007th Anniversary

On Sunday it was my Ma & Pa's 007th Wedding Anniversary. The cuties. '007th' I hear you question? Ian is the absolute spitting dab of Daniel Craig. Like it's scary sometimes and it means I can't watch Daniel Craig in any sort of 'steamy' scene ever, because that sort of imagery just isn't nice.

So back to Sunday.

The card-exchanging happened, the lovely breakfast was eaten (even though I'm pretty sure we were still stuffed from brunch at the Butterfly Cabinet the day before) and then 007 had a surprise for us...

And no, that's not pen. Crazy, sweet and permanent, all in one gesture. Can't say happy anniversary better than that can you?

We and our new inky counterparts had a lovely lazy day before getting our glam on and going to Tynemouth for some food! Still full from brunch the day before now Jensen? Uh... brunch? What brunch? Yeah that's what I thought.



Zis is Ora, yet another of the splendid little eateries in our favourite little village. It can be a bit quiet upstairs and the atmosphere– in my opinion– is never as good up there so try and get along early to grab a table downstairs.

We grabbed an empty spot, ordered and caught up with an actor-friend of mine, promised to go see her in panto this Christmas (note to self: BOOK THE TICKETS) and then moved to a comfy booth as slickly and smoothly as we possibly could without making it too obvious that we were being those awkward people who can't just stay sat on the table they've chosen.

With our own private chandelier, the booth was worth it, although my poor short legs couldn't reach the floor, even in heels. 5ft 2 3/4 isn't that short is it? Oh it is? Right.



I ordered the Sea Bass with roasted veggies – super light and full of flavour



Mama opted for the Caesar salad with some twice cooked chips – the anchovies didn't exactly tickle her tastebuds



And Papa gave us secret food envy with his Ora burger – a little hard to handle but it's well worth the fight.



Before I could say "let's take a picture" the deserts were gone. I of course had no part in that whatsoever. But I have to say, they weren't up to their usual standards – not that I had any 'of course'.







And what night can be spent in Tynemouth without going to Allard's I ask you? None when the Sno-Jens are in town. Uh, I mean village.

Ladies and Gents, meet my wookie, aka faux fur navy blue coat that I'm completely in love with that has been hidden away in my closet for a good two years. Good things come to those who wait! Apart from my grey/neon long sleeve top which is brand spanking new from H&M (not available online it appears) and my old faithful BCBG neon/snakeskin heels (from Mama's Day).

We do have a thing for chandeliers....

Tipsy? We weren't tipsy...

One Madagascan Martini for Ian, a Drumstick Martini (yes, with a drumstick) pour moi and a glass of pink for Angie with a side of peanut butter pretzels. De-lish.

Ian's request for a 'manly glass' was very much taken on board.

Saving the drumstick for laters.

A really sweet day finished off with some even sweeter cocktails. Happy 7th Anniversary guys. Luv yas.




P.S. I'M MOVING TO WORDPRESS SOON. So if you happen to be one of the lovely people who flicker their eyes over The Northerner, it's going to be having a bit of a face lift, shift around and new URL. Keep your eyes peeled!

The Theatre & The Cafe

Two of my favourite places: theatres and cafes. This week I went to see Headlong's production of Chekhov's 'The Seagull' at Northern Stage and I also popped into the brand-spanking-new cafe that has just opened up in Tynemouth.

The Seagull was interesting. I haven't read the play– though I know it's a classic, so that's pretty poor for a young actor– but I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, even if it did take me a while to buy into it. I was expecting the classical-esque musings of Anton Chekhov but was greeted with a culmination of classical and (mostly) modern language; from what I saw, I enjoyed the play and understood it well but I am looking forward to reading the original text.

One of the best things about the production for me was the set. The multi-purpose seesaw was very imaginative and well used, as was the concrete-looking backdrop– especially when water was used to paint scenery on it (after the water had evaporated a new picture would be painted/sprayed on for the next scene).

A little warning to those wanting to see the production though: it contains adult content, bad language, nudity and smoking (with real cigarettes to my surprise). But don't let this put you off! Unless you're under 16, have asthma/other breathing related problem or you have sensitive eyes and ears... It's an unusual performance with a lot of character and a good bunch of actors.

