Gastro pub and terrace, Barluga Grey Street, Newcastle, is proud to launch its sister site Barluga deli, Morpeth. It brings casual style dining, with the ambience of a European café combined with fresh deli counters. This is for customers who appreciate high quality, freshly prepared food, quality wine and champagne all served in a comfortable, friendly environment.

www.barlugadeli.co.uk

STEPPING inside stylish city centre watering hole Barluga has the mystery effect of somehow making life seem a tad more glamorous.

The chic Art Nouveau-inspired interiors and kind lighting can’t help but lift the spirits – especially on a miserable, drab, winter’s day.

For those seeking a chic haven from the chill I heartily recommend it.

And an interesting gastro-pub menu offering everything from light bites and hearty lunches to pre-theatre speedy dinners and Sunday lunches, makes it a big draw with the city crowd.

The trendy bar had a £1m revamp three years ago and its award-winning interior with its dramatic chandeliers, comfy club chairs and back-lit wine display complements the grand facade of the handsome building on the city’s famed Grey Street.

The lunchtime I popped in with two friends to sample their winter menu it was extremely busy, but with a friendly buzz to the place.

It is clearly a popular bar in a prime position in town and I’m told it does a great line in delicious cocktails.

The open kitchen is run by head chef David Blackhall who offers a gastro-pub menu of comfort food and modern British cuisine.

Settled in our seats on the intimately-lit mezzanine floor, we had a great vantage point of the main bar area. Perfect for people watching between courses.

Our moods lifted, we sipped glasses of Fantinel Prosecco, a fresh, dry, fruity sparkler at £25 a bottle, a good choice for lunchtime, not being too heavy.

We chose from the winter menu which runs until March.

We opted first of all for the Barluga taster plate, £8.95, a platter groaning with mostly healthy goodies.

We picked and mixed from a selection of tempura prawns, Serrano ham, salami, hummus, Northumbrian cheddar, breads, homemade pickle, olives and spring rolls.

This was very much a sociable dish and all appeared super fresh, the tasty ham paper-thin and the nutty hummus particularly good.

For mains I opted for a warming Thai green chicken breast curry with roasted red pepper and coconut rice, £9.75.

I got tantalising aromatic wafts from the dish when it was served up. The chicken breast came as one piece and was completely enveloped in creamy, mildly spicy sauce, the zingy flavour of fresh coriander coming through. So far, so good.

Although the accompanying dome of coconut rice was cooked with the right amount of bite, far from being mild and fragrant, it was rather too spicy for my liking. It was the unmistakeable warmth of chilli.

I’m afraid to say I could only manage half the rice. My dining companions also tasted the rice and they, too, found it spicy hot. It was a shame because the rest of the dish was really very good but it did leave my lips somewhat tingly.

Across the table, fish pie with saffron and leek cream and gruyere- topped mash, £9.95, proved a big hit. A real winter warmer of a dish, it came served in its own little rustic dish with crunchy, bright green mange tout accompaniment.

It was described as “awesome”, the mash was creamy, cheesy, and the fishy contents included chunks of salmon, scallop and prawns. It was both hearty and filling.

The other mains choice of crispy belly pork with black pudding mash and cider and sage gravy, £9.75, was also a good dish and very substantial.

The fantastic crackling gave way to sweet and succulent meat, the bed of mash had an earthy flavour, and the subtle apple-tasting gravy worked well with the pork.

This was comfort food at its rib- sticking best!

For dessert, my cranberry and white chocolate chip flapjack with peanut brittle ice cream, was expensive at £4.50.

However, the flapjack treat, a substantial wedge of a piece, tasted homemade and was generously studded with cranberries. The fabulous caramel-coloured ice cream tasted exactly like peanut brittle. A decadent treat – especially at that price!

An exceedingly generous serving of apple and cinnamon crumble, £4.95, meanwhile, defeated the taste tester across the table.

The dish, which came with a little jug of fresh cream, would easily have fed a couple of us.

The tangy, not-too-sweet apple base was topped with thick layer of golden crumbly topping, given gentle warmth by the cinnamon.

The star pud of the day was Crema Catalana, a Spanish crème brûlée, costing £3.95.

