Fashion Voyeur

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Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

Cocktail Tasting at Tapas Revolution

Almost a year ago to the day I was invited to the launch of Spanish restaurant Tapas Revolution in the newly revamped Grey’s Quarter of Intu Eldon Square.  Since then, Grey’s Quarter has become a destination for those seeking quick, easy access to great quality food and drink in Newcastle and it’s not just Spanish food on offer either.  The addition of The Alchemist has ensured that Grey’s Quarter stays open long after store closing time and has meant that surrounding outlets have had to seriously up their game when it comes to their drinks menus.

Fast forward to a year after an evening of tapas tasting and I’m back at Tapas Revolution for the intimate launch of their brand new cocktail menu which aims to offer something for everyone, along with a flavour of Spain…

Bo and I arrived at Tapas Revolution fresh from another launch event and were a little flustered.  We were greeted by our Bar Tender Marco and shown through to a private booth in the bar area of the restaurant which looks out over Old Eldon Square – it’s only a little thing, but it makes eating or drinking in the shopping centre a way more attractive prospect when you can actually see outside.  Once we were seated and decidedly less flustered, we were given a menu and asked to select three cocktails each which we decided to drink in rounds, rather than have on the table all at once.

First of all let’s address my awesome outfit, I wore vintage Pringle golf trousers with a topshop tee and a super cosy faux fur tee, might not sound like much but these are literally my current favourite trousers so any excuse I get to talk about them, I’m taking it.

On to the drinks.  The menu has had a significant revamp and it’s split into the traditional Spanish style Gin and Tonic menu which I was thrilled to see included two of my most favourite and difficult to find gins, Larios and Xoriguer (if you haven’t tried Xoriguer gin I urge you to find it, you’ll never look at a bottle of Hendricks again) all served with Fevertree tonics of varying flavours. Next to that you’ll find the cocktail menu, there are eight Spanish inspired cocktails to choose from and a selection of three Sangrias.  Cocktails vary from short to long and each has a strong vacation vibe in that you could easily imagine yourself sitting on Sant Tomas Beach watching the waves roll in sipping on one of these bad boys.  Even though the menu is concise, it’s difficult to make a choice because they’ve managed to select drinks that are very different from one another but you know, in the name of duty we managed it.  We went for:

ESPRESSO BLANCO MARTINI £8.50

Espresso Blanco Martini, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
ESPRESSO BLANCO MARTINI £8.50

Served in a traditional Martini glass, this smooth drink comprises Veterano brandy shaken with cold brew espresso, milk, dark chocolate liqueor, Kahlua and Frangelico.  Basically all the sugary alcohol that tastes like no alcohol at all.  It’s super easy to drink because of the added milk which makes it smooth and not as bitter as some Espresso Martinis you’ll find in Newcastle.  This was my favourite and truth be told, I ended up having three.

PASSION FRUIT & MARZIPAN BATIDA £8.50

Passion Fruit & Marzipan Batida, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
PASSION FRUIT & MARZIPAN BATIDA £8.50

A blend of vanilla and marzipan flavoured vodkas, condensed milk (yes really), tigernut milk and passionfruit juice shaken with pimento dram and Disaronno amaretto to create heaven in a glass.  This was Bo’s favourite and listen up Voyeurs, they should rename this one Lethal Weapon, it’s stealthy because it’s like sippin’ on a more-ish shake.  Creamy yet refreshing.

PIMENTO & MANDARIN DAIQUIRI £8.50

Pimento & Mandarin Daiquiri, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
PIMENTO & MANDARIN DAIQUIRI £8.50

A short cocktail served in a short stem class with a blend of Bacardi rum, mandarin, melon and pimento dram, shaken with caramelised pineapple and lime.  This one tastes as it sounds, it’s a little bitter and whilst it’s less exciting than the two above, it’s still a refreshing cocktail.  What you won’t expect though it the crunchy pieces that sit in the liquid, those tiny pieces of caramelised pineapple and lime give this drink some much needed bite.

BLOOD ORANGE & CHERRY ROYAL £7.50

Blood Orange & Cherry Royal, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
BLOOD ORANGE & CHERRY ROYAL £7.50

Another short cocktail vibrant in colour and topped off with fresh mint which I couldn’t help nibbling on.  this one has Larios gin, blood orange, aguardiente de cerezas, pimento dram all shaken up with lemon and topped with cava to cut through the sweetness and add a touch of fizz.  If there’s a drink that tastes like vacations by the sea then this is it, refreshing to the core and definitely one that looks as sophisticated as it tastes.

