Dominating the corner of Collingwood Street in an old hairdressing salon resides Two Fifths is the newest addition to the ‘Diamond Strip’ roster playing host to modern british cuisine.
Retaining a period charm and quirk, once inside you will find marble meeting steel racking and ultra modern chairs cosied up against period wood panelling. A juxtaposition of styles that just doesn’t quite sit right for the space. Tables crammed in with unweildy modern chairs left for an uncomfortable feeling when picking our table. The tables do have some quirky Newcastle themed vinyl table coverings however which are pretty cool.
Down a spiral staircase you find a small chill out area with 2 comfy seats and then on to the kitchens, toilets and the private dining room which was once the strong room for the building. The private dining room retains period charm with it’s metal prison style door and racking inside the room. Just outside the room is a novel dentist chair complete with lighting apparatus. It was pretty eerie, highly unsettling and a bit out of place as a point of interest when passing on to the toilets but that’s probably because I watch too many horror films!!!
There is a modest but varied menu with light bites, mains, accompaniments and desserts for those with a sweet tooth. Complementing the food is a good variety of alcoholic drinks from spirits and beers to rather fancy and inviting cocktails (£6.50 each) split in to an aperitif and digestif section. It was a shame I was driving as I wanted to sample more than a couple!
As it was launch night, small sampler plates were sent out for us to taste key dishes. The prices are of course representative of a full portion. We settled down with our cute glass bottles of Coke (£1.50 – Alcohol was free, soft drinks weren’t) and began tasting.
Kruger Baboche (£5.50)– sweet potatoes, beetroot and green beans with a beetroot vinegrette.
Polynesion Pork Stir Fry (£8.50) – pork with cashew nuts, lime and mint.
Cypriot lentils (£9.50) – lentils layered with courgette, aubergine + greens smothered with Lefkosian Haloumi Cheese.
All dishes are available with a selection of sides such as rice, vegetables, salad and potatoes for a set £1.50 each.
* I was invited to the launch night on Thursday 8th May 2014. Food was complimentary.