Fenwick Food Hall has had a massive redevelopment, like MASSIVE. I went in last week without realising it had been finished and was in awe of how different it looked and just how spectacular it was. I was lucky enough to get an invite to the official launch event.

Before I get to the event, here’s a little story: When my husband first moved to Newcastle, it was one of the first places I took him. He tried to navigate the mighty Fenwick on his own a few days later and spent over an hour trying to find his way out. I shouldn’t laugh but ha ha ha. He has referred to Fenwick as my temple ever since. I can’t argue.

The refurbishment has been two years in the making and has undoubtedly cost some serious amounts of £££! It shows. It is brighter, modern and very inviting. You just want to spend time looking at what’s on offer.

I was most excited about trying some food from Ko Sai, Southeast Asian street food brought to us by Terry Laybourne. The food we sampled was delicious & tasted so fresh, this is going to the first place I head back to. I did pick up a menu at the time but I have misplaced it, sorry!

We basically did a big loop of the Food Hall, bumping into fellow bloggers on the way and sampling food as we walked around, drinks were being topped up too. Spoilt! Here’s a photo of myself and the lovely Chloe from Prosecco and Pie.

Rafi’s Spicebox was a real highlight for me, these guys know what they’re doing! Real authentic-tasting Indian food without the hassle of getting all the bits and pieces you need to make it. Just pop to Rafi’s Spicebox and you get whichever curry mix you fancy, they can tailor it specifically for you too, so if you want your tikka masala mix extra spicy, they’ll sort it! Just add liquid + your meat/fish/veg. I was told about this place by a friend at work before the event so I knew to look out for them. We got a curry mix each in the generous goodie bags after the event so think I’ll be giving one a try this weekend. 

As well as Ko Sai, Terry Laybourne is also the man behind seafood bar and fishmonger, The Saltwater Fish Company.  Oysters for £1 per shuck during Happy Hour people! 

There’s a real emphasis on local suppliers and produce, I was really happy to see that the wonderful Blagdon Farm Shop butchers have their own counter.  As well as this, there is a Naked Deli counter and also my favourite coffee in the city, Ouseburn Coffee Company… It’s like all my favourite things under one roof.

I can’t believe I’ve got this far in without mentioning patisserie/café/bakery Mason & Rye! This place has the most delightful looking patisserie treats, to eat-in or takeaway. It also has a theatre-kitchen, so of course I had a little peek to see the pâtissiers hard at work. Paris-Brest I’m coming for you!

I’ve got so much more to say but this post is already very long! Other things to look out for: Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar Fuego, I sampled a crispy paella ball (I’m sure that’s not the official name), I’d definitely eat those again. The alcohol hall with the super fancy enomatic wine dispenser is another highlight, the dispenser allows you to try wine by the glass as you peruse the selection of drinks available. I was chatting to one of the staff who explained all about the technology that prevents the wine in the dispenser from oxidising and also what temperature to serve red wine at… apparently in the U.K we serve it too warm.

The last thing I want to mention about the Food Hall is the Lauden Chocolate counter – I sampled so many of these on the night and I can honestly say it’s the best chocolate I’ve tasted! The passion fruit filled one (I was told by Sun that this is their most popular) was incredible. Look how pretty they are, you need to try them!

As we left, full of the amazing food and glasses of fizz, we were handed a bag full of goodies available to buy in the Food Hall, as well as a beautiful red rose from florist Diana Kay.

I’ve raved about the new Food Hall to my friends and family, quite a few have already made their way in to take a look and all agree it looks amazing and the selection available is great. I can’t promise I won’t miss long-gone Fenwick Lunchbox and their legendary sandwiches just a very very tiny bit… (my all time favourite was chicken tikka with spicy onions). I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for those sandwiches, but Fenwick Food Hall has moved on and I’m really excited about it!

This is extremely long, so thanks for sticking with me. Here’s a quick recap of my favourite places took look out for: Ko Sai, Blagdon Farm Shop, Lauden Chocolates, Ouseburn Coffee Company, Mason & Rye, Naked Deli and Rafi’s Spicebox!

Have you visited yet? I’d love to hear what you think if you have! If you haven’t been in recently, be prepared for a shock of the best kind.