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Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

Forsyth & Reed Breakfast Review

Clayton Road in Jesmond has undergone something of a resurgence recently.  From the OGs, those who spotted the potential on this largely undiscovered shopping street, like hair maestro’s Hooker & Young, to the newest kids on the block, Forsyth & Reed, Clayton Road has become a real destination.  The best thing?  There’s free parking.

Ok, that maybe a gross over exaggeration, it’s not the best thing about it.  The street is largely made up of independent North East Businesses and this time I’m in this leafy suburb to review the breakfast menu of hip new eaterie, Forsyth & Reed.  Early one (rare) sunny Saturday morning in March, Bo, Plankton and I landed on Clayton Rd right outside this quirky cafe.  The outside fixtures set the tone for the experience, black gloss fronting with heavy gold external downlighters and heavy red drapes – it feels like we’re about to step into an olde world theatre.

On the inside its an eclectic mix of old and new, with it’s bold sapphire blue wall and mismatched furniture it feels as if the owners responded directly to the wishes of every North East millennial.  A quick browse at the breakfast menu offers up a decent variety of options.  Whether it’s a simple bowl of granola or a Full English Breakfast, there’s something there for most tastes and we opt for Eggs Royale (me), Full English (Bo, obvs) and Poached Eggs on Toast with an optional sausage (Plankton).

The Exterior of cafe Forsyth & Reed on Clayton Road in Jexmond
The Forsyth & Feed Breakfast Menu
A latte & an Americano on the table at Forsyth & Reed in white china

While we wait, we sip on some of the best coffee I’ve had in a long time, thick but not syrupy and with a hint of bitterness that lets you know it wasn’t over roasted.  Preparation is fast and all of our food arrives at the same time meaning there’s no waiting around for somebody’s food and secretly hating them while you do so.  As we gaze lovingly at the breakfast feast on the table in front of us, it’s clear that preparation and aesthetics are equally important at Forsyth & Reed and both Bo and Plankton give me the death stare as I tell them they must wait until I’ve photographed it for you lovely lot, before they dive in and demolish it.

An image of Forsyth & Reed Eggs Royale, poached eggs with smoked salmon on an english muffin
Eggs Royale
Forsyth & Reed Eggs Royale , double fried eggs, portobello mushroom, bacon, black pudding, beans and a fried tomato
Full English Breakfast
two perfectly poached eggs on wholemeal toast with a sausage on the side at Forsyth & Reed
Poached Eggs on Wholemeal with a Sausage

The breakfast is good.  I mean really good.  Poached eggs are easy to get wrong but these ones are perfection, small, round and full of flavour.  The egg whites are almost yoghurty, there’s no loose white and the yolk is soft and oozes when cut – exactly as it should.  Y’all know Bo is a difficult dude to please but he’s pretty confident that this is in his “Top 5” cooked breakfasts, he’s a very harsh critic so this is damn good praise.  Plankton ate both poached eggs in four bites, with no toast – that’s how good they were.  The eggs in the Eggs Royale were offset perfectly by the cooler smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce.  Served atop a lightly toasted English muffin, just enough to give it a crisp outer edge, but still fluffy in the middle.  It’s how I’d like all of my breakfasts from now on please.

The space itself is busy, despite being new to Clayton Road, there’s a constant foot flow whilst we’re sat there and staff are friendly and attentive making sure that everyone gets a choice on where they’d like to sit and a drinks order is taken as soon as you’re seated.  The decor is what really draws you through the door though, despite having that deep blue wall the place is still light and airy.  There are a selection of newspapers and local magazines on display for customers to read and there’s no sign of the bullshit local rags, you know the ones I’m talking about Voyeurs.

The interior of Forsyth & Reed on Clayton Road, overlooking the kitchen and serving area.
The interior of forsyth & Reed on Clayton Road, a pale blue wall with walnut coloured furniture
The interior of forsyth & Reed on Clayton Road, a deep blue wall and bare fireplace with cosy red armchairs finished in velour

We hung around and chilled long after we’d finished our breakfast, it has that feel to it, like you’re chilling in someone’s front room and there’s no hurry to leave.  If you’re a person who indulges in the sport of people watching, there’s a higher seated area in the window which offers prime viewing for such an activity.  There’s a constant stream of people who visit Forsyth & Reed in the time that we sit, and whether they’re ordering dishes from the menu prepared in the kitchen, or counter top cakes, everything that’s served looks delicious and the couples and families around us offer each other a taste of their food – a sure sign that it’s good.

