As You Like It, Newcastle

I’ve been meaning to get my restaurant reviews from my Newcastle trip written up for ages but hell, third year is intense already. I’ve stolen a few minutes of my day away to write up this review of As You Like It, a very beautiful bar and restaurant in Jesmond where I had dinner with Harry (and one of his friends). My course mate has recommended heading here as it was one of her favorite places to eat and drink. If you’re looking to be wowed with classic meals and cocktails with a quirky twist, I highly recommend As You Like It! The decor is beautiful, very Alice in Wonderland-esque which pleased me and the food pleased the two boys very much so.

Shortly after we sat down, we were served with some canapes – some little tarts with a cream cheese filling topped with chilli. Very delicious and over too quickly!

To start, the three of us shared some salt and pepper squid and a baked Camembert; these are basically my two favorite things to eat ever so i was very pleased with these choices. The salt and pepper squid was crispy and served with a garlic dip which set the flavors off perfectly. The portion was generous and perfect for sharing. The Camembert was served with toasted sourdough soldiers and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip. Between three of us, there was plenty of bread to keep on dipping in the gooey, melted cheese. I think the Camembert was listed under the starters to share section of the menu – you’d be pretty full if you had one of these to yourself. Though I’m not saying you shouldn’t … You might just really, really like cheese …

For mains, I had the pulled pork burger; I definitely did not read the menu properly because I was surprised to find it was a hamburger with pulled pork on top. I’m not a huge fan of hamburgers so I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to. However, the burger was well seasoned and very juicy, allowing the full flavors of the beef to come through. The pulled pork that topped it was covered in BBQ sauce and cheese making a very indulgent burger indeed! I handed the onion rings over to the boys. The fries were also very good and served in a cute basket. Cute presentation is always a winner in my books. Harry’s friend, Nial, went for a shin of beef served with mash and vegetables. This looked heavenly – the beef was slow cooked so just fell apart when cut into. A fancy roast dinner indeed. Harry had the ribs which were huge. I think we were all jealous of the portion size!! Of course, with ribs they tend not to have a lot of meat on them so it’s all relative. These fell apart in the mouth and were full of flavor absorbed from the sweet BBQ sauced they were drenched in.

We decided to have cocktails for dessert; the menu is full of innovative cocktails inspired by sweets and also old favorites with a little twist. I had a Watermelon Sour which was delicious but they had run out of watermelon … meaning the cocktail was more yellow than pink! It was great all the same though I can’t remember for the life of me what was in it.

As You Like It really is a little gem to visit. Despite being a little off the beaten track it’s worth it for the food. I can’t fault the service either; both the waiters and the barmen were incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s worth booking a table as it does get busy!

Have you ever been to As You Like It in Newcastle?

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