Our partners at Experience North-East England set us up with Newcastle’s only on-foot food tour company, Triple A Food Tours, to join them on their ‘A Taste of Newcastle’ tour experience.
Meeting up at the iconic Grey’s Monument at 1pm, we met our guide, Lee, and set off to the rather marvellous Grainger Market. Before we get to that, though, I just want to say that the ‘Grey’ in question is none other than Earl Grey, of tea fame; rather than rattle on with his extensive story, I’ll let you do your own research!
Grainger Market is one of ‘The Toon’s’ most iconic sites, opening in 1835 and designed by John Dobson. It got its name from Richard Grainger, a property developer and builder of the 19th century who influenced much of the shape of central Newcastle. Grainger Market was first separated into an Eastern section for the meat market, with vegetables in the Western side; today only two of the 150 butchers remain. When we were poking around, we saw traditional fishmongers, fruiterers and the world’s smallest, and last surviving, Victorian Marks and Spencer’s [penny bazaar]!
Our first stop was at Firebrick Brewery and Tap Room, to sample their Wey-Aye IPA, Giuseppe Craft Lager, Toon Broon/ Newcastle Brown Ale, and Little Belgium Wheat Beer. All of them were surprisingly good to a relatively ignorant beer drinker such as myself; my favourite was the very quaffable Little Belgium; His Nibs loved the Toon Broon. You can take the lad out of Geordie-land, but you’ll never take Geordie-land out of the lad!! In the bustle of a market, you wouldn’t expect to find a brewery and tap-room, but it’s a proper bobby-dazzler and well worth pulling up a stool for a tipple. They also offer softs and wine.
Whilst we were supping, Lee went to grab our first morsels: chicken tacos from L.J’s Mexican. The tacos come in threes and, seeing as there were the two of us and Lee, we said he’d best get chomping with us. The chicken shreds were beautifully tender and juicy, stuffed inside soft taco shells and paired with salsa and chopped lettuce. When we went past the stall, you wouldn’t believe that such mighty food came from such a tiny kitchen; you could literally touch all four walls, I kid you not!
Next up was a stop at Lindsay’s Fishmonger for a pair of fresh Lindisfarne oysters. Low on food-miles and super-fresh, I couldn’t wait for Lindsay to shuck them, pop them on a platter of ice, and pass them over to me with some lemon wedges and Tabasco sauce. You little beauties.
Then it was time to head out of Grainger Market and head towards Grade I-listed Blackfriars, England’s oldest dining hall. The restaurant is actually in the Blackfriars refectory that the Monks would have used in the 11th century: mind.blown!
Founded in 1239, the friars got their name due to the black cloaks they wore over their white tunics. Within the grounds is a 60-year-old walnut tree, which has now taken on the mantle of being Northumberland’s most notable tree since the demise of the magnificent Sycamore Gap one. Blackfriars is owned by Andy and Sam Hook; we first met Andy in 2017 at his other eatery, Hinnies in Whitley Bay, and he also owns Dobson and Parnell in the Quayside area – we’ve dined there, too. As we headed to our table, I spied Mr Hook, but didn’t want to interrupt him - mentally, I said “Hello” and wished him well, though.
On this occasion, we were served young goats’ cheese whipped with goat milk to lighten its taste and texture, candied walnuts, roasted ruby beetroot, and a honey dressing. A garnish of mixed leaves completed the seriously tasty ensemble, which was the perfect blend of tangy and sweet elements. Darren also brought over some freshly baked bread and caramelised onion butter for us to nibble on whilst we savoured a glass of St. Dominic’s Brewery’s IPA and wheat beer brewed on-site by Ben.
Lee has the Geordie Charm in abundance as, when we’d finished our tour ‘starter’, he took us upstairs to one of the most breath-taking rooms I think I’ve ever seen! Featuring [the original] oval-shaped, two-tier seating arrangement from the 19th century, this space was used for Tanner’s Guild Meetings; nowadays, you can hire it for weddings and private dining functions when it’s not in use for the tasting events.
