Brasserie 1883: "Great food in Tynemouth" Top 5 Page for this destination Newcastle upon Tyne Restaurant Tip by toonsarah

UPDATE October 2010: I have just discovered that Sydneys has changed its name to Brasserie 1883. It is still owned and run by the same people so I expect it's still just as good, but we will go back again soon to check :-)

Our latest restaurant discovery in the Newcastle area is Sydneys, just off Front Street (the end furthest from the sea) in Tynemouth. We went there for lunch recently and were very impressed. It’s a small, family-run place with just a few tables in the ground floor front room and some more downstairs in the basement. The décor is understated and stylish, with some impressive local photos on the wall when we visited (which were available to buy, at rather high prices).

The lunch menu is short but very good value. There’s a choice of 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 deserts, and the cost is just £12 for two courses at lunch, £15 for three courses. The same menu costs £15 and £20 for the early bird dinner. Prices rise considerably after 7.30pm and are high by Tynemouth standards but still seemed good value to someone used to London prices.

The service was very friendly, but then the waitress was a friend of ours! Thanks for a great lunch Stephie – and for taking the photo too!

Favorite Dish: Everything I ate was really excellent – the very tasty butternut squash & goats-cheese risotto to start with (in a sensibly small portion), good fishcakes served with wilted spinach, a superb spiced winter fruit compote (figs, apples, apricots) with cinnamon ice cream to finish. Meanwhile Chris also enjoyed his winter vegetable soup, beef braised in ale and selection of English cheeses.

By the way, it would be good if VT could add a category for "Modern British" food, because that's how I'd describe the food here, and in many other good restaurants in the UK!

Comparison: more expensive than average
Directions: Sydneys is just off Front Street (the end furthest from the sea) - you can reach Tynemouth easily by Metro from the city centre (yellow line) and it's about 5 minutes walk from the station
Price: US$11-20
Rating: 5
Theme: Other