Man vs Food, Heaton

Chillingham Road in Heaton is fast becoming one of our favourite places to eat.  The little suburb on the edge of Newcastle is a haven of delis and restaurants and every time we stroll the streets I find myself adding to our Bucket List.

On our most recent walk we stumbled across Man vs Food and we were immediately curious.  Most of our meals out turn into a Man vs Food type experience, with us eating as much as we possibly can before rolling home.

So when an e-mail landed in the inbox inviting us for a sneaky peak the night before opening we were very quick to get a table reserved. 

 

Welcomed in from the cold and rain (ah British Summer time) we were shown to a snuggly wooden booth to hide away from the world and bury our faces into a rather awesome looking menu.  If you love American style dining, Man vs Food is the place for you - burgers, hot dogs, doorstop sandwiches and a generous selection of sides - our tummies were grumbling as we tried to choose what to order.

Of course, when you are eating American you have to do it properly and for us this meant ordering naughty milkshakes.  I never bother ordering a milkshake if the flavours are boring but with shakes like Strawberry & Marshmallow on the menu I was keen to get involved.  I decided on the Oreo Shake and Simon picked out the Aero Mint Shake.

 

  

They arrived in huge glasses and each drink was topped with a treat.  I was pretty chuffed to get an Oreo cookie sitting on a generous helping of cream. 

 

I also couldn't help but notice that the usual red and white stripy straws that often appear with milkshakes these days were absent - hurrah!  As cute as these straws look they are made of paper and so go soggy.  I really wish places would stop using them. 

 

As you can imagine by the name of the restaurant the food at Man vs Food is pretty substantial.  Each main meal comes with a choice of two sides, allowing you to be as greedy as you like. 

I opted for the hot dog, but not reading the menu properly didn't realise it was going to be a foot long. I was pretty surprised when it showed up and was the largest hot dog I've ever seen. 

 

Ah well, no complaints from me, I'm a girl with a big appetite.

 

  

For my sides I chose onion rings and sweet potato fries, I was tempted to order garlic bread, but that seemed a little excessive, even for me!  

The hot dog was covered in crispy onions and smothered in a delicious house sauce - the perfect accompaniments to the smoky flavoured dog.  The foot long monster was a challenge, especially with the additional sides which were very filling.  The onion rings were huge and covered in a thick batter, if you're ordering those as a side definitely don't try and tackle them first.

 

After a little encouragement from me Simon ordered the Parmesan, or "Parmo" if you're from the North East.  I hadn't noticed it on the menu on first glance but as soon as he mentioned it was something he might order I insisted that he did.  I've been wanting to try a Parmo ever since I moved to the North East.

 

For my southern friends who are probably wondering what a "Parmo" is, let me give you a lesson in North East cuisine.  Parmos are popular with our neighbours in Middlesbrough and consist of deep fried chicken in bread crumbs, smothered in white béchamel sauce and then covered in cheese. 

The Parmo at Man vs Food was literally the size of the plate and being quite a stodgy food it was hard work to tackle. 

 

I'm afraid to say that in this battle of Man vs Food, food well and truly won.  Despite being experts at eating Simon and I couldn't finish our meals and had to admit defeat.  We had great fun trying though, and one tip I have to share is that if you're meal is beginning to feel like a bit too much, swap with your dining buddy!  

There's one very important element of Man vs Food that I haven't mentioned yet - the food challenges.  If you're feeling brave there's a menu just for you featuring 5 different challenges, most involve eating a lot of food, but one involves handling a ridiculous amount of spice (you need gloves and goggles for that one!). 

 

So if you think you can eat 4 burgers (with sides!) or 2 whole chickens within 30 minutes get yourself to Man vs Food.  You could win a t-shirt and get your photo on their wall of fame!

You won't see us partaking in challenges any time soon, the standard menu finished us off!  But we will definitely be returning and this time we'll make sure we don't eat all day in preparation.

 

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