Last week I had the pleasure of trying out one of Gateshead’s best kept secrets and didn’t think I could keep it to myself! Sidegate Gallery, a gorgeous shop and boutique in Sunniside has started to host monthly pop up restaurant. Each month they bring in chefs and offer a three course meal, with a different cuisine every time. This month was the turn of Thai food and Oodles of Noodles were the caterers of choice.
The Venue
The Sidegate Gallery is on Gateshead Road in Sunniside. By day it is a cute shabby chic shop, but once a month they bring in a load of tables and transform the venue into a softly lit dining experience.
The Food
I love Thai food so I was more than happy with their choice of cuisine. The menu is simple – there is no choice but you get generous portions of three courses of food.
Starter
The starter was a fabulous pairing of crispy spring rolls and a huge pad thai. Pad thai usually has peanuts in, but Andrew is severely allergic to nuts so we had to wait until everyone else’s starter had been served so they could clean the pans before they made ours. It didn’t take long and we didn’t mind if it meant Andrew avoided a trip to A&E!
In my opinion, the starter was the best part of the meal. As we were served our pad thai, we were brought a selection of additions so we could flavour our meal exactly how we wanted it. There was rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and really hot dried chilli, but our server explained exactly how to use it and just how much might be tasty rather than blow your head off!
The combination was really delicious and I really enjoyed personalising my starter to my tastes. So I had super high hopes for our main course…
Main Course
Given Andrew’s nut allergy, we only got served one main – sweet and sour chicken – whereas everyone else got sweet and sour and massaman curry. Both options were served with jasmine rice.
Whereas the starter portion was really generous, the main course was a little bit thin – the sweet and sour was quite unlike any I’d had before. It was served in a broth with chicken and vegetables – almost like a ramen. Not quite the sticky deliciousness I was used to getting from the Chinese! Possibly a lot more authentic, but definitely not what I was expecting.
Dessert
Dessert moved slightly (completely) away from the Thai food and we had a choice of sweets from the counter – lemon meringue pie, white chocolate brownie, Victoria sponge, cheesecake and more.
Each and every option looked delicious, but in the end both Andrew and I plumped for the white chocolate, raspberry and chocolate brownie tart. Despite not opting for any cream (I am lactose intolerant and Andrew was stuffed!), the tart was tasty and creamy. I loved it.
What did it cost?
Three courses set us back £19.95 per person and we were allowed to take along our own booze, saving us a good deal on a bottle of wine!
Would I go again?
I absolutely love the idea of the pop up restaurant, and so do a lot of others – the place was packed out and tables were squeezed in. The atmosphere was homely, relaxed and comfortable. The Sidegate Gallery staff were fabulous – really helpful, chatty and gave great service.
Although the main course wasn’t quite what I expected, the rest of the food was delicious and I think the meal is great value for money. The caterers went out of their way to help with Andrew’s nut allergy, which is always very appreciated.
I would definitely be interested in going to the next Sidegate Gallery pop up and would recommend you do too! Check our their Facebook page to keep updated on their future pop ups!
Have you tried anything similar? Would you try the Sidegate Gallery pop up?
♥ JH