I’m not sure how many times I’ve told you I’m a proud Geordie, but here we go again.
On a recent visit to the promised land, I was struck by the quality of Newcastle’s pub scene.
It feels like around every corner there’s a characterful freehold pub serving an interesting selection of craft beers and real ales. A fair few of them serve top notch food too.
In fact, judging by other recent visits to Brighton, Bath, and Manchester, it feels like Cardiff is missing out.
Whilst we have a few excellent pubs, including the Lansdowne, Heathcock, Grange and Four Elms, and craft beer bars like Pop ‘n’ Hops and Scaredy Cats, most other places serve the same beers from the same brewery and an identikit menu of underwhelming food.
It really would be great to see more places with kitchen residencies like Hench Burger at the Royal Oak on Newport Road, and more venues stocking craft beers from the UK’s best breweries like Beak and Deya.
Which brings me on to the Broad Chare on Newcastle’s Quayside. Owned by Terry Laybourne’s acclaimed 21 Hospitality Group, it’s a regular fixture of UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs list and currently sits at number 44.
Downstairs there’s a dedicated pub area with guest beers on draught from the likes of Verdant, Burnt Mill and Siren, whilst upstairs in the restaurant there’s a menu of high-end pub cooking to bring out anyone’s inner trencherman. Dishes include liver and bacon, megrim sole with spiced mussel butter, and glazed bacon chop with prune and mustard sauce.
Wanting to try as much of the menu as possible, we shared a bunch of snacks and smaller and larger dishes between four of us.
A textbook scotch egg (£6.50) married a crisp crumb, well-seasoned sausage meat and a fudgy yolk.
Golden battered pieces of cauliflower (£5.50) were served with a compelling pot of Coronation-esque curried mayo.
A "small plate" of haggis on toast (£13) most certainly stretched the definition. A massive piece of crunchy toast topped with peppery haggis, a runny-yolked egg and warm HP sauce (with a lovely sweet-savoury acidity) was a dreamy combination.
Crisp-crumbed scrumpets (£9) were packed with long-cooked pieces of intense flavoured lamb. Their richness was counterbalanced by a light and crisp white cabbage slaw and dollop of tartare sauce.
Silky smoked cods roe served with peppery radishes and garlic croutons (£8) was a fine example of its type. I think Mrs G might be single-handedly keeping the UK’s cods roe industry in business, such is her passion for the stuff.
Sweet charred leeks (£16) were accompanied by creamy and cooling sheeps curd, the crunch of hazelnut and a comforting spelt risotto, which might have benefited from an extra twist of seasoning.
The best dish of the night was a massive disc of soft-textured spicy black pudding (£19). Everything about its accompaniments hit the mark - a mustardy and savoury Devilled sauce, thick buttery mash and fresh greens.
For dessert, the silkiest of delicately-spiced egg custard tarts (£7), which would have benefited from slightly crisper pastry, was served with a pile of well-soaked prunes. It’s my kind of way of getting fibre into your diet.
A soft squidgy ginger loaf (£7) was drenched in deep dark butterscotch sauce and topped with a scoop of ice cream.
So, the Broad Chare is a great example of a Newcastle pub. But there are so many more quality boozers in Newcastle and Gateshead which I hold in high regard. Here are just a few examples:
Free Trade Inn, Ouseburn
Take a short walk along the quayside from the Tyne Bridge and you’ll find yourself at the Free Trade in Ouseburn. Sit in their elevated beer garden and you’ll enjoy stunning views looking back along the Tyne whilst enjoying craft beers from the likes of the Kernel, Cantillon, Donzoko and Old Chimneys. There’s also a street food van regularly parked up outside on the weekend and samosas and pork pies on the bar.
Bridge Tavern, Newcastle Quayside
Located slap-bang underneath the Tyne Bridge, the Bridge Tavern has nine rotating cask lines from breweries like Wylam and Burning Sky as well as keg beers from the likes of Deya and Neon Raptor. They also do a fine selection of quality pub grub with dishes including frickles, scotch eggs and game pie. You can read my review of the Bridge Tavern here.
Crown Posada, Newcastle Quayside
The Crown Posada’s grand building dates back to 1880 and its name, which is Spanish for “inn”, comes from the many Spanish sailors who used to dock on the River Tyne. With its ornate stained-glass, coved ceilings and wood-panelled interior you’d be forgiven for thinking this would be a dusty old man’s boozer; it’s anything but. On our visit we enjoyed a Northern Monk x Other Half DIPA and a Pastore raspberry and blackberry sour.
Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn
If you were asked to draw a quintessential pub it would probably look something like the Cumberland Arms. With its regular live music, comedy, poetry and traditional music sessions, this is a pub which is very much at the heart of its local community. When we visited we enjoyed an excellent session IPA from Salopian, there was a burger van parked up outside, and live music playing from local up and coming musicians.
Hawker Market, Gateshead Quayside
Okay, I know it’s not really a pub but it’s just a couple of minutes over the bridge to Gateshead's Hawker Market. At this street food market, adjacent to the superb Trakol, there are craft beers from Wylam and By the River Co and traders include Parm-o-Rama’s high end parmos and Acropolis’ groaning souvlaki.
Axis, Gateshead
Whilst you’re over in Gateshead you definitely take a short stroll up the hill to Axis. Located in a railway arch they serve an interesting selection of craft beers from the likes of Track, Burning Sky and Verdant as well as natural wine. We stumbled in on their first birthday party when they had a tap takeover from Deya.
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