From bars to bistros, pub grub to fine dining, the North East's seemingly ever-expanding food and drink scene seems to have all tastes well catered for, and then some.
New restaurants and bars continue to open in and around Newcastle and competition is fierce among them for custom. Bottomless brunches have become huge in recent years and now it's unusual to find a venue that does not offer its own take on an event that offers as much drink - and food, although that tends to be a minor consideration for most - which can be packed into a one or two-hour session.
Where fizz was once the only bottomless brunch drink of choice there now exist cocktail options and beer. There are now themed brunches too with music that ramps up the party vibe. And, depending on mood and time of day, afternoon teas are equally popular in the region with options extending far beyond the traditional sandwich triangles and fruit scone.
Read more: 10 hidden cocktail bars in Newcastle
Think the likes of mini pastry towers of truffle and rare breed pork or delicate floral desserts balanced on a teaspoon. Or if you're really hungry there's also the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea option which tends to mean more chunky savouries like pie and quiche.
By now, lovers of brunch and afternoon tea will no doubt think they've tried them all and will have their favourite venues. But it seems there is always something new to explore.
To offer further food for thought, here is a round-up of the more unusual, quirky events around, mostly around Newcastle and also including one-off visits from a touring brunch club. There are one or two first-timers to the game too, now offering new options to their usual menu.
Theatrical Afternoon Tea
Among the newcomers to Newcastle's top notch afternoon tea scene is Victor’s on the quayside which is going all-out with a showstopper version.
The recently opened American-style bar-restaurant is offering 'the most luxurious' - and apparently most Instagrammable - afternoon tea experience which brings sushi and oriental flair to the mix. Imagine brioche sandwiches with ingredients including smoked salmon and edamame houmous; savouries such as asparagus maki rolls and sweet treats like pistachio cheesecake and Victor's signature mini ice cream cones.
The tea costs £27 or £37 if you fancy adding to the theatrics with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne. It is served seven days a week, from 2pm to 5pm, and must be pre-booked. See here.
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Bottomless Bunch in the Bluff
Hot on the heels of a Lady Gaga-theme drag bottomless brunch, The Brunch Club, which tours immersive dining experiences around the country, will be back in Newcastle on October 8 with a stripped-down version of brunch that you're unlikely to have seen before.
This time the upcoming 18-plus event - being hosted at Howlers in Collingwood Street on October - will feature, alongside the usual bottomless options, an array of actual bottoms given there's to be a live strip show which will include crowd interaction, whatever that may involve. The club encourages guests to dress to impress or to dress "naughty".
The DJ playlist for the afternooner will include two-and-a-half hours of party-starter hits, club anthems, guilty pleasures and singalongs - such as Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, Mark Ronson and Destiny’s Child - from noon. The bottomless brunch itself will last for an hour, until 1pm, and among the drink options will be prosecco and cocktails.
Cocktails on offer are Bubblegum Daiquiri, Woo Woo and Frozen Pornstar Martini while other drinks include fizz, Amstel beer and Old Mout cider. And to soak them all up will be pizzas including Margarita, Pepperoni, Chicken Kyiv and Plant Life. Those keen to keep the momentum going will be able to continue to Verano - the venue upstairs in Howlers - where the Terrace Tequila Bar will host an afterparty from 2.30pm onwards.
The event costs £44.99 and tables are available for between two and 10 people. To book see here.
Halloween Doggy Afternoon Tea
As you might have guessed, this is an event where you can not just take along your dog but also really treat your four-legged friend. There even will be special prize for the best dog-and-owner matched Halloween costumes.
Taking place at South Causey Inn in County Durham on October 30, there are two time options - 11.45am and 12:.15pm - when afternoon tea, with prosecco, will be served with free-flowing tea and coffee as well as a free 'doggy ice cream' for your pet. There apparently also will be a spooky Halloween guest bringing gifts for the dogs plus an opportunity for owners to have a photograph taken with their pooch.
The cost is £35 and a children's afternoon tea option is also available for £25 which includes a Halloween-theme mocktail. To book call 01207 235 555.
Mean Girls Bottomless Brunch
"October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.” Remember that line from comedy favourite Mean Girls? Revolution in Newcastle has got as close to it as it could to that date with its weekend brunches which will evoke the theme of the film. The first, this Saturday, October 2 is already sold out but there is a second helping on Sunday, October 3.
Celebrations include a main brunch dish, 90 minutes of bottomless drinks and the extra treat of a Mean Girl cocktail. A table for two costs £60 and there's a £3 reservation fee: see here. Booking options go up to booths for six people.