This creamy dessert had a crisp, caramelised topping which cracked satisfyingly on contact with the spoon and a deliciously creamy custardy middle.

A sweet and satisfying finale.

By now, the wine was all but gone, the chat exhausted and we were feeling replete. It was time to venture back into the real world.

But we were all agreed Barluga made for a stylish lunch in a chic setting

Katherine Capocci, January 7, 2011

Alan Dixon :-”We have travelled from Carisle, tell all our friends to come to Barluga. Fantastic lunch, have been several times before”.

Pat Stockdale :-”Very good value, staff very nice”

Jen Cook :-”Always have a nice meal and good service”

Pictured left – right: Rob Collins (Awards Director), David King (Fluid Design Solutions Director), Hannah Martin (Barluga Manager) Judith Addyman (Sponsor Restaurant Design Associate)

Fluid Design Solutions has picked up first prize for best interior for Newcastle restaurant Barluga at the gourmet Society’s prestigious North East Restaurant Awards.

Fluid Design Solutions specializes in inventive schemes for bars, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs throughout the UK and Europe for a wide range of clients. Fluid not only design but operate eight leisure venues, one of which being award winning Barluga. The design team at Fluid applied their operational experience and design flair to deliver an innovative gastropub and lounge.

The design team introduced Art Nouveau influences with a contemporary twist to this imposing city centre venue, giving a Parisian feel and ambience to the much loved business district stalwart. The design had to be sympathetic and identify with the buildings existing grandeur, whilst relating to its wide customer base.

The detailing throughout oozes quality and craftsmanship, the use of materials offer lavish comfort. Sumptuous leathers and opulent chandeliers add maturity, which is intensified by innovative contemporary detailing.

Barluga is contemporary, elegant, meticulous and is located in the heart of the city. Moira Dinning had the pleasure of experiencing an evening at one of Newcastle’s finest.

Barluga, in sight of the Theatre Royal on Grey Street, is a place where you can indulge yourself and entertain your friends at the same time. The stylish open kitchen offers a gastropub style menu of comfort food and an a la carte menu of delicious modern British cuisine.

The extensive, quality wine list and superb cocktail selection will exercise the mind as much as the palate. The atmosphere and service is always friendly, whether you’re holding a corporate event or family gathering on the mezzanine floor, enjoying the city menu before a visit to the theatre, or just unwinding on the terrace.

Fluid Group’s ‘jewel in the crown’, Barluga, recently picked up first prize for best interior at the Gourmet Society’s prestigious North-East Restaurant Awards. The group’s sister company, Fluid Design Solutions, designed the fabulous interior using their undoubted operational acumen and design flair to create a wonderful social experience.

The detailing throughout screams quality and craft. Influences of Art Nouveau used in a contemporary manner, gives a Parisian feel and ambience. The sumptuous leathers and opulent chandeliers add maturity, and the velvet curtains tastefully draped from ceiling to floor add charm and sophistication. Barluga is unquestionably, an elegant, gastro experience.

My husband and I arrived for our reservation at 8pm, and were lucky enough to park on the doorstep, which in Newcastle city centre is an achievement. A cheerful, friendly waitress greeted us as soon as we entered the restaurant and showed us to our table. A window seat is always a bonus, and when the window is filled with magnums of champagne and huge champagne flutes, a touch of class springs to mind. Maybe this was strategically done, but I was driving, so could not indulge. And if I couldn’t, my husband couldn’t!

With drinks orders taken, our waitress presented us with the two menus; the a la carte and the everyday menu. This was another pleasantry, as the everyday menu is uniquely backed in chiseled wood. Absolutely no corner is left unturned at Barluga. Both menus were informatively talked through and our decisions were made.

Absolutely no corner is left unturned at Barluga… it is most definitely a place I will be returning to

Citrus salmon fishcakes, roasted Mediterranean vegetable crostini and oriental duck and plum salad are among the delights on the bar menu. We chose the caesar salad with fresh anchovies and the grilled marinated goat’s cheese with mixed bean and balsamic salad. The anchovies in the caesar salad were the most appetising my husband has tasted, and the large croutons, which were served with the salad, added great texture to the dish. But it was the goats cheese that really deserved an accolade, grilling it will certainly be a must whenever I find the time to cook my own – the flavours were sensational, especially when teamed with the mixed beans and balsamic salad. I really could eat this dish every night of the week, it’s that good!

