A Mid-Week Treat at Browns Bar & Brasserie

January 29, 2014 by Rachel Kershaw in Eating Out 1

Working in the city centre of Newcastle means there’s no shortage of bars and restaurants to choose from for a mid-week treat! I recently paid a visit to Browns Bar & Brasserie on Grey Street after ditching the new year diet and invited my friend Zoe along to join me, she did not take much persuasion, especially once I had shown her the tempting a la carte menu! I’m so pleased Zoe said yes because as well as being great company, she also writes articles (for NE1 magazine no less!) so I knew she would understand when I insisted upon photographing our food before we tucked in, it’s the price you pay for being friends with a blogger!

Zoe and I were both impressed with the palatial surroundings of Browns, I’d visited the one in Leeds before which is rather grand and was glad to see that the Geordie addition to the chain’s portfolio measured up!

After ordering a couple of glasses of wine from the extensive wine list and deciding on starters from a choice of about eight different dishes, we had a good nosey around the restaurant. It was much busier than I expected it to be on a Wednesday night in January and I couldn’t help but stare at some of the fancy looking meals making their way from the kitchen to the tables around us. I got a sense of reassurance when I saw diners happily nodding with satisfaction as they took their first mouthfuls. Always a good sign! Rather than put them off their dinner by snapping away with my camera like some crazed papparazi I requested these interior shots from the restaurants PR agency so that I could share with you what Browns looks like inside…

After devouring our beautifully presented starters of roasted goat’s cheese (me) and asparagus with prosciutto (Zoe) we eagerly anticipated the arrival of our main courses and I definitely came out on top when they arrived. Don’t get me wrong, Zoe seemed very happy with her choice of fish pie and assured me that it was satisfyingly filled with flavoursome fish and big juicy prawns. It was also served with green beans which were thankfully non-squeeky!

However, you just can’t beat a juicy steak can you? Well, unless you’re a vegetarian I suppose which I certainly am not! I ordered the rib eye medium rare and it was cooked perfectly! The meat was so tender it simply melted in my mouth , this pic really doesn’t do it justice if I’m honest…

I honestly don’t know how I made room for dessert but after asking our lovely waiter for a recommendation it seemed rude to turn down his suggestion of Eton Mess. The Browns version was made with cherries and white chocolate and it was a delicious twist on the Great British classic. I would definitely order it again, perhaps leaving out the starter to make room, I always have had a sweet tooth!

Zoe went for one of the Browns Brownies, they seem to be a bit of speciality as there’s a whole section of the dessert menu devoted to them! The rich chocolatey indulgence certainly brought a smile to my friend’s face!

I think it’s safe to say we both felt very satisfied as we left, showering the waiter with compliments and promising to return soon!

If you fancy trying Browns Bar and Brasserie yourself then you’ve never had a better excuse because it’s currently taking part in NE1 Restaurant Week, offering two courses for the bargain price of just £10. NE1 Restaurant Week has been extended with many venues making their special offers available till the 9th Feb so get booking!