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all 6.45

served in large 50ml measures… of course!

choose from…

tanqueray
a classic london dry, with a juniper heavy blend of traditional botanical

jensons old toms
small batch produced to an historical recipe, emulating the vintage old-Tom style; very powerful botanicals create a uniquely full bodied and intense flavour

hendricks
floral and aromatic, with touches of rose petal and cucumber

beefeater 24
fresh and clean, with unusual hints of japanese spice and green tea

edinburgh
a soft and buttery character, with rounded notes of pine and heather

whitney neilla
modern and herbal interpretation of london dry, with a subtle blend of rare african botanicals

edinburgh raspberry
matured with fresh perthshire raspberries to give a sharp, fruity finish

have it your way…

classic: local botanically brewed fentimans tonic,  with wedges of fresh lime

collins: fresh lemon juice, soda water and a dash of sugar sirop for sweetness

long: fresh lemon juice, angostura bitters, a drizzle of bitters and a dash of soda to sparkle

vintage: bitter lemon, a handful of fresh mint and fresh lemon

blush: grapefruit juice and rosehip sirop, with fresh pink grapefruit and aromatic rose water

garden: elderflower and nettle, with fresh cucumber and a dash of soda

Barluga Morpeth is the sister of the successful Barluga in the heart of Newcastle. The venue, nestled in Sanderson Arcade, offers fine food and great wines in a stylish setting. Chefs David Blackhall and Andrew Laurie put together some tasty recipes for etc readers to try out at home . . .

Goats’ Cheese, Marinated Beetroot Asparagus and Pea Salad  serves 4

250g goats’ cheese
25ml double cream
¼ lemon juice
White pepper
1 bunch asparagus
250ml vegetable stock
25g thyme
250g beetroot
200ml rapeseed oil
250g fresh garden peas
50g pea shoots
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
100g finely chopped shallots
25g chopped chives

1: Soften the goats’ cheese, then blend with ¼ lemon juice and freshly ground white pepper.
2: Layer cling film on a slightly wet bench. Place the cheese on top, roll tightly into a cigar shape. Set aside in the fridge.
3: Roast the beetroot in a little veg stock, garlic and thyme. When cooled, peel, trim and dice the beetroot. Marinate in rapeseed oil, chives and shallots.
4: Peel the asparagus and blanch in salted water. Refresh in an ice bath. Repeat this process with the peas.
5: Cut the cheese into 2-inch pieces. Glaze the top lightly with a blowtorch. Assemble three pieces across a plate. Place the beetroot marinade around the cheese, with the asparagus, fresh peas and pea shoots

Seared Fillets of Sea Bass served with Summer Ratatouille, Crushed Heritage Potatoes and Basil serves 4

6 large fillets sea bass, cut in half
1kg pink fir apple potatoes
100ml extra virgin olive oil
300ml extra virgin rapeseed oil
1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 red pepper, deseeded
1 green pepper, deseeded
4 large plum tomatoes
100g pitted black olives
50g fresh basil
25g fresh parsley
¼ lemon juice
25g diced butter

1: Peel the pink fir potatoes, place in tall pan with cold water and salt. Bring to a hard boil, then simmer until cooked, be sure to skim the starch throughout the process. When cooked, drain, then place back into the pan. Return to a low heat so the potatoes dry. When dry, season with white pepper and salt, add good quality olive oil, or barluga blend olive oil, then crush with a fork.
2: For the summer ratatouille, dice red/green peppers, courgette and aubergine. Place in tall pan, with rapeseed oil. Bring the oil up to a semi rapid boil, then allow to simmer for one minute. Remove from the heat. Remove the contents and place into a cool long shallow container. Cool at room temperature.
3: Blanch plum tomatoes in salted water, then rapidly cool in an ice bath. When cool, remove the skin and deseed. Put onto a clean cloth and place in the fridge. After 1 hour, dice the tomato.
4: To finish the dressing, finely slice freshly picked basil and add this, and the diced tomato, to the pepper mix, and finish with diced black olives.
5: Make sure your sea bass has been fully pin-boned and scaled, season lightly with salt and white pepper. Warm a non-stick pan and add a touch of oil. Place the fillets skin side up and cook gently until the edges crisp and the flesh starts to whiten. Add 2 knobs of hard un-salted butter and increase the heat slightly for 30 seconds. Remove completely from the heat. Squeeze ¼ lemon juice into the pan and turn the fish.
6: Finish the crushed potato with chopped flat leaf parsley, and place quenelles on the plate.  
7: Finally place the fillets on top, and finish with the ratatouille.

