The Oak Cafe

We found ourselves in Newcastle on Saturday without a plan.  After aimlessly wandering around the shops and getting fed up with the crowds and heat we decided it was time for a sit down and so decided to consult my list to find somewhere new to go for coffee and cake.

A short while later we were making our way to the furniture shop, Barker and Stonehouse -  maybe not the first place you'd think to head for cake but I'm about to let you into a pretty awesome secret!

Back in the Summer, local restaurant The Oak opened up the first northern in-store café at the Newcastle branch of Barker and Stonehouse, located on Leazes Park Road.  I've been eager to get myself through the door ever since.

I was pretty impressed when we arrived that we managed to avoid spending hours looking at the furniture.  Since deciding we're going to buy a house next year we have been known to get completely lost in the land of sofas and coffee tables.  Luckily if there's one thing we love more than window shopping for furniture, it's cake so we headed straight up to the First Floor to find the Oak Café.

As soon as I approached the Oak, I was smitten.  The café is furnished with mis match sofas, dining tables, comfy chairs, coffee tables, rugs and gorgeous lights.  Every piece is available to buy from Barker and Stonehouse and it's a perfect way to try before you buy!

We were perhaps a little greedy with our seating choice.  There were only two of us but we couldn't help but head straight for the largest area and swiftly plonked ourselves down at a gorgeous low wooden table surrounded by a leather sofa, squishy chairs and colourful cushions.  It was more like sitting in a cosy little lounge than a café.

Heading to the counter to place our order there was a small selection of really tempting looking cakes.  I was annoyed at myself for my nut allergy because the huge peanut butter and banana cake looked so good.   I also loved the look of the Tiffins which came in the choice of Dark Chocolate and Apricot or Milk Chocolate and  Ginger.  But in the end there was only one winner for me - a slice of Bakewell Tart and a caramel latte.

Settling down into our new comfy home we had a wonderful time lost in the plush furnishings and admiring the views from the large windows.  The Oak Café is such a light open space with plenty of room to really relax.  A far cry from the hustle and bustle of the streets below.

Our treats arrived quickly and I was really happy to see that, keeping it local, the coffee was made by Ringtons a company that originated in a horse and carriage in the streets of Heaton.   When I'm ordering a latte I do love it to be really indulgent and creamy and this one definitely hit the spot - it was gorgeous!

The Bakewell Tart was also fantastic, perfectly crumbly with great flavours.  I was so disappointed when I'd eaten the last crumb and there was no more.  I would have sneaked a bit off Simon's plate but unfortunately he'd wolfed all of his down too.

On the menu there's also a nice selection of salads and sandwiches as well as a full afternoon tea.  Using plenty of local produce - including bread and cakes from one of my personal favourites, French Oven - the Oak at Barker and Stonehouse is definitely somewhere not to be missed!

Following our food we were quite tempted to set up camp and have a little kip on the comfortable chairs but regrettably we had a few boring chores to get on with.   Luckily the Oak Café gave us the perfect chill out to leave us feeling ready to face the rest of the day.