I tried the retro Gosforth 'greasy spoon caff' with a top chef in the kitchen; Chef Nick Grieves wants to take diners "back to basics" with his latest venture -so I tried its big breakfast.
Byline: By, Daniel Hall
Eating out for breakfast is a lovely treat for many and amid several brunch spots dotted around the city one chef is looking to take diners "back to basics" with a traditional greasy-spoon all day café.
, is the brainchild of chef Nick Grieves, who is behind The Patricia and Ophelia, and he has entered a busy market. Less than a two-minute walk on Station Road you have Thyme Square Café, ranked just outside the top 20 of all eateries in Newcastle on TripAdvisor, and a personal favourite of mine a little further down the road, Italian deli-style café Casa Neri.
A little further away on Gosforth High Street, there's the ever popular Caffé 1901 and another Italian gem, Caffé Corsaro. However, none of those have a chef in the kitchen at least to my knowledge who runs a restaurant included in the Good Food Guide's list of Britain's Best 100 Local Restaurants.
Read more: New pizza restaurant promises to bring a slice of Naples to Durham
Get all the latest updates on food, drink, entertainment and events in the North East with our free What's On newsletter
I decided to put the breakfast at Cafeteria to the test and headed down on one of the first seriously cold mornings this autumn. On arrival, the retro look is immediately obvious, but there are a few clues that this greasy spoon -not that there are too many of those left around this part of Newcastle -has been elevated somewhat.
Alongside the plastic sauce bottles and unpretentious salt and pepper cellars, Northern Rye pastries glisten in a glass display on the counter, bacon and scampi fries hang below a shelf of fancy wines, and there's a fridge full of premium beers and wines. Further back, huge bags of Resinn Coffee are stacked in big, glossy pouches ready for a large and steaming coffee machine.
Where tables are usually packed together and you might be bumping seats with those around you in a caff, there's plenty of space at Cafeteria which creates a feeling of calm. That's reflected in the laid-back indie music of Feist, Noah and the Whale, and the like during my visit.
I take a blue, plastic seat at the only remaining table on the ground floor there are plenty more upstairs, and it's like being back at school. At the table opposite, a man does a crossword while eating a bacon sandwich on white-sliced bread.
At another, two friends chat as they pick apart a huge croissant and an equally huge cinnamon bun. The final table sees a man furiously typing into his phone -I...
To continue reading
Request your trial