Iced Banana Parfait with Pistachio Ice Cream and Caramelised Banana
Serves 4

12 egg yolks
400g banana puree – fresh bananas blitzed with lemon juice, then passed through a sieve
50ml banana liqueur
60g water
400ml double cream

1: Bring the sugar and water up to a soft boil and simmer for 4 mins. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks in a mixer.
2: Pour the syrup onto the yolks, and whisk until thick and pale.  Whisk in the banana puree and liqueur.
3: Semi whip the cream and fold into the banana sabayon.
4: Pour into moulds and set in a freezer for a good 24 hours.
5: To finish, peel a banana and cut into four. Lightly dust with icing sugar and glaze with a blowtorch, or under a hot grill until golden.
6: Remove the parfait from the freezer, don’t handle too much as the heat from your hands will melt the parfait.
7: Finish with a scoop of pistachio ice cream.

Metro Radio has teamed up with Barluga to present Come Dine with Brian at Barluga. Enter the competition for the chance to be on his exclusive guest list!

When you realise that Barluga Morpeth is the sister to the successful Barluga in the heart of Newcastle, you know what you can expect. And if that’s the finest food, the best wines and a stylish setting then you’re unlikely to be disappointed!

Barluga Morpeth, in the Sanderson Arcade, operates on two levels and is renowned as the perfect spot for those who just want to quench their thirst with a drink or two or who want to enjoy some great food in superb surroundings.

With a distinctly European café feel, Barluga Morpeth offers a sophisticated and relaxing experience at any time of day. The seasonally changing menu currently offers such delights as seared scallops with cauliflower puree and rolled corn fed chicken and wild mushroom terrine as starters with main courses including Thai rare beef salad and seared fillets of black beam with chorizo.

There’s an imaginative sandwich menu for those want a snack more than a full meal, with offerings such as marinated rump steak with red onion chutney or a homemade fish finger sandwich complete with tartare sauce.

Barluga also has a great breakfast selection with the good news that it’s served all day. That means if you feel like a full English mid morning – or mid afternoon for that matter – it’s always available, as are such classics as eggs Benedict or smoked salmon and free range scrambled eggs.

For anyone with a yearning for food from foreign shores, Barluga offers a range of taster plates which bring together the finest cuisines from around the globe.

You may not be able to make it across the pond but that doesn’t mean you can’t tuck into the New Yorker – a combination of the chef’s homemade meatloaf, salami, dill pickles, roast turkey breast and a range of other goodies.

Other taster plates bring together a true taste of Greece, Italy, Mexico and Spain with a Northumberland plate for those who like to eat closer to home.

With a wide selection of main courses, a special children’s menu and mouth watering desserts, Barluga Morpeth is the perfect location at any time of day.

For more information visit www.barluga.co.uk or call 01670 505000.

If that wasn’t tempting enough, why not answer the simple question below and give it a try yourself!

Awards: store manager of the year and warm welcome award

FOR many years now Barluga has been one of my favourite venues in Newcastle city centre.

There is always a good ambience and even during its busiest periods it retains a relaxed feel.

Of course, Barluga is not just a bar, it’s also a popular dining spot, but it had been far too long since I had last eaten there.

So when a very dear friend of mine invited me along for a business lunch, who was I to say no?

I’m glad I went. As well as talking business, we had a great catch-up and enjoyed some excellent food.

Soup of the day was vegetable while fish of the day was haddock, the lovely Masi told us as we sat down in the dining area to the back of the bar.

Masi was a terrific hostess. She made sure we were comfortable and paid attention to us, while at the same time not being overpowering.

There’s a cracking starters selection to choose from and my friend decided the vegetable soup (£4.45) would be a light way to begin.

It was indeed tasty and had a creamy consistency. It arrived piping hot.

It took me a while to decide whether to have the chef’s handmade scotch egg with brown sauce and watercress (£4.45) or pan-seared scallops on black pudding with apple puree, balsamic dressing and micro herbs (£7.95).

I eventually opted for the latter and it proved the perfect starter.

The scallops were delicious while the bite-size portions of black pudding were just right for the start of the meal.

The apple puree, dressing and herbs were a wonderful complement.

It was a good start and the mains that followed continued the pattern.

Barluga presently has a summer time selection on the menu and it was from this that I chose the marinated chicken with asparagus with minted broad beans, peas, lambs leaf and a herb butter (£10.95).

Again, a perfect choice. The chicken (on the bone) had just the correct moistness to it but it had been cooked long enough to have a crispness around the edges.

The vegetables with it were extremely tasty and, again, the portions of everything were spot-on.

