Since American cafe culture invaded England the chic, sophisticated people of England have flocked to the coffee shops of the country. Numerous Starbucks and Costa coffee shops have sprung up on our highstreets with their mismatched furniture and overpriced lattes attracting students and middle-class housewives with nothing better to do.
So, four coffee experts in Newcastle Upon Tyne set out to see what the Toon has to offer, and whether it has truly embraced the cafe culture that has gripped the other major cities of Great Britain.
Katie Lin, our kooky Canadian correspondant hit up the Street Cafe at The Great North Museum to review their cafe experience and found it was nother cup of tea.
Whilst Katie's coffee left a bitter taste in her mouth, Sandra Breheme was enjoying the view from the Sir Michael Straker Cafe at the stunning Sage Gateshead with a latte and a pricey salad.
Christian Cotter travelled back to the thirties in the Tyneside Coffee Rooms for an "authentic" beverage which he enthusiastically describes in one word as "fantastic".
And best of all, the talented coffee-taster Caroline Howley endured the 'family experience'of the Times Square Cafe, nervously sipping coffee in the corner of a Dr Who exhibit in The Centre for Life.
Read the reviews linked above to find out where and where not to go for a hot cuppa coffee.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Sir Micheal Straker Café
For coffee-goers who expect more than just a nice coffee, the Sir Michal Straker Café located in the Sage Gateshead, one of the main tourist attractions of Newcastle, is a real must.
As the rather sophisticated name suggests the venue comes along with a cultural and artistic atmosphere. Kept in black and white it is especially interesting for fans of minimalism and modern architecture.
With its huge glass windows, the venue invites the visitor to enjoy the skyline of Newcastle while having a nice cup of fair trade and organic coffee.
A real highlight is the illuminated skyline at night time, which is especially enjoyable with a glass of wine from the enclosed Brassere.
A wide range of nice and healthy food for reasonable prices is available all day long.
The guests are a mixture of culture- and music-lovers as well as young families and the venue is easily accessible for wheelchairs and push trolleys. Even though the café is located in the middle of the astonishing building, it stays astonishingly tranquille even when it gets buy at lunch and dinner time.
On a nice and sunny day it is worth to walk along the Quayside before relaxing at the café but the unique atmosphere of the café also attracts clients on a cold and snowy winter day.
The only point of criticism is the service which, from time to time can be a bit slow but the quality of the food excuses the extra time, and the venue does not have an outside area.
4/5
The Sir Micheal Straker Café
The Sage Gateshead
St. Marys Square
Town Centre, Gateshead
NE8 2JR
Phone: +44 (0) 1914 434661
www.digbytrout.co.uk
Tyneside Coffee Rooms
Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema, rich in cultural heritage, is bursting with soul and personality. Mirroring these qualities in its café, then, would be no easy task.
Tyneside Coffee House does not disappoint. The hallway leading up to the café – scattered with old-fashioned film cameras dating back to the 1930s – really captures the history of the building, which goes back almost a hundred years.
The café itself screams Art Deco from the moment you enter the door. Fiery red seats evoke images of old-school movie theatres while the presence of James Dean and Audrey Hepburn on the walls capture the era; you are, effectively, sitting in a 1950s.
Aside from the relaxed and informal ambience, Tyneside Coffee Rooms offers a large range of drinks and food suitable for any time of day. It’s hidden somewhere between a coffee shop and a restaurant, rendering it suitable for breakfast, lunch or tea.
If you fancy a snack and a quick coffee or milkshake for lunch then it has a lot to offer. Almost any coffee or tea-based beverage you can think of, Tyneside Coffee Rooms will have, and all at reasonable prices. A large range of snacks and deserts are also available.
Tyneside Coffee House does not disappoint. The hallway leading up to the café – scattered with old-fashioned film cameras dating back to the 1930s – really captures the history of the building, which goes back almost a hundred years.
