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Heading into Newcastle this summer with the kids? If so then I know a great place to head for lunch and the food is rather delicious. The Hustle, it is definitely the place to be this summer. Located just outside of the Gate complex (where Tiger Tiger used to be) is The Hustle, somewhere that I would never have thought to take the kids too as it is well knowing as a cocktail bar serving bottomless brunches and tasty bar snacks. However during the day it is perfect for a family lunch in Newcastle city centre.
We visited at 12.30pm on a weekday for lunch with the kids, the bar was quiet with a few people sitting outdoors enjoying drinks or a meal and a few other people indoors. The interior was fun, stylish and very clean. Service was spot on, we were seated in a booth, handed menus and the server was really friendly and explained the menus to us and the children were giving colouring sheets and crayons.
Kids Menu
We dine out with the children often and I have to say this is one of the best kids menus that we have tried. The food was all fresh, no frozen nuggets etc and the portions were generous. Kids meals are priced at £7.50 which includes a drink (including mocktails), starter and main meal, you can add a pudding for a extra £1. My two went for the kids mocktail, starter and main plus a pudding, so it was £8.50 each and personally I thought it was good value for what they got.
For drinks they had the choice of a fruit juice, soft drink such as cola or lemonade or a fruity mocktail. Both of my children choose the fruity mocktail and went for the bubblegum daiquiri. Topped with fruit it was beautifully presented and both children really enjoyed and thought it was a real treat.
Three choice of starters are on offer vegetable sticks with dips, potato skins or cheesy garlic bread. One went for the potato skins which were like little crispy roast potatoes and I can confirm they were incredibly delicious, served with a pot of garlic mayo or BBQ sauce. The cheesy garlic bread starter was two slices of toasted ciabatta with lots of melted, garlicky cheese on top.
Onto mains and there was six options available, tomato pasta, mac and cheese, fish fingers rustic fries and peas, pizza with rustic fries and baked beans, chicken strips with rustic fries and baked beans or mini cheese beef burger with rustic fries and baked beans. One of the kids got the burger and the other the chicken strips - I was really impressed that the chicken strips were not frozen battered ones like we half expected.
Three choice of puddings were available cookie dough with ice cream. chocolate brownie fudge sundae or ice cream with fruit. Mine got the cookie dough and the brownie fudge sundae - which was huge!
All of the Kids meals were freshly cooked and generous portion sizes and most importantly of all the children said they were delicious.
Adult - Taste Of Summer Menu
The Hustle has a new Taste of Summer menu for us grown-ups, priced at £15 for two courses or £20 for three courses. Again the food was all fresh and they had some great options on the menus. Starters were summer bruschetta, garlic mushrooms, mozzarella and peach salad, fresh Scottish mussels or Hoisin style belly pork. I ordered the belly pork (lush) and the husband got the mussels in a Thai style sauce.
The Hoisin style belly pork was delicious, served with a peanut chilli caramel sauce it just melted in your mouth.
The Scottish Mussels came in a big bowl with some toasted bread to dip into the sauce, it was a generous portion for a starter. Even the children were pinching some as they said they were yummy.
Mains included dishes such as Thai red curry, Halloumi salad, veggie pizza, chicken pizza, beef ragu, burgers, seafood linguine or fish and chips. I got the fish and chips and the husband got the seafood linguine which was packed with assorted seafood such as mussels, prawns and squid in a creamy lemon sauce and topped with chilli's.
My fish and chips was massive, it came on a giant metal tray. Fish was proper lush, really thick and tender and the batter was crisp but not too greasy. Honestly it was as nice as a fish you would get from a fish and chip shop, the chips were chunky homemade ones that were well cooked and crisp on the outside but fluffy and soft in the middle. Served with a side of minted mushy peas, pot of ketchup and tarter sauce.
The mains were so big that there was no way I could manage a dessert so we shared a summer berry eaton mess. We actually had summer berry eaton mess for our wedding meal as its one of my favourites. The Hustles summer berry eaton mess was the nicest one I have ever tried, but we warned it is massive but perfect for sharing.
The Hustle Venue
Inside the Hustle was lovely, modern and clean but cosy at the same time. Despite being a bar as we visited on a weekday lunchtime it was ideal for a family lunch. It wasn't too busy and it had a nice, chilled out vibe. Staff were lovely and made the kids and us feel welcome and service was spot on. It is somewhere that I would go back to as it is a great central location, ideal if you want lunch before/after visiting the cinema or one of the entertainment venues in the gate.
What We Though
Overall we were impressed and I am not just saying that because we were invited to review The Hustle. We could not fault anything at all. It was clean and welcoming, staff were lush and friendly, kids were made to feel welcome and the food was delicious, well presented and huge portions. I also thought that for the quality and amount of food you got it was really good value.
If you are looking for somewhere to take the kids this summer for lunch in Newcastle then give The Hustle a try and I am sure you will enjoy it just as much as we did.
To find out more and view all the menus available such as the kids, lunch time, bar, brunch and vegan to name just a few visit the Hustles website www.thehustlene1.co.uk
Ahh! I think of that building as Tiger Tiger. It sounds like a fantastic place for a family meal out. The food and drinks for the kids look amazing, not many places make food that good for kids. x
ReplyDeleteThe food for the children was so good, one of the best kids menus we have tried. x
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