Many entrepreneurs in the hospitality trade are greedy pigs. They literally want it all, a fully functioning restaurant that doubles up as a trendy bar, cool coffee house, night club and occasionally a brothel. And generally these places are more confused than the British political system; are occupied by the filth of society and are ultimately doomed to fail. But occasionally they succeed, with the right ingredients of classy styling, quality food and a superior interest in Newcastle's more refined (i.e. not trebles) drinking culture. Town Wall's new sibling is an example of such a place that is more than just a gastro pub. They've taken all of the thrills of the Town Wall - pub food done really well, a very healthy selection of ales and a lively active evening drinking venue, then given it an irresponsible dose of steroids. As well as an on-site microbrewery in collaboration with the Wylam Brewery, that is not only functional but also a very visual attractive. The monstrous variety of ales on tap is probably the only thing that will stop you from climbing into one of the brewing tanks.
The menu holds some small quirks but is largely made up of classic pub food....done excellently, without a whiff of ponce. And best of all, their dishes come only as fat boy portions, always a winner with the Fat Spoon. Aside from the beastly fish and chip that'll have a bite of you if you're not careful; and the Mixed grill for two (hundred) they do also offer some interesting sharing platters and Broad Chare-esque bar snacks. The prices are fair across the board and you can expect some friendly service here. But predominantly, this place is likely to become a nature reserve for real ale drinkers. A place that they can they to find shelter, warmth and great pub food. A place they can sample a huge variety of local and not so local beers. A place they drink without fear of chavs or undergraduate students vulgarly chinning Carling or skittles.
Although a very friendly and welcoming pub during the day, the Bridge Tavern does have a great 'trendy-pub' type of atmosphere in the evening, just like the Town wall. The great food and microbrewery features given it quite an edge over other 'regular' gastro pubs....which means this place should definitely be on your list of places to try soon. 83%
No comments:
Post a Comment