New Bar and Restaurant Inspired by the Maritime Spice Route Coming to Newcastle’s Quayside This September
The newly refurbished sea and spice-inspired bar and restaurant Chart House, is preparing to welcome guests to their Quayside venue this September. Chart House, previously home of ‘Charts’ and prior to that ‘Flynn’s bar’, will offer a modern culinary journey through the Maritime Spice Route, featuring bespoke cocktails and a menu evoking taste of the Mediterranean, Arabian and South China seas, complete with picturesque views overlooking the River Tyne.
Offering a relaxing, enjoyable, and memorable experience with warm hospitality, stylish interiors, mouth-watering cuisine and idyllic views, Chart House is promising the arrival of an exceptional restaurant and bar to Newcastle’s vibrant hospitality scene.
Rhys McKinnell CEO of Pub Culture [Hospitality leisure group and owners of Chart House] and former Director of Restaurants at Fenwick, has observed a shift in the hospitality scene towards dining becoming a much more focused choice for socialising. “When I joined Pub Culture back in September last year, I was immediately excited about the huge protentional for Chart House and its location - delving deep into what customers are looking for and where the opportunities lay, we knew we could bring our expertise to introduce a distinctive concept to Newcastle.”
The Chart House menu, anchored in Maritime history, will offer both large and small plates skilfully crafted by experienced chefs, using carefully sourced and high-quality ingredients. When tasked with creating a spice-inspired menu, Pub Culture group head chef Matt Watkins wanted to reflect the sights, smells, and flavours from the destinations on the Maritime Spice Route to create an immersive dining experience at Chart House.
Matt Watkins explains: “Chart House aims to impress our guests with great food and excellent service. The haul of spices and exotic ingredients that might have filled merchant ship’s holds are peppered throughout our menu, taking tastebuds on a mouth-watering adventure.”
Customers can expect to enjoy small plates such as Ras El Hanout Spiced Lamb Meatballs, Sumac Spiced Roasted Cauliflower and Seared Tiger Prawn Saganaki, or choose from a larger dish selection including Whole Thai Spiced Seabass, Lamb Tagine or Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Skewers. The wine list also draws from the same inspiration, featuring classics from Portugal and Spain to the south of France and Italy, as well as a range of creative cocktails such as Ginger and Fig Fizz, Golden Clover Club or a Henan Province Martini.
Chart House is one of the few buildings that fortunately escaped the devastation of the 1854 Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead that destroyed much of the Quayside. The building was historically home to Matthew S Dodds, a former map purveyor to seagoing vessels visiting Newcastle Quayside.
The Grade II listed building still carries its original 'Charts' name on the brick wall, which can be seen on the front of the building and is the inspiration behind the bar and restaurant’s refurbishment and rebrand.
With such a rich history and culturally inspired menu, Rhys has sought to ensure the interiors respect the building’s history as well as adding to the quality and creativity of the hospitality experience. London-based design house 01 Creative worked closely with The Pub Culture Team to design the interior aesthetic. Lead designer and founder of 01 Creative, Stephen Richardson, originally from Newcastle, has worked with Rhys on similar projects, including Fenwick Food Hall in 2015. “Stephen has indeed helped to capture the spirit of this project and designed an exceptional interior for this remarkable listed building."
Full of carefully curated sketches and artwork reflecting the building’s former purpose and maritime past, customers can expect to see a ground-floor bar and pavement terrace with a mix of seating, full-scale sea chart murals, a first-floor mezzanine with a luxurious and relaxing lounge and an elegant dining room above with panoramic riverscape views.
