Rachel's Guide to Newcastle and Beyond!
June 30, 2015 in Festivals and Events 6
There was something a little bit exotic about Newcastle at the weekend and it wasn’t just the glorious weather! Emirates brought their Go East Festival to the city and I paid a visit to Times Square near the Centre for Life to see what was going on.
I was met by an inviting mix of unfamiliar aromas from the array of street food vendors. My lack of foodie knowledge meant that I wasn’t quite sure what half the dishes on the menus were (handmade Gyoza anyone??) but my mouth was watering as I watched the chefs serve up moist little dumplings, naan breads smothered in lamb tikka and pots of spicy aromatic noodles, to name but a few.
After much deliberation I ordered a chicken baida roti which was freshly prepared for me by On the Goa who I’m sure I’ve seen at the Quayside Market but never sampled. It was so tasty, a little stodgy but in a comforting way and it wasn’t too spicy for me either which was a relief.
My friend headed for North Street Feast and chose a sheek lamb kebab tandoori naan which was absolutely delicious. I think I’d have to order it without the spicy red sauce on (I’m such a softy!) but the meat was really tender and still pink which I loved. Keep an eye out for this food stall at the Boiler Shop Steamer in August!
We enjoyed our tasty street food under a quirky canopy which was actually a scale model replica of the Emirates A380 wing, very clever!
As we were tucking in to our scran we heard a loud bang and I nearly jumped out of my skin! I needn’t have worried though, it was just the entertainment warming up and a few minutes later we found ourselves joining in a traditional dance with a group of Zulu dancers! Although, it was a little toddler by the name of Soren who stole the show, look it his cute little painted face!
It was a lovely sunny afternoon and a vibrant cultural celebration that has had me day dreaming of holidays to the Far East ever since!
By Rachel Kershaw
How fabulous does this festival look – I love that it’s a little bit different to the usual festivals we have in town. Thanks for linking to #LoveNorthEast
Looks like a fab day out! And the food looks (and sounds) so tasty too!
This looks absolutely amazing- Such good fun and brilliant sounding food! We ate a Chicken Xacuti from On the Goa recently and it was absolutely delicious- Love some good street food!
Eats x
looks like you had a fab day out. everyone looks so cheerful and colourful. i love it