Despite having lived pretty close to Newcastle for the majority of my life, I recently realised that for whatever reason I had never been out for dinner. The opportunity presented itself when I was travelling to the city for the day to see two friends over two different mealtimes. Excited, I asked a foodie friend for his recommendation, and he suggested The Herb Garden.
The Herb Garden is a quirky little pizza kitchen located around the corner from the Central Station, with a model horse wearing roller skates situated outside the front door. I said it was quirky… The staff were friendly and it had a relaxed atmosphere. It’s the sort of place I would recommend going with a group of friends, or for a first date. It’s not formal, but still feels a little bit different.
All the pizzas are numbered, and I opted for the number 10, which is topped with chorizo, mixed peppers, mozzarella and oregano (pictured below). Now is probably a good time to mention that the portions are very large. We opted not to have starters, but I couldn’t even face a pudding (which is unheard of for me), particularly as I had already been eyeing up a couple of desserts. If you are looking to try a range of things, you’ll probably be ok sharing your pizza! I enjoyed my pizza, and I’m not particularly a pizza person. It was slightly too oily, but this could have been due to the amount of cheese.
I had a cocktail with my pizza, although unfortunately I can’t remember the name of it now. It contained sloe gin and had blackberrys at the bottom. The first sip tasted a little like cough medicine, but after that it was delicious and left me wanting another – perhaps it was an acquired taste? I’m eager to discover more of the dining options available in Newcastle, but if someone suggested The Herb Garden I would happily go again.
