So, I’m in Newcastle for work. I don’t know anyone, or anywhere for that matter. So the obvious things to do to find somewhere to eat are either

A) Drive aimlessly around until you find somewhere you like the look of

Or

B) Jump on TripAdvisor and see what’s around

I chose option B because I’m lazy and didn’t have a lot of time

The nearest place to me with a decent review (4.5 on trip advisor) was The Surf Cafe.

It’s on the ‘grand parade’ in Tynemouth, although it’s less ‘grand’ and more ‘derelict’ at the moment. Maybe it’s just the time of year but everything along the same stretch was closed and looked totally unused.

Inside it’s decorated as I imagine a cafe on the beach front in Australia is decorated. I have no frame of reference except my weird mind so I could be totally wrong though. Hammocks, surf boards and (weirdly) a bicycle adorned the walls.

There’s only about 30 seats in the cafe, and a little bar. The barman was really lovely but to be honest the tables were filthy. The guy commented at least twice that he should clean the tables, however I didn’t see a cloth in sight during my entire visit. He was on his own (along with a chef) but considering there were only 4 other people, it could have been done. Apparently they had a busy lunch…

The menu isn’t large, and although everyone raved about the nachos online, I opted for the pulled pork burrito. If you read my blog regularly you will probably know that I love pulled pork.

The burrito was huge and came with a nice side salad. I opted for no cheese as usual. To be honest, I was bitterly disappointed. The pulled pork was really moist but had no real flavour. The rice took up at least 75% of the filling, and was bland basmati. The salsa inside was tasteless too. I was really hoping that it was going to be delicious. I’d last eaten at 9am and it was gone 3pm now so I was starving.

It was fine, but I would never order it again.

The vibe in the cafe was pleasant and they hold live music nights so I would pop in for a drink if I was in this part of the country again, but the food was below even my standard (and I enjoy a burrito from the hungry horse!!)