Date Night at the Gentleman, Newcastle

When I suggested to Simon that we have a date night on the Bigg Market he looked less than impressed. You see, the Bigg Market hasn't always had the greatest reputation around these parts - it tends to be famed for its collection of kebab shops and cheap boozers.  It's where people go to end a night out and isn't exactly the most romantic of destinations for date night.

But recently there's been change on the Bigg Market with a few little gems popping up on the road, making it a part of the city that's definitely worth investigating.  The Gentleman is one of these gems.  I visited a few months ago with some girlfriends and was so impressed with our food that I just knew I had to take Simon to try it for himself.

The Gentleman looks small from the outside but is actually pretty huge.  With plenty of tables, chesterfield sofas and gorgeous decor that definitely gives a nod to its  name, I couldn't help but have a little nosy round before settling down to take a look at the menu.

At weekends you can enjoy live jazz and blues performances and I can imagine it's quite some evening so a definite one to add to your list for the Summer!

The best table in the house is by the window.  The colourful characters wandering past make for some great people watching and in the early evening it was a beautiful sun trap.  Although the Bigg Market has a reputation I felt perfectly relaxed gazing out of the window and watching the world go by and hopefully in the coming months the Bigg Market will become more of a destination for diners.

The Gentleman have an impressive collection of cocktails and are some of the very best I've had in Newcastle.   Great love and care is taken in the creation of each one and if you love your drinks sweet, colourful and garnished with an impressive array of fruit, the Gentleman really is the place to go.

I'm trying to slowly work my way through the cocktail list and on this trip I tried the Cocojito - Malibu, Bacardi, Coconut, shaken with fresh lime and mint - tell me that's not Summer time in a glass?  It was so refreshing.

On my last visit I took advantage of the Happy Hour Menu where you can get two courses for £12.95 or three courses for £16.95 every week night after 5:00 pm - an absolute bargain but this time we decided to push the boat out and order off the main menu.

The last few months I've found myself loving burgers.  I never used to be fussed by them but I now find it's the first section of a menu I turn to.  So whist I was pretty tempted to order the Steak and Ale Newcastle Brown Ale Pie, it was The Big Bad Wolf Burger that really caught my attention.

A Pork and Chorizo Burger served on an artisan bun and stuffed full of bacon, cheese and lettuce.   Served with fries and sweet burger relish.

The burger was really satisfying  The patty was huge and a completely different consistency to a beef patty.  It was really juicy and squishy and tasted so good.  We both wiped our plates clean.

We couldn't think ahead about dessert as the menu wasn't available online so I was eager to see what was on offer.  On my last visit I had the chocolate fudge cake so wanted to order something different on this visit.

The Chocolate Banoffee Pie was the standout choice for me.  A twist on the classic Banoffee Pie it involved a very generous dollop of thick and gooey chocolate.  It was a perfect dessert if you have a sweet tooth, with the added bonus of crushed meringue, sweet strawberries and ice-cream - I was in my element.

Simon opted for his usual favourite, Sticky Toffee Pudding.   The only let down of the whole meal it was a little tough and chewy and tasted a little burnt in places.  Such a shame and I did feel a little bad for him as I woolfed down my delicious Banoffee Pie with a massive grin on my face.

My second visit to The Gentleman was just as good as my first and I'm very happy that Simon is now fully on board.  I think we'll be seeing a fair bit of The Gentleman this Summer.

Anyone else got any new discoveries to share?

Please note, since writing this post the Gentleman has unfortunately closed.