Bun Stop Worswick Street

Aah, I see what they did there! I'm a bit slow on the uptake. It's taken me twenty odd years to "get" the reference: Bus Stop / Bun Stop - the former sandwich shop located next to the old Worswick Street Bus shelter, which has a sign with the typeface and colours of the old Northern Buses livery.

Now that was a great sandwich shop. It was a pity it closed. I used to love their cheese savoury baps and the all-day gut-buster breakfast sandwiches (not a menu item - just my name for them) I used to get from there.  I can't remember when it closed, possibly 10-15 years ago, and I had almost forgotten about it until I spotted that some continuing renovations to the building had revealed the old shop sign.

Jamie's Italian

Oh dear!

Last week, I had an enjoyable lunchtime meal at The Botanist, which was ram-packed with diners.  I had burger and chips served on a seed tray with a relish/salsa in a miniature preserving jar.  The Botanist is upstairs in the refurbished Monument Mall and now has an open-air bar area just below the glass dome.  

As I was leaving, though, I passed by Jamie's Italian restaurant which is below the Botanist on the ground floor of Monument Mall and I noticed that it was completely empty.  Something not quite right there! This place should be chocka, but its not.  Now, I've never been, but whenever I have asked anyone I know who has been what it is like, the response I get is "it was alright, but its too expensive for what it is".  Gordon Ramsey will be cockahoop!

There is plenty of competition in close proximity, but there seems to be plenty of customers to go round - everywhere else seems to be busy: Carluccios, Browns, Harry's Bar, Pleased to Meet You, Tyneside Cinema cafe, The Botanist, Fenwick's restaurants and cafés, to name but a few in the Grey's Monument, upper Grey Street part of Newcastle.  These place are all busy at lunchtimes as well as on an evening (except Fenwick's).  

It used to be a deserted even depressing part of town on an evening, but which all these new cafés and restaurants it has become quite a lively area, attracting the evening dining crowd.

Russian Ships Invade Newcastle

Royal navy frigates have been scrambled to intercept Russian ships which been spotted sailing up the river Tyne this morning.  

Unlike the Russian bombers which have flew close to UK airspace, testing our defences, these Russian ships have penetrated deep in UK territorial waters and have actually berthed on the Tyne at Newcastle's Quayside.

The Russian ships are here on the request of Durak Aprelski, the leader of the Russian separatists who occupied Newcastle last year, as reported here:

http://blog.therussiahouse.net/2014/04/russia-to-annex-newcastle-upon-tyne.html

Ok, I admit it, these pictures were taken in 1986 during the Tall Ships Race in Newcastle.