THE VIBE

With its relaxed atmosphere, friendly team and weekly changing menus, this restaurant and wine bar serves up authentic and classic dishes from France to the heart of Newcastle. The two-storey venue is part café, part wine bar, part bistro, and part market all rolled into one, hence The French Quarter.

Under a contemporary arched roof, it’s decked out with fancy tiles, wooden furnishings, flickering candlelight tables and botanicals, as soon as you step through the door, you’ll instantly feel transported to France. There’s a real sense of home away from home here but with an added stylish and sleek touch.

It’s the sort of place you could spend the whole day losing track of time, whether it’s a date day or catching up with the ladies. And that’s down to the friendly team who make you feel like part of their family, you’ll never feel rushed and they really know their stuff about the dishes. Plus, they are always on hand to recommend the perfect glass (or bottle) of wine to compliment your dishes.

For starters, Rachael decided to embrace the full French dining experience and try frog legs cooked with parsley and garlic for the first time and she wasn’t disappointed. They were juicy, flavoursome and tasted just like chicken. Beth went for the homemade fish rillette served with sour toast dough toast which was full of Mediterranean flavours and freshened up her pallet before tucking into her main.

For the main event, Rachael and Beth ordered the pan-fried coley served with Mediterranean vegetables and Espelette pepper butter sauce which captured the much-loved freshness of French cuisine. Molly went for the delicious oven-baked dish Alpine dish of potatoes, bacon, onion and Reblochon cheese served with green leaf salad, which was creamy, fluffy and light.

Molly has a sweet tooth so saved herself to try the ‘French toast’ with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream and she said it’s ‘one of the best desserts she has ever had’ – we’ll just leave that there…