Fancy a treat? Head to House of Tides

Last night the AA awarded their annual restaurant of the year. ‘Great!’ I hear you scoff, ‘another fancy restaurant somewhere in the middle of London where I’ll never have the time or money to go to!’ Well fear not my friend, this restaurant is a little closer to home for Northerners like me. The AA Restaurant of the Year in England is…..

House of Tides, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Hurrah!  
I do love good food and eating out, and it’s nice to go for a treat somewhere special now and again. House of Tides opened in February 2014 and is owned by Kenny and Abbie Atkinson. As well as the recent AA Restaurant of the Year, they have gained a host of other accolades over the past 18 months including a Michelin star and 3AA rosettes. My other half is a bit of a foodie so I took him there for a birthday treat in March 2014, not long after opening. Straight away we loved it. Since then the Quayside area where the restaurant is situated has undergone a bit of rejuvenation so it’s now in a great spot for a pre-dinner cocktail should one fancy! We’ve been back a couple of times…..it was where Chris proposed on my birthday last year and where he has just taken me to celebrate again one year on. Now it has special memories here I think I love it even more.

Firstly, I love the way they have renovated the place – it’s really tastefully done mixing the rustic old building with the odd comfy cushion downstairs and carefully spaced wooden tables upstairs. There’s also some beautiful artwork from local artists on the walls. Some restaurants serving Michelin star quality food can be cold and snobbish, but Kenny’s place is far from it. Apart from the amazing food, the relaxed and friendly atmosphere is probably my favourite thing about it. There’s no fancy dress code and the staff are really friendly (without being overbearing!) so you really feel like you can just kick back and enjoy your food.

  
Now, about the food… The philosophy at House of Tides is about locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Because it’s seasonal the menu does change but I like this and that every time we have been it’s been something different. I love that this is a business working to support other local businesses too. My only (very tiny) niggle is the definition of ‘local’ as their listed suppliers on the website range as far as Norfolk, which isn’t exactly local to the Toon! Still, the majority are based in the North / North East area which is great. It’s pretty much a set menu here with a meat version and a veggie version, although they are flexible about swapping options over if you like all of one menu bar one course and I have taken them up on this offer before (being a bit of a wuss about oysters!). On our most recent trip there was no swapping going on – it would have taken a pretty amazing offer for me to part with that food! Every course was amazing. I mean really amazing, I know people say that a lot, but really, go eat it and see! I won’t list what we ate as I don’t think it’s much fun to know exactly what you’re going to eat before you’ve even set out the door but if anyone does prefer to know then it’s all on their website.

The set menu is six courses and is £45 for lunch and £55 for dinner but again there is flexibility in this if you don’t want the full six courses. Given the price, it’s not somewhere you’d go every week, it’s more of a place you would reserve for a special occasion. Still, considering we recently paid almost £80 for two courses, and wine for two in another TV chef’s chain restaurant nearby that was nowhere near in terms of quality, atmosphere, and general amazingness, I don’t think it’s outrageous at all.

Next time you have a birthday or anniversary or just want to celebrate life by tasting some amazing food in a down-to-earth place you must go.

Go, eat, drink, and I promise you will enjoy!

 

I would have taken a picture of the food except I gobbled it up instead!

 
House of Tides

28-30 The Close

Tyne & Wear

NE1 3RF

houseoftides.co.uk

Whitecross Market: A Feast!!

I have been meaning to write this post for a long time, but every time I visit this gem I get distracted by all the delicious food and forget to take any photos! Today though, the sun was shining and time was on my side to whip out my phone for a few pics because I really don’t think any word description of mine would do this place justice.
Whitecross market is a feast. It’s nestled in a quiet street off the main roads and surrounded by flats and offices. I don’t think it’s near anything touristy but if you have the time it’s well worth a trip. Every lunch time the street is filled with food stalls selling pretty much any kind of food you can think of. There’s curry, pizza, wraps, noodles, even salads and juices for the more health conscious! Go there in the middle of the day and the place is buzzing with locals and city workers out for lunch. The stall are similar every day but not always the same so I always have a walk up and down to see who’s there and what I want to tuck into that day. Be warned….chances are you will want one of everything! It smells amazing too as you walk up the street and all the different food stall smells mingle into each other. Price-wise it’s not cheap, but then it is in central London; it’s not extortionate but not somewhere you could go every day. Today I had a chicken tikka wrap which was £5 but it was absolutely stuffed full with freshly cooked chicken tikka and salad so I couldn’t actually finish it. The market has a great vibe and there’s a few restaurants and pubs that always spill out into the street too. The only downside is that if you’re there on your lunch break, expect to queue. It is a popular place so it’s not somewhere you can just grab your lunch and go, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got time to stand and wait a few mins. If you do have the time though, go for it. Take someone with you and enjoy the break!

