Ladies Lunch at Pleased to Meet You, Newcastle

Is there anything better in life than ladies lunch? I'm talking the kind where you find yourself a window seat somewhere beautiful, where the food is fantastic and there's plenty of room round your feet for shopping bags.  It's best enjoyed with a close friend who loves nothing more than eating far too much food whilst gossiping and enjoying a spot of people watching.

Last weekend I had the perfect ladies lunch at Pleased To Meet You in Newcastle with my lovely friend Sarah.   We both live to chat and eat and catching up over a long 3 course lunch is our favourite way to spend the afternoon.

You'll find Pleased To Meet You on the cobbled street of High Bridge, just off Grey Street making it so convenient for ladies lunch after a shopping trip, pre theatre food or just a great start to an evening out. Head Chef, David Kennedy has created a new lunch menu featuring a fantastic range of seasonal and local produce from the farms, coast and woodland of the North East.  The lunch menu is a bargain if you dine during the week with 2 courses for £9.95 and 3 courses for £12.95 between 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

A choice of 3 starters, we were tempted by the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup but in the end both decided on the Chicken and Bacon Terrine with Pickled Carrots.  We might be big copycats but it just sounded too good to resist and I didn't want to get any food jealousy.  An absolute must for any meat lover, it was the perfect start to lunch.

The 8 dishes on the mains menu lead to some serious decision making. I finally managed to whittle down to a choice of 5 before settling on the Slow Roasted Pork Belly Sandwich served with Sage, Apple Sauce and Thin Cut Fries whilst Sarah chose the Seared Minute Steak Sandwich which was also stuffed with Grilled Bacon and Mature Cheddar.

Our sandwiches were absolute monsters and we realised pretty quickly that the best tactic was to grab them with both hands and enjoy getting messy.  In my opinion the best sandwiches always end up all over your mouth and in your lap.

I'm always a little nervous when I order meat in a restaurant, sometimes the worry of it being too tough or, even worse, too fatty puts me off ordering but I'm so glad that I took the risk at Pleased To Meet You as my roasted pork belly was spot on and I enjoyed every bite.

As I polished off the last bit I realised I was beginning to feel a little full, but was determined to continue.  Everyone knows dessert is my favourite course and it's not often I can turn it down.   Deciding to go out in true stodgy style I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Hot Toffee Sauce whilst Sarah went for a more sensible dessert of Citrus Cream, Blood Orange and Pistachios.

Beautifully rich and sweet I managed to eat my entire dessert, it was just so good I kept on attacking it even though I was seriously stuffed.

We had a wonderful lunch at Pleased to Meet You and really enjoyed trying out the lunch menu and having a good nosy out of the window (I'd recommend trying to nab yourself a table seat if you're partial to a spot of people watching and love a little sun trap).  The restaurant was full the entire time we were there with more and more people coming in from the street.  Definitely book a table if you're going to be giving it a try!

Let me know your favourite place for a ladies (or lads!) lunch in the Toon and if you have any more Pleased To Meet You menu recommendations.


Thank you to Pleased to Meet You for inviting us for lunch. Our meal was complimentary, but all opinions are our own.