A selection of cakes on the counter top at Forsyth & Reed Clayton Road
carry out coffee at Forsyth & Reed

On the go without time to stop for a cooked breakfast?  Then you’ll love this, remember that coffee I mentioned?  It’s half price as a carry out before 11am and before 11am good coffee is all you need right??

Pixie x

Categories: Lifestyle, North East

A Visit to Crêpeaffaire Newcastle

With the influx of new restaurants to the still reasonably new Grey’s Quarter wing of Intu Eldon Square, tucked away in a corner is one I’ve been looking forward to trying.  Whilst the likes of Tapas Revolution and The Alchemist opened to huge fanfare, a smaller, more niche eatery opened on the ground floor…

Menu and drinks at Crepeaffaie Newcastle Intu Eldon Square

Crêpeaffaire is a small restaurant that specialises in gorgeous, soft, French style crêpes.  Whether you eat them sweet or savoury, these guys are experts in cooking up pancakes with all manner of fillings, and there’s a small selection of waffles available too if you fancy something (slightly) different.  Plankton and I were invited along to try out the brand new luxury menu, however on arrival there was some confusion over this as seemingly there is no luxury menu – just one simple, easy to understand menu that’s been around since the Newcastle branch opened for business exactly one year ago this week.

Bananalicious crepe at Crepeaffaire Newcastle topped with whipped cream with a side of chocolate ice cream
BANANALICIOUS WITH EXTRA CREAM & ICE CREAM
Apple Crumble filled crepe topped with crumble, whipped cream and butterscotch sauce, with a side of ice cream
APPLE CRUMBLE WITH EXTRA CREAM AND ICE CREAM

We took a corner seat and scanned the menu with Plankton opting for a Bananalicious crêpe with Belgian chocolate, extra whipped cream, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a chocolate milkshake.  I went for the Apple Crumble crêpe which I’m told is one of the most popular items on the menu.  Promising lashings of cinnamon apple, sultanas, butterscotch sauce and crumble topping, I knew this was going to be good but still couldn’t resist adding whipped cream and vanilla ice cream from the extra toppings menu.  I did however wash it down with a Kale smoothie which I think negates most of that right?

Everything is prepared from scratch in the open kitchen and the wait is short, we had our pancakes in front of us in around five minutes meaning I didn’t really need to entertain Plankton whilst we waited.  Presentation, if you’re interested in that kind of thing is very good, the ice cream is served in a separate chilled bowl so that it doesn’t melt on the hot crêpes and the cream is served on the side for the same reason.  Plankton needed help to cut his up but once sliced, it was polished off quickly with the odd pause to tell me how amazing it tasted and how we should bring Bo along next time.

Pixie and Plankton Tenenbaum visit Crepeaffaire Newcastle to try out the latest additions to the menu

Mine was completely lush, way better than I expected in fact, after all it’s just flour, eggs and milk right?  With the cinnamon, apple and sultana it’s actually a pretty awesome festive treat and a great alternative to the traditional sweet mince pies or Christmas cake you see at this time of year.  The ice cream cut through the sweetness perfectly and the kale smoothie made me feel like I was actually eating healthy food.  Actually that’s a flat out lie but I’m a massive kale fan and can’t resist a bit of the green stuff in a smoothie if it’s on the menu.

The drinks menu has the regular coffee offerings you expect to see from a place that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; smoothies and milkshakes and fresh juices as well as a few others.  With crêpes ranging in price from £5.10 to £8.50 it’s easy to rack up a bill when you start adding extras – ours would have cost just under £30 in total which we thought was quite expensive for the two of us.

WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

Crêpeaffaire is quick and easy, the food is good.  I’m not a fan of savoury crêpes so can’t comment on those but there’s a wide selection on the menu including Eggs Benedict and Mexican Chicken so they’re definitely committed to giving their customers choice.  Our crêpes were lovely and Plankton really enjoyed the whole experience but taking kids will definitely jack the price up so beware of those extras!  It’s definitely on the more expensive side and portions aren’t huge so after we left, we visited the Christmas Market and bought snacks to pacify our hunger.  Looking for somewhere with fast service and a tasty snack whilst you’re out in town?  Then Crêpeaffaire will most definitely fill that gap but be aware that it could get costly.  Lush, but a little pricey.