After we were cocktailed out, we opted for a jug of Sangria, the menu offers a choice of four typical Spanish Sangrias and one Skinny Sangria with 30% less sugar than the others.  We opted for a Sangria with a rose wine base.

BLOOD ORANGE ROSE SANGRIA £16

Blood Orange Rose Sangria, Tapas Revolution Newcastle

Made with rose wine, blood oranges, grapefruit, lemon, orange and lime, this offered a lighter, fresher, more citrus alternative to the traditional Sangria which is made with pineapple, strawberry and other fruits.  Not sure what to expect after conjuring images of drinking Sangria to excess in our high school days, Marco arrived at our table with a jug, a wooden spoon and two tumblers.  As you no doubt know, Sangria gets way stronger the further down the jug you get, no matter how much you stir it.  I stuck to the top of the jug whilst Bo demolished the bottom half.  As a Sangria it’s very unexpected, it’s light and refreshing, where some can be very dark and quite difficult to detect the alcohol, this one had a citrusy top note with a definite rose taste to it.  Pleasant and most definitely Spanish.

When it comes to pricing, the drinks are at the cheaper end of the scale for cocktails and that’s most likely because the primary function of tapas Revolution is as a restaurant.  However, you can visit just for drinks without buying food and even better, if you visit between 12-7pm Sunday to Friday jugs of Sangria are half price, cocktails are 2 for 1, and Larios gin and tonic is also 2 for 1.  That’s way more than a Happy Hour, that’s a Happy Day, and you can’t say fairer than that.

Pixie

Categories: Lifestyle, North East

The Alchemist Launches Late Lab

The Alchemist launched in Newcastle earlier this year after what felt like the biggest hype of any new bar offering the city has ever seen.  Dark, gothic skull murals hid the space that was to be occupied by this curious new nightspot, only fuelling the anticipation.

When The Alchemist Newcastle finally opened its doors, I was lucky enough to bag a ticket to the VIP launch party and what struck me that night, was that despite the gorgeous copper and black decor and the bar theatrics, it not only takes a long time to get served but once you’ve ordered a drink it can take a good 20 minutes before it crosses your lips.  Bo and I found ourselves ordering four drinks at a time to beat the bar line and subsequent wait for drinks.

Initial social media feedback about the brand new venue and it’s darkly gothic interior was awesome with people travelling from all over the North East to grab a piece of that signature alchemy for themselves, but the length of time it took to get a drink in your hand was a sticking point.  Rather than sit back and do nothing, the team behind The Alchemist put their uber coiffed heads together and came up with a solution: Late Lab.  A suite of drinks packages that you order in advance of your arrival.  Sounds simple?  It really is.  The principle behind the idea is cutting out that wait time at the bar and those repeat visits that eat into your night out.

I was invited to the VIP Preview of Late Lab to get the skinny on what it’s all about and whether it really is worth checking out.  Our small group of four was greeted on arrival by our host for the evening and we were shown a specific Late Lab menu which ranges in price from £90 to £270.  Now don’t disappear just yet, yes it sounds pricey but consider what that gets you, each package varies dramatically, from party size to the selection of drinks included, we’re here to check out the Hip Flasks package, priced at £90.  For that we get a large booth reserved for our exclusive use all night (The Alchemist have, up to now, never allowed reservations on tables for drinks only), a host for the evening who will make sure we’re never without a drink until we’ve drunk our package dry, a ginormous Zombie Apocalypse sharing cocktail, and 4 smaller cocktails.  It might not sound like much but if you’re a cocktail drinker then you’ll know you can rack up a serious bill pretty quickly, especially when they average £10 each.

It’s a pretty neat package for four peeps, bundled up with a chrome hip flask bearing that Deathly Hallows-esque logo for each of your party.  A quick calculation tells us that if you were to rock up without Late Lab, £88 would buy you all of the drinks in the package, minus the table, add on the time taken for trips to the bar and the wait for drinks to be prepared, carry the one, you get my drift….  If you’ve visited The Alchemist before, then you’ll know that this is a nice and very necessary idea and if you do the math you’ll know that it’s super easy to spend way more than that on a night out in Newcastle.  There’s also a sneaky little secret you’ll definitely thank me for sharing; if you book online, you get a pretty sweet 25% off and if there are cocktails in the package that you and your squad aren’t keen on (step forward Little Miss Awkward Elle Blonde) then you can switch them out for something you prefer.  Princess equilibrium restored.

The Alchemist is famed for it’s exotic cocktails and attention to detail, you probably already know that the menu is pretty extensive.  The spectacle is a big part of a visit any branch of The Alchemist throughout the UK, with copper pans and bunsen burners in their arsenal these mighty mixologists know how to put on a show.  If you have your designated driver in tow then there’s a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails that are given just as much thought and flair as the alcoholic version, ‘Kaleing Me Softly’ and ‘Mango Shake’ are my personal favourites and they look pretty dramatic so you don’t feel left out.