  

 
  
  
  

Tortilla time!

  

I recently discovered Tortilla and I am now one happy girl. Once upon a lonely night in London, I couldn’t face hotel food from the place I was staying so I set about on one of my wanders in search of food. I’ve never seen this place before, and although they now have 18 branches in London and several in other big cities, Tortilla actually still have a nice ‘local’ feel. I stumbled across the Angel branch and thought it looked like the kind of laid back place where I could chill out with my kindle for a bit, and not look like too much of a weirdo eating alone.

  
  
  
  
 The menu has a range of burritos and tacos with various fillings and delicious-sounding sides (think tortillas, dips, cheese…..). I opted for a chicken quesadilla which came with salsa and sour cream. The first one was really badly burned so the friendly staff made another fresh one without me even asking, apologised, and brought my fresh quesadilla to me with a free bowl of tortilla chips on the side – full marks for customer service! 

  
It really was the chilled out place that I was hoping it would be and I was more than happy tucking into a pile of melted cheesy chicken there. The only (very minor) negative is that I’m slightly confused about whether to call this a Mexican or a Californian place; they advertise the place as having ‘real Californian burritos’ and also being ‘the #1 Mexican restaurant in London’ but to be honest I couldn’t care where it was from, it was good food in a good place with good staff. I would definitely recommend it, and if you fancy it you can even get beer and margaritas to really get the party started!

  

Eat well? Eat beautiful! Good food on the go.

Eating well can be hard when you spend so much time on the road. I’ve never really been one to go on fad diets as such, but I try to just eat healthily the majority of the time. My partner also enjoys eating well so when we’re at home together we try to stick to a diet that’s made fresh with plenty of protein and veg, and less of the carbs and sugars. (E.g. we tend to replace a pile of pasta or potatoes with a pile of veg). I like eating this way. It keeps me feeling healthy and happy, with plenty of energy to hit the gym in the morning. I feel I need to point out here however, that although this is what we try to stick to, we’re no angels! I love pizza and pasta as much as the next person we just try to keep those things as genuine treats to have at a weekend rather than stacking up on carbs every night.

I can safely say though, that trying to eat well when moving from hotel to hotel, from meetings and to functions, is hard. Really hard! This week I’ve had four days away from home. Each day I’ve had a different function or meetings to attend, which have been coupled with the usual slightly-stale sandwich lunch, cookies, pastries, sugary sweets scattered around the tables…. I mean really, who eats this like this?! Every two hours efficient catering teams put out plates of cookies and pastries and before you know it you’re chatting to someone over a cuppa with your second piece of cake in as many hours. Not to mention the after-work drinks and dinner catch-ups with your colleagues. Train food, hotel food, night after night…. Not. Good.

So by Day Four of horrible sandwiches and of topping up my carb-baby-belly, I’m craving a little goodness – I want some veg!

Enter: Itsu.

Itsu is a recent discovery of mine but their premise is all about eating well. Created by the same team who brought Pret into the world, they make sushi, salads, and pots of hot rice and noodles that are packed full of protein and vegetables. All the snacks and drinks also aim to be low in fat and sugar. I’m no nutritionist, but I know when food makes me feel good rather than sluggish, and this stuff is good! Anyone who wants to look up the nutrition content can visit their website which has comprehensive nutritional information on their entire menu.

I chose one of the hot dishes – the Teriyaki Chicken Potsu which was just what the doctor ordered. They come in two sizes and I chose the original size which was more than enough for me, followed by a zero fat frozen yoghurt, or ‘Frogo’, with strawberries. It was goooood! As with most places you can eat in or takeaway. I was at the Brunswick branch so I choose to sit in and watch the world go by, and enjoy the sensation of vitamins being absorbed back into my body…Bliss!

  

Itsu seems to have done well in providing good food for when you’re on the go. Their stores are all bright and airy too with a laid back feel, and for me, it was a welcome break from spending the evening in another hotel. I left as on happy customer, and I will definitely be back for more.