Saturday 28th April saw the return of the highly popular Eat North, a weekly event held every Saturday between noon and 10pm at the North Brewing Co. Taproom and the yard out front.
You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that it is a foodie event, as well as a boozy do, and to that end, there is a selection of street food stalls in both the car park and within the brewery itself, a kind of calorie-filled car boot sale. What calories they are, though!
During this first week there we were treated to the now renowned eclectic mix of food vendors. Ethically sourced Latin American street food from Yakumama, delicious balls of Yorkshire goodness from Ball Box, the award winning Tikks Thai and the Teesside delicacy known as Parmo from the ever popular Parm Star. If you are unfamiliar with this heart-stopping treat it’s a flattened piece of chicken, breaded, fried then covered in béchamel sauce and melted cheese, served on a brioche bun. Those with a sweet tooth were catered for by the Baking Biker and a caffeine hit came from Eat North residents Rabbit Hole Coffee.
I had a BBQ Chicken and Avocado Arepa, which is a maize bread filled with the aforementioned ingredients. I bumped into my editor, who was enjoying a Brazilian Coconut Curry which must have been good as, although I offered him a taste of my nosh, he did not reciprocate. We both washed our food down with one of the several beers from North Brewing Co.’s range. Mine was a rather nice IPA but at 6.9 abv I just had the two.
After the savoury stuff, I sampled a piece of Black Forest Gateau. Ah, memories! Instead of the chocolate cake being laced with the traditional kirsch, it had been soaked in stout. I hope that no one had a piece and then drove home.
Ironically, the only hiccough (metaphorically speaking) of the day came from the brewery itself. A problem with card payments and the incredible turnout led to arguably the longest queue they’ve seen at the North Brew Taproom. It was, at least, a proper queue, unlike most bars where there is a free for all, and it did nothing to dissuade the eager punters from enjoying some of the many beers on offer.
It was not just a grown up’s affair: Eat North was a very family orientated event, with games and activities for the children. Note to self to go later next time when the kids have left and I can have a good play with the toys. The only thing which put a dampener on events, literally, was the weather being cloudy and drizzly, although there was plenty of shelter should there be a heavier downpour during the unpredictable British Summer ahead.
I would heartily recommend a trip to North Brewing Co. at least one Saturday during the summer and don’t worry if none of the food styles above appeals to your taste as the traders change every week. Entry is free so you have lost nothing if you just go for a look, although I defy anyone not to buy something to eat once they see, and smell, what is on offer.
The next Eat North takes place 5th May and then every Saturday through till August. See you there.
