I love a good pop-up party. It’s not that we don’t have enough great restaurants and eateries in our beloved Toon – rather the opposite – but a pop-up or one-off event with food stalls and eating outside really gets my juices flowing. It’s something different that always attracts an interesting crowd.
A recent Friday was spent at the Lobster Gumbo Feast at the Toffee Factory, starring the most delicious seafood courtesy of the excellent Riley’s Fish Shack. On arrival I was welcomed with a big Bloody Mary and enormous oysters served simply with shallots, lemon and Tabasco.
Once seated on the long trestle tables – a pleasingly sociable way to eat – I was treated to a portion of steaming hot lobster gumbo which really tickled the taste buds. Great platters of chargrilled lobster and herb salad were then passed along the table, and I of course dug in with gusto. This was followed by copious amounts of wood oven baked flatbreads with rosemary oil to mop up the juices.
A few weeks ago I was also privileged to attend one of the last ¡Vamos! foodie affairs – the Chocolate Noche, at Gateshead College. We were treated to a Latin-themed menu with every course featuring the goo of the gods, proper chocolate.
From a beautiful starter platter with a barbecue-chocolate dip, to plump chicken with mole (say that with an accent!) and salted chocolate and chilli chocolate dessert – it was fabulous. I certainly felt like I was in the lap of the Mayan gods that night.
Another Friday foray saw a trip to the Broad Chare, always a winner when it comes to a relaxed dining vibe with the best possible grub. While the Friday special was fish and chips, just to be awkward, I had the black bream with a spicy veg accompaniment and rice, which was blooming lovely. Ditto the seafood chowder at the lovely Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, where Café Bowes is absolutely worth a visit in its own right.
I also came home from a trip to Craster with some beautiful smoked kippers following lunch at the Jolly Fisherman, where the crab soup was insanely good. If that’s what fisherman eat, I can see why they’d be jolly!
A bit random, but I had my kippers with kedgeree – something I hadn’t made since GCSE home economics many, many moons ago. It’s an oldie but a goodie – and if you’ve not had it, I recommend you do it. It’s a taste sensation!
