co.uk

Open Monday to Saturday 10am - 5.30pm

Introducing Flat Cap Joe

I discovered Flat Caps Coffee House in Newcastle earlier this year after growing tired of being served coffee flavoured milk by the chains. The final straw came one day in May whilst sitting in Pret drinking a double espresso. After a couple of minutes I thought, this coffee's crap, why do I keep buying it! I then went in search of something better.

Hidden away in the basement of a gift shop, Flat Caps has a completely different atmosphere to any other cafe. You really feel as if you've escaped from the busy world above. Joe Meagher opened Flat Caps Coffee last year with the intention of serving the best coffee in Newcastle. Having recently won an award for best barista it seems he's already achieving his goal.  

The house blend Daterra Bruzzi from Brazil is probably the nicest I've tasted, and there is an impressive selection of guest coffees which are individually filtered per cup. For £5 you can try any of the coffees brewed at your table with a syphon coffee maker, which is quite an experience…

The guest coffee always comes with a brief description about where it's from and how it tastes, hand written by Joe. You can tell he really loves coffee, and it shows in the quality of what he serves.

If you prefer tea you can choose from a list of 15 varieties including a number of loose leaf and flowering types. The fridge is stocked with locally brewed soft drinks, or if you'd prefer why not try a Cola Float.

Joe also serves some lovely food including sandwiches, toasties and a selection of cakes, scones and fudge.

Goats Cheese and Beetroot Sandwich and my favourite Cola Float

Flat Caps is located just off Northumberland Street so next time you're in Newcastle why not pop in and say hello.

Flat Caps Coffee House (basement of Elula)   13 Ridley Place   Newcastle Upon Tyne

www.flatcapscoffee.com

@flatcapjoe on twitter