I did also have some thick home-cut chips (£2.95) as an extra treat and they went down very well.

Seared tuna nicoise with cherry tomatoes, red onions, capers, French beans and heritage potatoes topped with a soft boiled egg (£10.95) was our other choice, also from the summer time selection.

There was a huge piece of fresh tuna which at first she thought wasn’t quite rare enough but was actually perfect.

The runny egg yolk in the soft boiled egg was a great substitute for a dressing for the lunch guest watching her weight! That didn’t stop her from losing her willpower and devouring all the heritage potatoes.

Other dishes on the summer time selection are avocado and artichoke salad and chargrilled basil chicken, feta and beetroot salad with spinach, rocket, spring onion and broad beans.

Also, you have the menu proper with comfort food, sea dishes, sandwiches, grills and even oysters if you so desire.

Barluga has a lot of competition now on Grey Street, but on the evidence of our visit there it is still holding its own in Newcastle’s most wonderful location.

The Fluid Group has been quietly and confidently raising the bar in the region’s hospitality industry over the last decade. The Newcastle-based company, headquarted over its ‘self titled’ pub on Gallowgate, combines design flair with an operational nous that’s brought  great success with venues such as Grey Street’s Barluga gastrobar and the Central Bean chain of coffee houses.

Last year, the firm opened Barluga Morpeth, a sister venue to its Newcastle site. Found in the stylish Sanderson Arcade, it’s a 120 cover, beautifully designed space that on first impressions, is certainly a worthy addition to the Group.

And Barluga Morpeth seems to be a hit with locals, as on our Friday lunchtime visit, the place was buzzing with families, couples and business folk.

The interior is a sight to behold: huge cabinets are stacked with jars of colourful herbs and spices, wines and champagnes, an ode to bouillabaisse reaches up on a giant pillar from the ground to mezzanine floor, clock faces showing the time in Edinburgh, Bruges and Seattle are projected on to a wall space. Even the old fashioned light bulbs demand attention.

Like its sister venue further south, Barluga Morpeth’s menu is diverse and intriguing (the clock faces hint at its multi-national nature).

You can indulge in taster plates (£8.95 for a small plate, £15.95 to go large) such as the New Yorker (chef’s homemade meatloaf, salami, dill pickle, coleslaw, roast turkey breast, sun dried tomatoes, olives and bread) or take a world tour with the main menu, where you’ll find the likes of moroccan vegetable tagine, lightly spiced quinoa and harissa yoghurt (£11.95), mussels classic, thai, or spanish chorizo served with thick home cut chips, or classic french fries (£7.45) and the Barluga 8oz Aberdeen Angus burger, served with thick home cut chips, or classic french fries (£9.45).

I ordered from the seasonal menu, where the likes of smoked chicken with chicory, walnut and blue cheese salad (£5.95) for starter and slow cooked Ingram Valley lamb, wild garlic, served with bubble and squeak (£14.95) were on offer.

My starter of pork and truffle sausage roll, with brown sauce and endive salad (£3.95) was slightly disappointing, but only because the tangy sauce proved overwhelming. Perhaps a smaller drizzle or separate pot of sauce would have worked better.

However, my main course was truly sensational, a wonderfully fragrant dish of market fish (on our visit, haddock) with crayfish and herb butter, served with aura potatoes (£9.95).

Superbly cooked, it served up a wonderful medley of flavours, and the fish was obviously of a high quality.

My companion, who opted for the main menu, was absolutely delighted with his choices: a starter of sesame and soy cured salmon, coriander crème fraiche and dill croutons  (£6.75) and pan fried north sea cod, with soft herb crust, tomato fondue, silver skin onions and olive oil crushed heritage potatoes (£13.50), which I must admit, had also caught my eye.

Sticking with the seasonal menu, I concluded my meal with a delicious, homely carrot cake served with a generous dollop of orange mascarpone (£4.50) while my colleague couldn’t stop himself indulging in the dark chocolate and cherry tart, with mascarpone (£5.95) and then singing its praises to our waitress.

Service was friendly, efficient and quick throughout – despite the large influx of diners – and the venue was a pleasure to dine in.

Though Morpeth’s centre may have taken a hit from its recent roadwork problems, this didn’t seem to have affected Barluga, which has given the attractive market town a further boost. And it’s proof once again that The Fluid Group sets new standards, rather than simply going with the flow.

Barluga Morpeth is at Unit 3D, Sanderson Arcade, Morpeth, NE61 1NS. Tel: (01670) 505000 or visit www.barluga.co.uk