With just enough time in between courses to sit back and enjoy the lively and affable atmosphere, our mains were served.

A choice of spiced meatballs and Thai green curry from the ‘comfort food’ section, a selection of fresh oysters, homemade fish fingers and Chinese pork and hoi sin sauce from the ‘sandwiches’ section, and mini vegetable spring rolls and tempura tiger prawns from the ‘dishes to share’ section all feature on the everyday menu. With, among others, seared local cod and pan-fried chicken supreme as choices on the a la carte menu. As you can see, we were completely spoilt for choice. How were we meant to decide from such a fine selection of dishes? Well, after much deliberation my husband opted for the fish pie with saffron cream and gruyere crust, filled with scallops, prawns, salmon, and smoked haddock. The prawns and scallops were huge and deliciously succulent. The infusion of all of the different flavours coming from the fish was just exquisite. This was served with mange tout, which added a nice touch. I chose from the ‘fish of the day’ section of the menu, as it was the section that really stood out to me; it offered something that little bit different. Not only was the fish of the day Pollock, which I have never had the opportunity of trying before, but you are given the choice of the way in which it is cooked and how you would like your potatoes and peas served. I opted for my fish to be grilled, with rosti potatoes and mushy peas. This is a very effective touch; not everyone likes their peas to be garden or their potatoes to be boiled do they? The fish was cooked to perfection; big, white chunks, which just flaked off, no bones, and the flavour from the side salad and balsamic vinegar sublimely complemented the dish.

After our two aptly filling courses, we just could not succumb to a third. So, instead of choosing a dessert, we were presented with five small chocolates. As with the previous dishes, the presentation was impeccable and the chocolates were divine. The sweetness of the different flavours ended our meal perfectly.

Barluga serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and with the contemporary menu and charming surroundings, it is most definitely a place I will be returning to in the
near future.

Fluid Design Solutions is bringing something new to the table with a stunning restyled interior and innovative new menu at Barluga.

Owned, designed and managed by Fluid, the much loved gastronomic stalwart is hidden behind the elegant façade of Grey Street. A firm favourite for the last 10 years amongst business people and ladies that lunch, Barluga had now been re-invigorated following a £1 million makeover.

The beautifully re-defined venue opened its doors on the 29th February with an elegant new interior that will enhance the Barluga experience, yet retain the same excellent standards, food and service that patrons have always enjoyed.

The new features, including a fresh open kitchen, exciting Chef’s tables, as well as external terrace sporting a dramatic, rarely viewed backdrop of Newcastle, all come together for improved dining comfort and bring a new dimension to the Barluga dining experience.

The eclectic new menu, designed by talented Head Chef Dave Blackhall, offers something for all taste at lunch or dinner, with a range of unusually light bites, an a la carte menu, plus a high quality Sunday lunch with a twist.

Barluga’s fresh interior acknowledges the collision in time of the art nouveau movement with its grand Edwardian structure, perfectly marrying into the fabric of the building with a twist of the contemporary.

The main dining area had been enhanced with a decorative period pressed tin ceiling, grand chandeliers, bespoke carpets and a beautifully backlit art nouveau inspired wine display. Period columns have also been introduced into the scheme to enhance the space and tie in with the theme.

‘A feature unlike anything patrons will have experienced in Newcastle before’.

The existing mezzanine has been extended to accommodate an external terrace which opens up a rarely viewed backdrop of Newcastle and St Nicholas Cathedral, providing an idyllic setting to enjoy a meal or a drink during the summer days and light nights.

The bar has also been transformed with French rolled zinc bar tops and floating beer tabs suspended from the canopy above the bar, a feature unlike anything patrons will have experienced in Newcastle before.

The design team at Fluid has both the operational experience and design flair to deliver innovative, exciting and practical solutions to your commercial space. To find out more, please contact Fluid design office on (0191) 2616404, or visit www.fluiddesignsolutions.com