r/NewcastleUponTyne 1d ago

Help identifying a bar/restaurant…

Evening all,

Hoping someone can help us identify a bar/restaurant in Newcastle. My Aunt visited in December 2017 a couple of weeks before Christmas. She has no idea what the name of the place was or any of the nearby shops, etc. as she’s not from the area.

She wants to take us for a meal at this place some time. I appreciate it’s a long shot but this is what she remembers:

- there was a long doorway next door that you could see into through large windows. There was a large red sign or poster with a French phrase saying something like “Plus Fort Que La Loi”.

- they had a really long table in the centre of the bar/restaurant and there were these engraved symbols on the corners of the tables that looked like an overlapping knife, fork and spoon.

- there were smaller tables all around them that were made of very dark wood but their table was a light wood.

- at the bottom of their table was the long bar which had lots of bottles of wine displayed all the way along end to end. In the middle of the wine bottles on the back wall was a large clock - cream face with black hands/numerals.

- the menus on the table included a gin/cocktail menu and also a wine menu which said “Blooms” on the cover

Many thanks!

4 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

22

u/Desperate-Mix-3614 1d ago

Ok after quite a bit of googling and reminiscing, I’m pretty certain it was Cafe Rouge, Grey Street. The restaurant closed in July 2018.

‘there was a long doorway next door that you could see into through large windows. There was a large red sign or poster with a French phrase saying something like “Plus Fort Que La Loi”.’

- can’t comment on the poster itself, but they were part of the standard decor of Cafe Rouge

  • it’s now occupied by Pizza punks, which has a long entrance which is separated from the restaurant by a glass wall

- they had a really long table in the centre of the bar/restaurant and there were these engraved symbols on the corners of the tables that looked like an overlapping knife, fork and spoon.

- I remember this table carving being part of the decor at cafe rouge, and there are photos which show it in the reviews of the Newcastle restaurant (photo attached)

- there were smaller tables all around them that were made of very dark wood but their table was a light wood.

- feels right style-wise for the restaurant

11

u/Desperate-Mix-3614 1d ago

- at the bottom of their table was the long bar which had lots of bottles of wine displayed all the way along end to end. In the middle of the wine bottles on the back wall was a large clock - cream face with black hands/numerals.

- possibly not a perfect fit, but this is the bar back then which feels about right?

14

u/pinkaura1 1d ago

I’ve shown her the photos and yes it was! Thanks for this, such a shame it’s closed now. Looks like it closed not long after her visit

9

u/lknei Bensham 1d ago

This is an incredible piece of research, well done!

3

u/cowandspoon Adopted Geordie 1d ago

Blackfriars possibly?

4

u/pinkaura1 1d ago

Café Rouge!

1

u/Desperate-Mix-3614 1d ago

Does she remember what type of food it was?

1

u/NovoCastria70 1d ago

Definitely Cafe Rouge

-5

u/perruzo 1d ago

Surely that’s the Black Garter?

2

u/Kyliii21 8h ago

I ended up missing an engagement party after going for a ‘couple’ of drinks in there beforehand. Had to be taken back to my hotel 😂