Considering it?  In terms of monetary value, the cost of the cocktails with or without the package is very similar.  What you gain is time, and a table which comes with table service – something that’s hard to come by on an evening at The Alchemist.  If you’re intending on consuming multiple cocktails at The Alchemist then the benefit of cutting out the wait is worth it, add to that the discount you get for booking online and you’ve got yourself a tidy little saving whilst still looking like a total baller.

Pixie xo

Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

Turtle Bay New Menu Launch

Turtle Bay, known as the ‘Caribbean Social’, is famed for its extensive cocktail menu, never ending Happy Hours and of course, its authentic taste of the Caribbean.  With branches all over the UK, the brand’s latest offering popped up in Teesside recently and has proven to be not just a great place to eat but also a real destination bar.  I went along to the VIP launch when it first landed and dined on a feast of menu favourites, and a few that were whipped up specially for the night, accompanied by enough rum cocktails to please a pirate.

Two months down the line and Turtle Bay have revamped their menus to reflect a Summer vibe, the old favourites are still there and there are some fresh new dishes in there too as well as a few that have been revamped.  When I was invited along to be one of the first to try it I jumped at the chance to sink another couple of those amazing ginger beers.  Bo and I arrived at Turtle Bay Middlesbrough to a warm welcome from staff and were shown to our window table right in front of the insta-perfect boombox wall.  If you’ve visited Turtle Bay before, you’ll know that their Happy Hours are legendary and we arrived right in the middle of the lunchtime Happy Hour which means 2-4-1 cocktails.

We chose the lunchtime sitting on a super hot day and it wasn’t just us who saw sunshine and thought about taking in a little Caribbean sunshine in the UK, by the time we’d made our menu choices the place was packed out with a wait for tables.  I opted for a Raspberry Reggae (make that 2) and Bo slurped Jamaican Shandy whilst we waited for our starters to arrive.  After scanning the menu, we went with our trusty favourite: Chilli Squid (a first for us at Turtle Bay but a firm favourite as a starter pretty much everywhere we go), Duck Rolls and a Garlic Flatbread because a wise man once said it’s the future.  Our food arrives quickly and it’s good, the garlic bread has an added zing that makes it stand out as a favourite for me and our server Gemma brings me a ginger beer because she’s heard that I love it – true story.

Looking around Turtle Bay it looks way bigger than its 231 capacity, the clever use of mirrors and seating on different levels makes it look double that and with this layout, it’s easy to see why it’s become a favourite on the Middlesbrough nightlife circuit.  The Tiki hut bar has dedicated seating with a bar zone surrounding it so if you came to REALLY drink, you’re separate from diners although it seems that everyone who visits Turtle Bay shares a love of the Caribbean spirit.  Plus, with a whole host of different rums on offer, the bar menu is as lengthy as the food menu.

Gemma recommends that we try the plantains as an accoutrement and we’re pleased we do, notoriously difficult to deal with, plantains are tricky to get right.  Levi Roots once said that only Caribbean women know how to peel plantains and that there’s a definite knack to it – he’s not wrong.  Ours arrive perfectly ripe and fried up to give a subtle crunch to the outside with sweet banana-y goodness on the inside.  I’ll be honest Voyeurs, these are the best thing on the Turtle Bay menu and something that’s largely overlooked because a lot of people still don’t know what plantains are.  Go there, try them, love them, thank me later.  I could have eaten six bowls of these quite happily as a main course and at £2.80 per portion, they’re cheaper than a beer.

When it comes to main courses at Turtle Bay, the menu is cleverly divided up into sub headers geared up for how hungry you are.  There’s a huge selection of over 50 dishes varying from street food through to their famous signature One Pots.  Everything is freshly prepared in the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant which is lit in a way so that you can see inside from wherever you are in the dining area, it’s a nice touch and something that’s typical in the Caribbean.

We opted for lamb Rump with a spiced sweet mash to die for and the Curry Shrimp and Mango One Pot with Jamaican style sticky rice.  Everything at Turtle Bay delivers a certain amount of spice, whether you like it subtle or full on, each dish is prepared to bring the heat.  Even the lamb was mildly spiced and the curry shrimp was laden with heat but with a coconut creaminess to take the edge off.  If the heat gets too much, Turtle Bay have a selection of creamy coolers perfect for quelling the heat, the elderflower cooler is the equivalent of turning the gas down a notch and servers are well equipped to advise which drink to have on stand by if things get too hot to handle.  The food is good.  Very good in fact.  If you’re a fan of spice then this is one for your list, the meat is slow cooked and tender and the flavour is palpable but not over bearing in everything that’s served.  Where some places pile on the spice, Turtle Bay maintains the flavours but gently warms them up with spice, and balances the spice with coconut.