Revolution now offers bottomless brunches every day. There's also a £40 Bottomless Dinner option on Thursday evenings which begins with "a sparkler prosecco bottle parade" upon arrival; top DJ music, bottomless drinks and grazer platters. See here.
Arthur's Afternoon Tea
The cabaret-style Arthur’s Restaurant & Music Club, which opened on the first floor of Fenwick earlier this year, launched an afternoon tea menu, which is available on selected weekends, calling it "a deliciously opulent experience like no other as our new entertainment destination elevates the traditional English past time to a fabulous new level".
Fenwick is marking its 140-year anniversary this year with circus-theme celebrations and this theme extends to its afternoon tea menu which boasts Fenwick 140 Circus-inspired fine patisseries, sandwich flavours with a twist and a 'closing act' of miniature scones. It is served from 12noon until 4pm on selected Saturdays and Sundays and costs £25 or £32.50 for a Sparkling Afternoon Tea.
Keep an eye out here for next available dates, bearing in mind that Santa will be taking over the venue in the run-up to Christmas with his own afternoon tea meet-and-greets, as well as breakfasts and suppers, as part of Fenwick's Christmas events programme.
Drag Bottomless Brunch Halloween
A first for The Botanist in Newcastle will be this drag brunch on October 29 being hosted by performers Mercury, Titania and Bonnie. And it will have a Halloween spooktacular theme too.
The two hour brunch - running 10.30am-12.30pm - is an 18-plus event and a post on the bar-restaurant's Facebook said: "Expect camp shenanigans, lip syncing, attempted death drops, potentially live singing in alien languages, amazing food and bottomless drinks too!"
Tickets cost £47.50 which include the drag performances, a brunch board and bottomless drinks. To book, email newcastlebookings@thebotanist.uk.com or call 0191 261 6307.
Gentleman's Afternoon Tea
If you find afternoon teas to be too heavily weighted towards sweet options then you may like to know that the Vermont Hotel has a more savoury version amongst its selection. The Gentleman's Afternoon Tea, costing £22.95, promises a rustic platter including a Scotch egg, Vermont burger, pork pie, cheese and fries.
It's served daily in the lounge of the city hotel - with views of the castle - between 1pm and 4pm. To see all the afternoon tea options at the hotel see here and to book call reservations on 0191 233 1010.
A R'N'B Drunch
Billed as bottomless brunch "the Purple Peacock way", the city centre bar's 90-minute themed 'drunch' events promise "endless entertainment" alongside the bottomless cocktails, beer and spirits and food platters on offer. And that entertainment - in addition to Purple Peacock's resident DJ - can include the likes of aerial artists, saxophonists and fire breathers.
The 90-minutes Drunch is on offer every Saturday from 12noon until 6.30pm, with the last sitting being at 4pm. This weekend's theme is R&B so there will be a non-stop party playlist of R&B favourites on October 1. Other upcoming themes include Beyonce, Mean Girls, Coyote Ugly and 80s and 90s sounds. Book here.
Bottomless Camden Hells
The Brandling Arms in Gosforth, Newcastle, reopened this summer after a four-month revamp and also took the opportunity to add new additions to its menu alongside its new look, which incudes a garden transformation with more outdoor seating and an interior revamp which still maintains its traditional feel.
As well as showing off new dishes such as chicken and chorizo skewers on it pub grub menu, it now has uppeed its boozy options, with bottomless brunches - plus a new cocktail range - which have been going down a storm with customers.
In a variation on the usual brunch options, the bottomless drinks available are, besides prosecco, Camden Hells lager - which no doubt will delight beer lovers - and Bloody Marys. The bottomless brunch is available every Saturday, from 10am until 3pm, and can be served with any dish from the breakfast-brunch menu. It costs £25 and must be pre-booked: see here.
Tipsy Teas
In a change to the usual glass of fizz, gin and rum are options for those booking an afternoon tea at Colonel Porters in Newcastle. It says of its Porter’s Tipsy Tea menu: "traditional this is not".
Customers have the choice of two alcohol-infused teapots: a rum-based Cheeky Tea-ki, with a mixture of Plantation Rhums, Maraschino, almond Syrup and juice, and More Gin Vicar with gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon and syrup topped with Prosecco. The Vintage Afternoon Tea food menu includes finger sandwiches, cakes, macaroons, scones, strawberries, cream and preserves.
The cost is £19.95 and a Prosecco version, or plain option without the Tipsy Tea, is available too. See here.
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