Blog from http://proseccoandpie.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/culinary-tour-de-france/
After the fun I had at Gareth Kyle’s summer supper club at Bradley Gardens, I have fallen in love with supper clubs. Unlike going for a meal in a restaurant, attending a supper club is like you’ve stumbled upon an exciting secret. You get the chance to meet people you’ve never met before and eat in some pretty amazing places – what’s not to love?
I headed along to Gareth’s Tour de France themed supper club earlier this week, excited to experience my second supper club! In keeping with the theme, the event took place at a cycling-inspired cafe called Pedalling Squares nestled at the foot of Whickham Bank, Newcastle. Naturally, there was only one person I could take with me, my sports-mad other half who could talk shop with other cycling fans while I eyed up the food.
After grabbing a drink, we were shown upstairs to a pretty spectacular dining area. Our restaurant for the evening was a photography studio surrounded by unusual props, with long tables in the centre all bathed in twinkly candlelight and decorated with jam jars of pretty carnations.
Though the venue looked fantastic, I couldn’t help noticing the absence of a kitchen… tucked away in a tiny room at the back, Gareth and his amazing team worked tirelessly to serve five courses to over 40 diners! The event kicked off with a delicious pastry-based pizza topped with olives, before we all tucked into a rich french onion soup and a sharing board of black pudding, baked camembert and pâté (served with rustic french bread of course). Richie and I were lucky enough to sit next to a lovely young couple, which meant we shared everything and had a brilliant evening getting to know each other.
For our mains, we enjoyed a seasonal supper of confit duck leg served on bed of crispy potatoes and fresh salad. Not only were the portion sizes more than generous, Gareth’s duck even managed to impress Richie (also known as the world’s fussiest eater, sorry darling)! After a short break, we waited with baited breath for dessert…(or, maybe that was just me?). Nevertheless we all practically inhaled our generous slice of apple tarte tartin topped with deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream.
Just as we were all about to go our separate ways for the evening, Gareth pulled out one final surprise from up his sleeve… Mini amaretto milkshakes served in adorable mini milk bottles with fresh chocolate eclairs and dried strawberry pieces.
I’m biased because I love Gareth’s cooking, but hand on heart I can honestly say the evening exceeded my expectations. The venue was intimate and informal, it looked beautiful and the food (despite the sharing board not being my favourite assortment of food) was a really strong mixture, whilst keeping with the Tour De France theme.
Gareth hosts supper clubs throughout the year, so you have no excuse not to attend one! Great value for money and a great experience, I”m going to become a food groupie and follow him around the region… (Just kidding Gareth). You can also show your support for this talented local chef by watching him break a world recommend next month at the upcoming EAT! Festival. Find out more here….
After the fun I had at Gareth Kyle’s summer supper club at Bradley Gardens, I have fallen in love with supper clubs. Unlike going for a meal in a restaurant, attending a supper club is like you’ve stumbled upon an exciting secret. You get the chance to meet people you’ve never met before and eat in some pretty amazing places – what’s not to love?
I headed along to Gareth’s Tour de France themed supper club earlier this week, excited to experience my second supper club! In keeping with the theme, the event took place at a cycling-inspired cafe called Pedalling Squares nestled at the foot of Whickham Bank, Newcastle. Naturally, there was only one person I could take with me, my sports-mad other half who could talk shop with other cycling fans while I eyed up the food.
After grabbing a drink, we were shown upstairs to a pretty spectacular dining area. Our restaurant for the evening was a photography studio surrounded by unusual props, with long tables in the centre all bathed in twinkly candlelight and decorated with jam jars of pretty carnations.
Though the venue looked fantastic, I couldn’t help noticing the absence of a kitchen… tucked away in a tiny room at the back, Gareth and his amazing team worked tirelessly to serve five courses to over 40 diners! The event kicked off with a delicious pastry-based pizza topped with olives, before we all tucked into a rich french onion soup and a sharing board of black pudding, baked camembert and pâté (served with rustic french bread of course). Richie and I were lucky enough to sit next to a lovely young couple, which meant we shared everything and had a brilliant evening getting to know each other.
For our mains, we enjoyed a seasonal supper of confit duck leg served on bed of crispy potatoes and fresh salad. Not only were the portion sizes more than generous, Gareth’s duck even managed to impress Richie (also known as the world’s fussiest eater, sorry darling)! After a short break, we waited with baited breath for dessert…(or, maybe that was just me?). Nevertheless we all practically inhaled our generous slice of apple tarte tartin topped with deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream.
Just as we were all about to go our separate ways for the evening, Gareth pulled out one final surprise from up his sleeve… Mini amaretto milkshakes served in adorable mini milk bottles with fresh chocolate eclairs and dried strawberry pieces.
I’m biased because I love Gareth’s cooking, but hand on heart I can honestly say the evening exceeded my expectations. The venue was intimate and informal, it looked beautiful and the food (despite the sharing board not being my favourite assortment of food) was a really strong mixture, whilst keeping with the Tour De France theme.
Gareth hosts supper clubs throughout the year, so you have no excuse not to attend one! Great value for money and a great experience, I”m going to become a food groupie and follow him around the region… (Just kidding Gareth). You can also show your support for this talented local chef by watching him break a world recommend next month at the upcoming EAT! Festival. Find out more here….