Restaurant Week: Lola Jeans

Simon and I have been on a mission since Christmas to fight our festive fat and lose those few extra uncomfortable lbs.  Our fridge is full of salad, our evenings are spent running in the gym and every calorie is tracked.

So you can imagine how much we were looking forward to the first Restaurant Week of 2015 - we needed it!

Restaurant Week happens twice a year up here in the Toon, with many of the best restaurants showcasing their menus in January friendly deals for either £10 or £15. 

As a huge fan of eating out it is one of my biggest highlights of the year and as soon as the list of menus appears online I spend many an hour studying it - mouth slightly dribbling at the thought of all the wonderful food on offer.

We always like to take the opportunity to try somewhere different during Restaurant Week so our first dinner of the week was at the recently opened Lola Jeans.  I was there on Opening Night with lots of other local bloggers and after trying a few samples from the menu I knew I needed to return for the full experience.

The  Restaurant Week menu at Lola Jeans was one for burger fans with the tempting offer of two burgers with fries for £15.00.   Probably one of the best deals of Restaurant Week.

It's been ages since we've indulged in a burger so the anticipation of our dinner was high - we had both spent all day thinking non stop about burgers.  Simon even admitted that he caught himself muttering out loud about burgers in the office (apologies to Simon's colleagues!)

Lola Jeans is a stunning bar - a cute hideaway filled with lamp shades, chandeliers and velvet covered chairs.  The focal point is the large and colourful flower skull mural that adorns the back wall.  It's one of the most eye catching bars in the city.

We were shown a table near the door and although grateful to have a huge seat all to myself, perfect for spreading all my bags on I will say that I spent most of my meal feeling rather chilly.   The draught whipped round our legs and by the end of our dinner we were struggling to feel our feet.  If you are dining in Lolas in Winter, definitely ask for a table away from the door!

Some Restaurant Week menus can be a little bit on the short side but the menu at Lola Jeans offered us a wonderful choice of 8 burgers.  There were lots of great fillings on offer so we had some tough choices to make.

Simon decided to order the John Dillinger - a Burger served in Garlic Butter Brioche with Mozzarella, Neapolitan Sauce and Crispy Pepperoni.

Although he enjoyed his burger he wasn't blown away and decided that the Brioche was a little too much for him, especially with the addition of Garlic Butter.

I was after something a little different and the "Steve Jobs" jumped off the menu immediately.  Double Pork Patty, BBQ Pork Shoulder, Candied Streaky Bacon and Bacon Mayo served between two apple waffles.  Yes you read that right, a burger sandwiched together with apple waffles instead of bread.

It sounded like a bit of  a monster so I was a little worried that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.  I was relieved when my plate appeared and my burger was a normal burger size.

Ordering pork in a burger can be a bit of a risk, I always worry that the meat will be fatty - something that was in the back of my mind as soon as I took my first bite of Steve Jobs.  Luckily the meat was perfectly prepared, delicious and with no fat in sight.

The apple waffles definitely added an extra something to my burger, I loved the flavour combination although I will say that the waffles felt a bit too dry to eat with a burger.  The concept is awesome but in reality it didn't quite work.  

Our meals came with a portion of fries each which were served crispy.   I love my chips with a bit of crisp but these were a tiny bit overdone for my liking which was a shame as they had a lovely flavour.

 

I'm glad we got the opportunity to try out the food at Lola Jeans but we both left feeling that it's definitely more a place that we prefer for drinks.  The beautiful surroundings, friendly staff and fun cocktail list will see us return - I was really impressed with the "North East" inspired section of the drinks list and next time we visit I'm definitely having a Fog on the Tyne.

Let me know if you've been to Lola Jeans and what your experiences have been.