I’m staying in Newcastle for work a lot at the moment and last night we stayed at Motel One. For £59 a night, it is fantastic!

It’s tucked away on a side street (with no parking) and opposite is a gorgeous Catalan Restaurant, Kaltur.

Located on High Bridge Road and run by a group of friends, we didn’t realise it was opening night when we stepped in.  It’s a small, cute restaurant serving amazing Spanish food.

We were starving, so after ordering a bottle of Cava, we barely looked at the menu before ordering one of each of the tapas dishes, along with the Kaltur Ibericos board. After taking our order, the waitress came back saying the chef was concerned that we may have ordered too much food. Oh how we laughed! I can eat a lot, but the two guys I was with are animals! We would have cleared anything they put in front of us!

The food came out as soon as it was cooked, all fresh, beautifully presented (the photos don’t do the food justice, I had to snap quickly before it got demolished!)

First out was the Ibericos board, a selection of cured meats, bread sticks and roasted red peppers. Oh my goodness, this was amazing. The selection of meat was vast and super tasty. I wasn’t keen on the white chorizo, but everything else was a pleasure!

Then came the Aubergine fried in EVOO with sugar cane honey. Wow, the sweet sticky crisps were amazing, I have never tasted anything like it!

Next up, Patatas Bravas with aioli. These little squares of joy were amazing. The garlic aioli complimented the bravas, and they were piping hot.

Then came the grilled vegetables in romesco sauce. Yellow courgette, asparagus and peppers accompanied by a nut and a red pepper sauce. I’ve never had this particular sauce and I would love the recipe!

I’m not a fan of tuna and so wasn’t excited about the next dish, Mojama extra, cured salted tuna loin. Again, wow. This was incredible. It had the texture of Parma ham, and was delicious!

Calamari and anchovies up next, again, two great dishes, cooked perfectly.

The garlic prawns were beautiful. Perfectly cooked and seasoned brilliantly!
Black pudding…. I’ve always steered well clear as the thought turns my stomach! I decided that as the rest of the food was so good I would try this. Not my cup of tea to be honest but no where near as bad as I thought it would be. My bosses absolutely loved the flavour.

Lastly the chorizo in cider. I am a huge lover of chorizo and this was again fantastic. The cider complimented the chorizo and I wish there had been more!

So much for ordering too much, we actually ordered more patatas bravas, aubergine and tuna! (Technically we didn’t need it, we just couldn’t get enough of the amazing food)

We finished with a G&T each and relaxed for a few minutes. The place filled up quickly and the appreciative noises reverberated around the small restaurant. This beautiful restaurant was a complete surprise, and I genuinely can’t wait to head back. I am totally shocked that this was opening night and there was not one thing I could fault. One of my favourite restaurants this year! I can see this place being a huge success! Congratulations guys!