It was less than a month ago since I first visited the Saltwater Fish Company at Fenwick’s, and since then I’ve been dying to go back to the food hall to try out some of the other places. I feel like I discovered a whole new world of food and it’s been calling me back! It was Kieran’s birthday this week, and as part of our celebrations we spent two days staying in the centre of Newcastle, eating out, drinking and enjoying being off work. He’s a fan of sitting at the bar in Fuego for a pint while I shop, but neither of us had eaten there so decided to give it a go.

With the recent heatwave the food hall was one of the coolest places we could find in the entire city, I think if I could have sprawled myself out along the cold marble bar top I actually would have. Instead we ordered a coke each to neck, and a rose and a beer for with our food. Like the Saltwater Fish Company, it was nice to be sat up at the Fuego bar, rather than the proper tables. There were a few business lunches about, and a few couples getting sloshed in the midday heat just like we were.

Looking at the menu it’s completely Mediterranean, with a full list of pizzas, sharing charcuterie or cheese platters, light nibbles, and a mix of vegetable and meat tapas dishes. We ordered a selection of tapas to come whenever they were ready, as well as some Spanish olives and a bread basket. I was still pretty full from our dinner (and 2am pizza) the night before so was a bit worried we would regret the bread basket, but when it arrived I was glad we got it.

There were dough sticks, chunky slices, and flatbreads smothered in a bruschetta/olive oil/herb mix. Honestly as far as bread goes it looked flipping amazing and it was so much bigger than I expected, it lasted our whole meal.

The meatballs arrived first, swimming in a tomato and basil sauce with generous flakes of cheese sprinkled over the top. Meatballs are one of my favourite tapas and are often forgotten about among the likes of padron peppers and patatas bravas, but these were a far cry than the processed rubbery ones you get in an overpriced subway. They were so delicious, and the cheese just melted into them. The overload of bread was perfect for these too, as we used it to mop up all the leftover sauce. They were definitely gone too quickly.

The crispy calamari were next, with lashings of yellow alioli, an absolute must in any Spanish claiming restaurant. It reminds me of literally every holiday I’ve had to Spain, and the massive tubs we would go through back in the day on our girls trips to Marbs. Totally strong and overpowering but so good. The calamari was nice too, thin strips which I much prefer to big chunky ones.

The king prawns in chilli and garlic landed in front of us soon after, and while they weren’t as massive as the ones I had from the Saltwater Fish Company (but you would expect the best ones to be from the seafood place wouldn’t you?), they were cooked in true Spanish tapas style, swimming in the sauce. They were meaty and YUM. Again we used what by now felt like an entire bakery of bread to mop up all the extra sauce. My mouth is literally watering again thinking about this.

The last dish we had were the chicken and chorizo skewers. I’m never really a fan of chicken in restaurants, I have it so much at home but Kieran liked it and it was very juicy, but not a patch on the chorizo. That was proper, Spanish, chunky, juicy and I couldn’t get enough. One skewer each was not enough. I think I’d have preferred this one with halloumi, but it was still one that I’d probably order again.

The showstopper here I think was the meatballs, closely followed by the prawns. It was a lovely little lunch, and once we had finished we sat for a while with our drinks picking away at the olives. I’d 100% visit Fuego again, I’m already looking forward to the next time I get to devour those meatbaals!

Other Newcastle posts:

Lunch at Saltwater Fish Company

Top Tapas in Toon

Cocktails and Japanese Food at Aveika

The Taster Menu at Marco Pierre White