The café itself screams Art Deco from the moment you enter the door. Fiery red seats evoke images of old-school movie theatres while the presence of James Dean and Audrey Hepburn on the walls capture the era; you are, effectively, sitting in a 1950s.
Aside from the relaxed and informal ambience, Tyneside Coffee Rooms offers a large range of drinks and food suitable for any time of day. It’s hidden somewhere between a coffee shop and a restaurant, rendering it suitable for breakfast, lunch or tea.
If you fancy a snack and a quick coffee or milkshake for lunch then it has a lot to offer. Almost any coffee or tea-based beverage you can think of, Tyneside Coffee Rooms will have, and all at reasonable prices. A large range of snacks and deserts are also available.
The café also boasts a menu of heavier meals such as haddock and chips, and spinach and feta goujons, as well as a wide range of alcoholic drinks.
Tyneside Coffee Rooms have managed to maintain an authentic sense of its origins but have done so with distinctly modern execution; its 2008 restoration has preserved the history of the cinema but at the same time brought it into the modern day.
The owner, John Oswell, was weary of changing the café too much. He wanted to keep his loyal clientèle, and so he modelled the café on a 1940s photograph of how it used to look. However, new ideas, such as the introduction of temporary exhibitions on the walls and a new range of infusion teas, aimed to bring it into the modern era.
All-in-all, this multi-purpose café offers a unique experience that you certainly won't find anywhere else in Newcastle. Enriched in history and tradition, Tyneside Coffee Rooms mixes retro and modern to create a café which truly is a pleasure to relax in.
I have no other option but to give it a…
5/5
The Tyneside Coffee Rooms
Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 6QG
T: 0191 227 5520
Website: http://www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/
Times Square Cafe
The Times Square Cafe at the Centre for Life is not the most tranquil environment in which I have enjoyed a coffee.
One wall is painted with prehistoric animals accompanied by names and dates of origin of extinction so eating can also be an educational experience. The rest of the decoris a brash red and yellow which, along with the acoustics, adds to the swimming pool experience.
Standard cafe food is available at a reasonable price: sandwiches, cakes, wraps and pastries are all edible and affordable, but the pre- packaged food is a bit hard to swallow.
The saving grace of the Times Square Cafe is definitely its outdoor area. On a sunny day, sitting under an umbrella amongst the flowers and greenery can feel almost continental and a far cry from the atmosphere inside.
The cafe can be found in the Centre for Life in Times Square, Newcastle City Centre. It is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm and 11am - 6pm on Sunday. Being so family orientated, the cafe is not lisenced and there is easy access for wheelchairs and prams.
Overall, Times Square Cafe is cheap, convienient and family friendly - as a simple museum cafe, it does the job. If you happen to be visiting in the museum then by all means stop in, but if you're looking for a cafe culture experience you should probably find somewhere else.
In fact, the experience is miles away from the sophisticated ideal of cafe culture. Drinking a coffee tucked away in the corner of a Dr Who exhibit is paramount to attempting to enjoy one at the side of a indoor swimming pool full of scremaing, hyperactive children. Mind you, I don't think 'cafe culture' is exactly what they were aiming for when they put it there.
One wall is painted with prehistoric animals accompanied by names and dates of origin of extinction so eating can also be an educational experience. The rest of the decoris a brash red and yellow which, along with the acoustics, adds to the swimming pool experience.
Standard cafe food is available at a reasonable price: sandwiches, cakes, wraps and pastries are all edible and affordable, but the pre- packaged food is a bit hard to swallow.
The coffee is actually surprisingly good. Fairtrade Starbucks coffee is served so you at least know what to expect (but seriously, just go to a Starbucks).
The clientele is inevitably families stoppping to relax during a visit to the museum, and there is a lot to keep the kids entertained. In addition to the educational interior design, there is a table with a few small games on and a gift shop which sells lots of things to play with.