Pixie xo

Our meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

Categories: Lifestyle, North East, Uncategorized

Orangegrass Thai VIP Re-Launch

When you’re seeking out a place to try real, authentic Thai food, there’s one sure fire way to pick yourself a winner; look for where Thai people dine.  It’s an easy cuisine to get wrong, and with Thai food having a moment right now there seem to be more and more Asian inspired restaurants, food festivals and pop ups on the scene with only a select few hitting the spot.  When it’s done right, it’s different to what you might expect, there’s no ‘jammy’ consistency, artificially over sweetened sauces or over boiled rice.  That seems to be the British interpretation of Thai food and it seems to be pretty widely accepted as being accurate.  That is until you taste the real thing….

I was invited along to the VIP relaunch of Orangegrass Thai in South Shields and I must confess, I’d never actually heard of the place and when I arrive, it becomes clear why.  Orangegrass Thai is like a secret society, it’s completely off the beaten track and from the outside, it hides in plain sight, like a Thai speakeasy, you’d never know the place was there – unless you knew.  It’s so stealthy in fact, I doubt I’d ever find the place again without GPS; but then I like a place that feels so secret, like you’re part of an elite regiment of diners.

The soundtrack for the evening was provided by North East singer Annabel Pattinson, if you’ve never seen her play then you’re seriously missing out, with a full repertoire of covers and some awesome original songs, she’s another secret I’m spilling and she’s playing a stand alone gig at Newcastle’s O2 Academy on Friday June 2nd.  Finish reading this, then go buy tickets – you can thank me later.

Pixie Tenenbaum Orangegrass Thai Relaunch
Image c/o Annabel Pattinson
Image c/o Annabel Pattinson

I arrived to a champagne reception and an open bar, sadly I was driving but I did sincerely enjoy other revellers getting more and more intoxicated as the night went on.  I shared a table with Luxe magazine and in between courses we were entertained by Ryan Phelps, The British Hustle, who I’m convinced is an actual wizard.  With tricks I’ve never seen before and a cool, calm demeanour, this guy is straight out of Hogwarts with first class honours.

Image by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography
Image by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography
Image c/o The British Hustle
Image c/o The British Hustle
Image by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography
Image by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography

 

So, what you really want to know about is the food right?  It’s good Voyeurs.  Damn good.  Like I said, you can get the measure of anywhere claiming to serve food authentic to it’s origin by the people who dine there, as Orangegrass’ staff is made up almost entirely of Thai people, the food is absolutely authentic.  Everything from the ingredients, the spices and creams, to the presentation – expert chefs carve flowers out of vegetables to top each plate, seriously, the attention to detail is incredible.

Orangegrass Thai Relaunch 1
Images by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography
Images by Chris Ord, XtraOrdinary Photography
Orangegrass Thai Relaunch 3

We were served a selection of the most popular dishes including curry shrimp, green curry vegetables and a divine chicken dish.  Where the menu really shone though was with its beef dishes, there were two available to try on the evening but due to having foolishly filled up on shrimp I only tried the Beef Massaman which was by far the best dish I tried.  Not so spicy that the flavour was wiped out, but definitely warming.  For dessert we were served a traditional Thai pudding of  sweet sticky rice bound with coconut cream and although I ate every last bit, it’s one of those acquired tastes where I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not.

If you’ve been dining out on ‘mainstream’ Thai food then prepare to have your mind blown.  The flavour that comes through with authentic Thai cuisine is crisp and cleane, Owner Titu tells me that the use of coconut milk and cream in Thai cuisine, cuts through the spice to allow the warming feeling but also preserves every inch of flavour in the food.  Try it, join the secret society, make the trip to South Shields and enjoy a taste of Asia for a fraction of the price of some of these hipster fugazis.

Pixie xo

Orangegrass Thai is at 7 Mount Terrace, South Shields NE33 1PN, to book a table call 0191 455 8555

People will stare, make it worth their while

Pixie Tenenbaum

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