The portions at Turtle Bay are pretty good too, we managed a starter and a main course but it all would have ended in tears if I’d attempted to squeeze in a dessert too – yes Voyeurs, I *sometimes* know my limits – although the dessert menu is packed with traditional Caribbean favourites that you’re unlikely to see on regular dining menus.  If you’re looking for a real taste of the Caribbean then you can’t go far wrong with Turtle Bay, with branches all over the UK you’re bound to find one close by and menus are updated regularly to reflect seasonal changes.  I’d highly recommend the Curry Shrimp One Pot with six sides of Plantains, oh, and grab yourself a cocktail and some sort of cooler before you even start eating, you’ll need it….

Pixie xo

Big thanks to Turtle Bay Middlesbrough who gifted us our lunch and to Gemma who helped me discover my new favourite side dish.

 

 

 

 

Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

Turtle Bay Comes to Middlesbrough

There’s a brand new Turtle Bay Caribbean restaurant launching in Middlesbrough this weekend, the second of its kind in the North East and it brings with it a brand new, fresh, fun vibe to Corporation Street.  With £800k investment ploughed into the unit, the interior has been transformed into a little slice of the Caribbean right here in the North.  I was invited to the VIP preview night to find out just what Turtle Bay has in store for visitors to Middlesbrough…

The 231 capacity restaurant is cleverly styled with mirrored walls which makes it appear well beyond its 4144 square feet, it’s bright and vibrant and everything you would expect from a Caribbean themed restaurant, there’s even a tiki style bar decked with fairy lights serving up over 40 specialty rums that Jack Sparrow would be proud of.  The preview night was an informal gathering of local press and Bloggers to sample both the food and drinks menu and to find out a little more about the preparation and training that’s gone into bringing Turtle Bay to Middlesbrough town centre.  The first thing I notice is the decor, a typical warm, Caribbean colour scheme broken up with large wall murals offers a welcoming, fun environment.  As with all Turtle Bay restaurants, the Middlesbrough branch features those upcycled / reclaimed materials that give each restaurant a unique twist – this one features a boombox wall  and oil drum lanterns which give the place a real street food vibe.

With 50 jobs created, there are enough staff to ensure a slick operation when the restaurant opens to the public on April 23rd.  Servers have been put through an in-depth training programme where I’m told that the focus is on getting to know customers and finding out about their wants and needs whilst they’re dining, in order to deliver the best possible customer experience.

After being greeted with a drinks reception where I manage one signature Mojito (I’m driving) and pretty much everything from the soft drinks and coolers menu, we’re ushered into the dining area in front of an open kitchen, where we’re seated ready to begin our feast.  We’re invited to try taster portions of everything from the menu, which includes some brand new additions so far only served at the Middlesbrough restaurant.  As you might expect, everything served is brimming with spice, which never overpowers the flavour of the food.  I won’t lie to you Voyeurs, things got messy.  Turtle Bay is not a place for flatware, it might be there on the table, but this is messy food that’s meant to be handled – so you’ll be pleased to know that you’re also allocated a finger bowl to wash your hands afterwards.  Think coated chicken wings, sweetcorn fritters and beef cheeks, it’s all prepared with love, super tasty, and fuss free, exactly as it should be.

Turtle Bay is all about celebrating the lively, colourful, soulful and, above all, delicious experiences that the Caribbean has to offer – from rich and explosive flavours to laid back ‘liming’. Their mission is to capture the spirit of celebration that the Caribbean is famed for around the globe – making customers happy by delivering a hedonistic combination of joyous food, wicked drinks and a fun, relaxed atmosphere.  Just as food is at the heart of Caribbean culture, Turtle Bay are aiming to bring that vibe to Middlesbrough and with over 50 authentic Caribbean dishes on the menu – yes, Curry Goat and Jerk Chicken are on there – it seems that that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Now let it be known that I don’t usually cope too well with spicy food, what I mean is that whilst I love it, it turns me into a wreck – I pour with sweat but just can’t stop.  This is a little different, the flavour and the spice are cut with a zest and so are perfectly balanced.  You don’t compromise one for the other.  Yes, I’m still bloody sweating, but it’s totally worth it and there are plenty of specially crafted, creamy coolers on the drinks menu to help take the sting out.