As for this new cafe in Tynemouth, well, I am quite impressed. Dil & the Bear is trendy and modern with that wonderful shabby-chic feel and the food looks great! The berry smoothy I had was nice, but maybe a little over-priced (for a student, anyway) and my pappa's vanilla late was definitely up to our standards. According to him his cake was 'good', but he wolfed it down that quickly I couldn't decide for myself.... Kidding! I had a lick of the icing and it tasted pretty delish.

All in all, friendly staff, great decor and good coffee and cake. I will be trying a more substantial meal when I can afford to fork out £10 for lunch. Oh the joys of being a student.

Allard's Lounge

You may or may not have heard me bang on about Tynemouth before, but I'm about to do it again so brace yourselves.

Saturday night was a joint-birthday celebration night out with some friends from work and, as always, we decided to go out in Tynemouth for something to eat. We went to the wonderful Allard's Lounge and had lots of cocktails and some fabulous food! Being a bit of an addict to Allard's cocktails I tried out "A day at the races" and a "Tynemouth Breeze"– both very refreshing and far too easy to drink. I would usually always get a "Butterscotch Beach"–like I did on Mother's day with my mamma– and I kind of wish I had, but it's never a bad time for a cocktail anyways, so it wont be long before I go back and get one!

Debra's burger was humongous! 

However, nothing could contend with the sharing paella that me and the mamma got between us. 

Loads of seafood, heaps of chicken and a ton of flavour. We. Were. Stuffed. I think by "sharing" they meant between 4 adults, not between two shorter-than-average ladies.

Holly and Breeze say hello/goodbye! Aren't they lush?!? They're our friends cute-as-can-be puppies and my new best friends.

Mamma's Day

As you'll all know it was Mother's Day yesterday! Now usually, I would make my mamma a card, by her a present and run upstairs with a cup of lemon tea in the morning. Being nearly a legal adult, this year was a little different.

After forcing myself to watch Flight (with Mr Washington himself) all the way through– it dragged, a lot– it was pretty late so I toddled off to bed with a tummy full of jelly's and chocolate raisins (and possibly a few peanuts). We're in the process of buying new beds and swapping bedrooms, so after a few days of merry-go-round beds it was my turn to sleep in the mamma and pappa's. Which just so happens to be a rather lovely water bed– you can even change the temperature!

I hoped in full of joy and was then rudely awakened at 3am by a mysterious shove that managed to kick me onto the other side of the bed. On waking the next morning (or being woken up to be more precise) I find that the shover from 3am was my mum, who couldn't stand sleeping in my bed. Considering it was mother's day this was a preeetty cute surprise, but I was too tired to get up. An hour and a half later I summoned the courage to go and get her card and make the usual cup of lemon tea and my traditional english cuppa, then we got dressed to go out shopping! The new T K Maxx in Newcastle is reeaaally nice. The old one was horrid and I practically lived in there, so you can imagine what I'm going to be like now. Lets just say I have my eye on a black Paul & Joe dress from the gold label section... And I may or may not have bought a new pair of shoes... (BCBG past season)

Anyhow, the best part of the day was the evening. I took (or rather my step-dad very kindly dropped us off) the wonderful woman who held me in her womb for 9 months for cocktails. After all, she's always said I was a cocktail baby!

Allard's is one of our favourite cocktail bars in Tynemouth. I bought us our first round, a Lynchburg Lemonade (lots of JD) and a Breakfast at Tiffany's (marmalade, lemon and gin)

Yes that is toast for dipping! (Delish!)

Halfway through these we ordered some tapas: fish goujons, spicy chicken strips and hand cut chips. Simple, but amazing. The chips especially are incredible.

Then we moved onto our favourites– a lovely merlot for mamma and a Butterscotch Beach for moi (butterscotch schnapps, chocolate liqueur and vodka with a worthers original in the bottom). I have far too many of these.

Last but not least the mother had another merlot and I opted for the mega-fattening Toasted Almond, with cream, Baileys and almond liqueur– oh so worth it. Paps came along to join in on the fun before taking us home. As we got up to leave, the incredible happened– It had started snowing! In March! England is a confusing country.

Tipsy chatter with my mum is hilarious and brilliant. We got home and started watching Mr Selfridge (addicted) and she complained of seeing double. Couldn't help but hoot.

Well, I shall not leave it so long next time and I will take more pictures!

Jensen