The saving grace of the Times Square Cafe is definitely its outdoor area. On a sunny day, sitting under an umbrella amongst the flowers and greenery can feel almost continental and a far cry from the atmosphere inside.
The cafe can be found in the Centre for Life in Times Square, Newcastle City Centre. It is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm and 11am - 6pm on Sunday. Being so family orientated, the cafe is not lisenced and there is easy access for wheelchairs and prams.
Overall, Times Square Cafe is cheap, convienient and family friendly - as a simple museum cafe, it does the job. If you happen to be visiting in the museum then by all means stop in, but if you're looking for a cafe culture experience you should probably find somewhere else.
Not my cup of tea.
3/5
Times Square Cafe
Life Science Centre
Times Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne & Wear
NE1 4EP
T: (0191) 243 8210
Street Cafe
Latched onto the historic Great North Museum at Barras Bridge in Newcastle and just a 5-minute walk from Haymarket Metro, this corridor-style cafe is both convenient and easy to find.
While the Street Cafe is completely discordant with the exciting, family-friendly atmosphere of the Great North Museum, it is functional. For hungry families on-the-go, those seeking a break between Hadrian's Wall and paleontology exhibits, and Newcastle University students moving to-and-from lectures, the Street Cafe serves its purpose.
With pastries, sandwiches and wraps ranging in price from £1.50-£2.85 and a decent selection of hot and cold drinks from £1-£2.40, it's enough to settle any tummy grumbles. Vegetarians won't be hard-pressed to find something to eat, with falafel wraps, Mediterranean salad sandwiches and fruit to choose from, and nor will ravenous tots, as the cafe offers snack packs for kids for a dear £3.50.
Despite its Fairtrade awareness and range of specialty teas, however, the Street Cafe lacks the warm atmosphere one might expect from a museum cafe. Its lime green interior does help to brighten up the otherwise industrial space, but overall, it isn't very inviting and its few tables won't accommodate larger groups.
While it offers refuge to students and museum-goers in the winter months, its lack of hot food won't entice you to stay in and warm up. And come the hot summer months, you'll find yourself parked on a bench if you're wanting to eat outside, as the cafe doesn't offer its clientele any outdoor seating.
Unfortunately for me, the only thing buzzing about this cafe was its loud refrigerator.
1/5
Street Cafe
Great North Museum
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne and Wear
NE2 4PT
Tel: (0191) 222 6765
Fax: (0191) 230 2614
Textphone: 18001 0191 222 6765
Website: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/
While the Street Cafe is completely discordant with the exciting, family-friendly atmosphere of the Great North Museum, it is functional. For hungry families on-the-go, those seeking a break between Hadrian's Wall and paleontology exhibits, and Newcastle University students moving to-and-from lectures, the Street Cafe serves its purpose.
With pastries, sandwiches and wraps ranging in price from £1.50-£2.85 and a decent selection of hot and cold drinks from £1-£2.40, it's enough to settle any tummy grumbles. Vegetarians won't be hard-pressed to find something to eat, with falafel wraps, Mediterranean salad sandwiches and fruit to choose from, and nor will ravenous tots, as the cafe offers snack packs for kids for a dear £3.50.
Despite its Fairtrade awareness and range of specialty teas, however, the Street Cafe lacks the warm atmosphere one might expect from a museum cafe. Its lime green interior does help to brighten up the otherwise industrial space, but overall, it isn't very inviting and its few tables won't accommodate larger groups.
While it offers refuge to students and museum-goers in the winter months, its lack of hot food won't entice you to stay in and warm up. And come the hot summer months, you'll find yourself parked on a bench if you're wanting to eat outside, as the cafe doesn't offer its clientele any outdoor seating.
Unfortunately for me, the only thing buzzing about this cafe was its loud refrigerator.
1/5
Street Cafe
Great North Museum
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne and Wear
NE2 4PT
Tel: (0191) 222 6765
Fax: (0191) 230 2614
Textphone: 18001 0191 222 6765
Website: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/
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