Rob and I had a day out in Newcastle yesterday, parking down by the Tyne and walking along the Quayside area to the Malmaison Hotel for morning coffee, before crossing the bridge to Baltic.
French artist, Daniel Buren's, work is on exhibition at the moment. You can see the diamond patterns of coloured film added to the windows at Baltic in the photo above. In Gallery 4, the skylights had squares of colour added. The light floods through them and they are reflected in the angled mirrors at ground level. It was a beautiful experience to walk around in the Gallery and see the ever-changing segments of colour reflected back at you: something like being in a giant kaleidoscope.
A collage of views in the Gallery.
Panoramic view from the outdoor platform at Baltic. (Click on image to see a larger version.)
Gateshead Millenium Bridge
We headed up the hill into the centre of Newcastle for lunch at the Scrumpy Willow & Singing Kettle Cafe. It has a good choice of vegetarian and vegan meals and also some fish dishes.
Downstairs at the SW&SK cafe.
Polenta with goasts' cheese, green salad and creamy mushroom sauce.
Dahl with fresh baked bread.
I enjoyed the polenta with mushrooms. It was very tasty and a large portion. Rob was less keen on his lentil dahl, which he found salty and rather undercooked. The bread, however, was fresh and delicious. With a mineral water and an earl grey tea, the bill came to £17.50.
This cafe is apparently about to change hands, so it will be interesting to see what the new owners do with it. In the meantime, I would recommend it, although be prepared for fairly slow service.
Grainger Market is a great place to shop: we bought blue corn tortillas from mmm-glug - a deli specialising in Mexican food; nectarines (8 for £1!) from one of the green grocers; and healthy dog treats for Brock. There is also a lovely coffee and tea vendor (Pumphreys).
There are numerous other shops in the centre: we just browsed in a few: Fenwicks, Waterstones, Hotel Chocolat, and TK Maxx. Then it was a walk back down the hill to the Quayside for an ice cream, before heading for home.
We headed up the hill into the centre of Newcastle for lunch at the Scrumpy Willow & Singing Kettle Cafe. It has a good choice of vegetarian and vegan meals and also some fish dishes.
I enjoyed the polenta with mushrooms. It was very tasty and a large portion. Rob was less keen on his lentil dahl, which he found salty and rather undercooked. The bread, however, was fresh and delicious. With a mineral water and an earl grey tea, the bill came to £17.50.
This cafe is apparently about to change hands, so it will be interesting to see what the new owners do with it. In the meantime, I would recommend it, although be prepared for fairly slow service.
Grainger Market is a great place to shop: we bought blue corn tortillas from mmm-glug - a deli specialising in Mexican food; nectarines (8 for £1!) from one of the green grocers; and healthy dog treats for Brock. There is also a lovely coffee and tea vendor (Pumphreys).
There are numerous other shops in the centre: we just browsed in a few: Fenwicks, Waterstones, Hotel Chocolat, and TK Maxx. Then it was a walk back down the hill to the Quayside for an ice cream, before heading for home.
