Eating Out: Lola Jean's, Tynemouth

Lola Jeans Superfood Salad with Salmon

Welcome back foodie. And welcome to my first "Eating Out" post!

It's no secret that I LOVE to eat, and my husband and I love to eat out when our time and financial situations allow.

Last weekend we found ourselves with a (partially) empty Saturday afternoon stretched out before us, and with rumbling bellies we decided to venture out into the village to look for a suitable spot for lunch.

Our old go-to restaurant that serves tapas and seriously good wines has been through some changes recently, mostly involving expanding to accommodate its popularity. Unfortunately this means that the days of dropping in on a Saturday afternoon and happening upon an empty table are long gone. Almost all of the tables in the new restaurant section are now permanently reserved, and the ones left in the bar are low slung, too cool for school hipster hang outs - not exactly what we're looking for.

We were late to the ball for our second restaurant choice too, with the only option another way too low hipster offering in the form of an old barrel. Keep looking.

Mr H suggested Lola Jean's, a seriously trendy bar/foodery though the prestigious "Arch" in Tynemouth. This is elite territory, where even the cocktails have their own hashtags and you have to be a doe-eyed, skinny jean wearing, late teen waif to get a job. With trepidation I agreed. I'd heard really good things about the food and knew from experience that I liked the place for a night out with the girls.

We were seated straight away, at quite a nice (although low-ish) coffee table with a luxurious velvet couch. We had a great view of the restaurant from here, which is ideal for me as I could people watch all day. I was pleasantly surprised that they were offering table service, despite it being reasonably busy. We ordered our drinks and set about looking at the menu. Lots of delicious things on offer, almost all from the grill. Burgers, sandwiches, seafood platters all sounding scrumptious, but what really caught my eye was the healthier "Keep It Clean" section at the back of the menu (hashtag included), offering balanced meals with nutritional facts. My eyes landed on "superfood" and "salad" and I was sold. I could even choose my protein of choice; halloumi cheese, grilled chicken, salmon or steak. A healthy eater's dream!

Hubs ordered the California burger, but asked for it with goats cheese instead of cheddar and to be served naked i.e. without a bun; everywhere seems to use brioche buns now, which is a big no for a milk allergy sufferer. I went for the Lola's Superfood Salad with salmon, and we also ordered a side of Twice Cooked Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries. 

And lo, a feast did descend on their table. And they ate. And it was good.

Everything came served up on funky boards, looking spectacular and seriously Instagrammable. Even the cutlery was provided in a cute little vintage tin! I really love the mixture of old and new here - classic, elegant British tableware made cool and glam with touches of retro and kitsch. 

I should probably get to the point really; the food was seriously, seriously good! I mean "tell yer mates" about it good, which is why I'm sharing it with you lovely lot. My salad felt like it was curated by my inner self, with all my favourite healthy tid-bits graciously placed in beautiful harmony. Quinoa, beetroot, pea shoots and spinach, drenched in zesty lime juice with a big tub of sundried tomato hummus on the side and sprinkled with sliced red chillies. The salmon was exquisitely cooked - lightly grilled in a spicy, Cajun style coating. I even had blanched tenderstem broccoli on the side, which I used to dip in the mayo we got to go with the chips... Mr H's burger was cooked to perfectly pink, and topped with a goats cheese disc and salted beef, and came with a coleslaw style salad, crispy fried onions, onion relish and a rather delightful deep-fried gherkin. I would have had food envy if my own meal hadn't been so delicious!

Needless to say we cleared our plates.

With full bellies and happy hearts, we paid our surprisingly affordable tab and went on our way. 

In conclusion, I would happily recommend Lola Jean's to any of my friends as I feel there's something for everyone and the place is actually refreshingly contemporary. A really great spot for a great lunch, this would be the perfect place for an occasion like a birthday or a work afternoon out.

I look forward to returning to try something else from their menu, maybe this time with some of their intriguing cocktails... Dragon Snapper anyone?

~ Til next time, may your tables be of reasonable height and not reclaimed trading goods. Col ~