One of the things I like about the place is that it’s set up for ‘social dining’, seats are arranged in rows, a bit like Wagamama do, and once you’re seated, you can’t help but chat to the people seated close to you, it’s nice.  There are of course, booths available for more intimate dining or for spontaneous cocktail nights with your pals, still, it’s nice to see such a welcoming environment when we’re so used to seeing people with their cellphones glued to their hands (myself included).

Turtle Bay might offer up awesome food but it cares about its cocktail menu just as much, and with 2-4-1 Happy Hour between 11.30am (yes really) – 7pm, starting up again at 10pm, it’s a must for rum enthusiasts and cocktail lovers as it includes every single cocktail on the menu.  For designated drivers, the soft drinks menu is pretty damn good too, with zesty or creamy coolers and the best ginger beer I ever tasted, you’re catered for pretty well too.  Driving or not, Turtle Bay Middlesbrough is well worth a visit and there’s nothing even similar in the town centre, I predict this one being rammed for the next few weeks so get amongst it Voyeurs, oh, did I mention, they have a pretty awesome playlist too…..?!

Pixie xo

Turtle Bay Middlesbrough can be found at 32 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 2RX with ample parking within walking distance of the restaurant, free after 6pm.

Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

The Alchemist Newcastle Launch Party

Ok Voyeurs, this is the big one, the one you’ve been waiting for.  For months you’ve been reading the pre-launch hype about the latest bar / restaurant offering to take up residence in the brand new Grey’s Quarter at Intu Eldon Square and now The Alchemist is finally here.  I was lucky enough to get pre-launch VIP access so got a chance to have a little nosey round the huge ground floor unit but the official launch party went down on Thursday March 30th.

A truly magical invite landed on our doorstep inviting Bo and I to the VIP launch party, accompanied by a box of matches, all was revealed when a lit match was run over the invite, which promised a night of adventure and alchemy.  I planned my outfit weeks in advance but obviously didn’t wear it because I’m a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ type of gal.  I did however, enlist the help of MAC at House of Fraser, Intu Metrocentre to help me create a negative space eyeliner effect as a nod toward The Alchemist’s flair for the dramatic.  So, when the night rolled around, Bo and I made our way to The Alchemist fashionably late, natch.

The building has two entrances, one inside the shopping mall and one street entrance – it’s way more impressive from the street entrance and feels less like a mall restaurant from that side.  Once inside, the first thing I notice is that The Alchemist is an entirely different beast when it’s packed to the rafters with thirsty peeps.  When it’s empty, its eye level curiosities and wall murals seduce you with their gothic magic but when the place is full, these become invisible leaving the bar and it’s residents Alchemists to do the work.

Launch night meant a free bar, at least until 21.30 (which meant the bar area was five deep until exactly 21.30) so whilst it took around 15 minutes to get our first drink, everyone seemed to be in the same boat.  Obviously staff at The Alchemist were keen to show off their (b)artistic flair and cocktail making skills so a live Zoltar machine was on hand to assess your personality and assign a matching cocktail which would then be made for you at the bar.

If you’re a fan of spectacular and peculiar cocktails then The Alchemist should be on your radar.  With an array of tools including copper pans and Bunsen burners in order to brew your chosen drink to perfection, bar staff are encouraged to ‘prepare with flair’ so you can expect foot high flames, sparks, and seemingly eternally foaming potions.  Prepare to wait a little longer for the magic though, it’s not something that’s knocked up in the time it takes to pull a pint of Amstel or pour a simple Amaretto and cranberry.  Waiting times for drinks at The Alchemist have faced criticism on social media, however if you’re ordering two or three of their more exotic cocktails, then you just have to suck that up – especially when it’s packed out at its 400 capacity.

We took up residency at a table that gave us a great view of other people’s cocktails being prepared meaning we got to experience the theatre of The Alchemist without the wait – nice.  Once the place quietened off a little and the masses moved on, the personality of The Alchemist comes out, you start to notice the nods to Geordie tradition, like the stuffed magpie sitting proudly atop a shelf.

Personally I haven’t sampled the food available at The Alchemist but they do offer menus from brunch right through to dinner and have an extended seating area outside for days when the sun is shining and you want to trade the darkness for sunshine.

So, is it worth a visit?  Yes.  The Alchemist is somewhere you should visit if only to make up your own mind, it’s definitely a hot ticket and certainly for months to come it’s going to be THE place to be seen.  The cocktails aren’t your usual run of the mill Cosmopolitans or Porn Star Martinis, they really are something special, and they’re worth waiting for.  The interior decor is cool and the touches of copper sing out through the gothic colour scheme, so go, order something awesome and revel in the theatre that The Alchemist brings to the Newcastle bar scene.

Pixie xo