Next, Lee took us to one of his [personal] favourite restaurants: Dakwala Bombay Canteen; Dakwala translates as postman/messenger, and one of the best features is the wall filled with post-room pigeon holes that contain colourful postcards, their intricate writing and postmarks still visible. We were seated and given our drinks (salted lassi for me, Diet Coke for The Man), and shortly after our Temple Aloo Tikki Chaat ‘bombs’ were served to us.
Both His Nibs and I love this small-but-mighty, crisp pastry morsel; this particular type had a smooth mix of potato and chickpea at its heart, topped with sweet yoghurt, various homemade chutneys and a tangy tamarind sauce. All manner of tastes and textures washed over our tongues, filling our mouths with pleasure and getting our juices flowing.
For mains, we had gold-toned, multi-tiered tiffin boxes presented and opened for us at the table: the top tier contained delicious mini onion bhajis, the middle held sunny-toned saffron pulao rice, and the bottom tier contained the most sumptuous butter chicken you could wish to savour. I love the idea that this style of meal has been enjoyed by workers in days gone by to sustain their toils, providing a hearty, tasty, complete meal. At Dakwala, the kitchen team certainly have taken the ethos of feeding their guests as a central tenet – our tummies were fit to burst when we left!
Huge, juicy chunks of chicken breast had bathed in a gloriously rich, buttery, tomato sauce that hit the spot, and the saffron rice was fluffy and light. Although simple, I loved the texture of the onion bhajis; the vegetable was really finely shredded, so you got more of the flavour and spices coming through. I can see why this is such a hit with Lee.
For the final stop, Lee really knocked it out of the park; The French Quarter at Arch No.6 had a trio of wines waiting at our table...and a trio of desserts (thankfully mini ones!). As its name suggests, the decor is wonderfully chic: simple but elegant, The French Quarter is the perfect spot for socialising, dining, drinking and even shopping, thanks to a ‘market’ section.
Up first was a citrus posset, a creamy concoction of citrus and cream that lazed in the mouth; the flavours were gorgeously balanced, and fine shavings of lime zest (as garnish) zipped in the mouth. The wine chosen to accompany this was ‘Muscat de Rivesaltes’, its sweet character providing the perfect counterpoint to the citrus element in the posset.
Just along from the posset was a classic crème brûlée, bursting with mild cream and the smoky charred note of the sugar crust top – amazingly thwackable, btw. Like the previous dessert, a wine had been chosen to complement and harmonise with the food; ‘Château des Plassons, Pineau des Charentes, Rastignac’, made from Ugni Blanc grapes (one of Bordeaux’s signature grapes that’s often used to make Cognac), tempered the cream with its crisp acidity and made for a marvellous partnership.
Our final dessert was an indulgent, wickedly dark chocolate mousse – be still our beating hearts! This mousse was seriously en-pointe: decadent, deep, addictive; this mademoiselle demanded both attention and respect. ‘Mas Amiel, Maury’ (a Grenache grape wine) was the liquid partner for this and when you took a sip of it with the mousse, it was as if you were enjoying the world’s best Black Forest gâteau... I jest not! Blooming fantastique.
Never has time gone by so fast! Our palates were absolutely bowled over by the range of food and drink we’d had on Triple A Food Tours’ ‘A Taste of Newcastle’ walking food tour, and Lee had brought the history of this easily walkable city to life. As a qualified City Guide, what this dude doesn’t know about ‘The Toon’ isn’t worth knowing! There is also a Beer Tour available from Triple A Food Tours. If History or Ghastly, Ghostly, Ghouly Tales are your bag (say that quickly!) then Lee does those too under his own name ‘Foz on the Tyne’.
For more information, visit Triple A Food Tours, call 07534 506314 or email info@tripleafoodtours.com. You can also find Foz on the Tyne on Facebook.
For the venues we visited, see Firebrick Brewery, L.J’s Mexican, Lindsay Bros in Grainger Market, Blackfriars, Dakwala Bombay Canteen and The French Quarter. Further market information is available from Grainger Market.
Hot Wings given to Lee and Triple A Food Tours, and all the venues we visited.
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