The Broad Chare is supposedly a gastropub, with quite a few awards under their belt. When a pub is put into this category, the food must be something. We were on our way back to the south from way up north and decided to make a stop in Newcastle for a late dinner. I did some research en route and made a last minute.com booking to stop by- This way we didn’t have to torture ourselves with a mediocre sandwich at the services. I know you have all felt that pain. So, I had a brief browse on their website, then instagram, and took the plunge. I was entering into dangerous waters here, it is not everyday I am in the north, booking a gastro pub in the centre of Newcastle! Realising we had made in the end a bit of a detour, we decided to still drive into the centre and go with it, even if it was getting close to kitchen closing time. The traffic didn’t help; there was a lot of it.
I emailed to inform them, but nobody responded, “oh well let us see if they will accept us” I said, and they did. I had booked with a credit card on the night, (no other choice) so if I cancelled, I would have to pay a fee. Seems a bit ridiculous to me this, and nobody cared that I booked anyway. Better mention it though, so I don’t get charged! All right if you are Georges Blanc, but come on, this is a pub… Slightly unnecessary. Anyway, we sat down and took a very quick look at the menu- We were starving. There was a section for small plates, large plates, bar snacks etc. “Let’s not faff around, let’s just go with the burger” my guest said. “Good idea” I nodded in agreement. Any gastropub worth their salt can give us a good burger.
We felt a little bit like aliens coming from another planet sat here, we didn’t fit in with the locals, but that was ok. The dining room was rowdy, with happy laughs and conversation, something that we don’t have in the same way in London. Now for the important part- the food. The burger could have been far more impressive; the chips were piled onto the same plate as the burger (I was expecting them to be in a proper fryer basket gastropub style) They were quite chunky and not that memorable, reminding me of the chips I used to get at my local chippy as a kid. Some of you might like this and I don’t have anything against them, but I have higher expectations with my chips when sat in a ‘posh pub’ strewn with awards. Skinny fries, well seasoned would have elevated the offering, fried perfectly crisp. The patty was not the worst, but I have had better overall. Everything was just quite average.
Bib Gourmand restaurants awarded by Michelin, differ from region to region, I didn’t see anything special despite the awards here. It might be ok for the area of Newcastle, but it appears that the standard here is lower than what I was expecting. And can we take a moment to browse at their tempting feed on instagram… I can tell you my chips were different from on there. Anyway, it served its purpose on our way back, but it was the weakest standard of pub food I have eaten in a while. We won’t go globetrotting back up to Newcastle for it, but perhaps this is enough for the local people, they might like it with no complaints, but as a critic, it isn’t up there with rest.
