Now we finally have some decent weather and the nights are nice and light, I feel like I want to be out the house all the time (as opposed to winter when I never want to leave my bed). Not only do I want to be out the house but I want to be physically outside, I’m talking beer gardens, parks, roof terraces, like outside, outside. One of the surprises places we visited on a bit of a whim last summer, was Roof Thirty Nine which is situated right at the top of Fenwick (the entrance is by the flower shop on Northumberland Street) in Newcastle.
Now last summer there were lots of rooftop type places popping up in quick succession; 3Sixty near St James’ Park, which gets horrible reviews. And Above, on top of the Vermont Hotel (review pending). I liked the idea of Roof Thirty Nine though for a couple of reasons, but mainly people it looked the most chill and somewhere we would feel most at home.
It’s a restaurant and cocktail bar and when we went last summer, they had the atmosphere absolutely nailed. It felt a little bit special, not somewhere you would go if you just wanted a quick drink whilst shopping, but if you wanted a catch up with the girls, or were celebrating a special occasion, it’s ideal. The food menu is small but perfectly formed, and with it being summer, everything was BBQ’d or char grilled. I went for grilled mackerel with tomato salad fine beans and aoili with a side of rosemary and garlic potatoes and Dave had the rump steak flatbread. Although the portions weren’t huge, the food was really lovely and was absolutely perfect for a light lunch. We washed it down with a very palatable bottle of sauvignon blanc.
Unusually for us, we also went for a dessert and I’m glad we did I had the chocolate tarte with honeycomb and Dave the Strawberry Trifle. I actually found the desserts on the generous side portion wise compared to the mains and they were also both delicious.
Now, if you want a good view then you need to make sure you ask for a seat on the left hand side from the entrance and exit. We hadn’t specified a preference and were sitting on the right, which is closest to the building itself, therefore doesn’t have a street view. The sun had also completely left our side of the building by about 2pm so if you want a prima spot, definitely specify which side you want to sit on. There also aren’t loads of seats so best to book regardless as i’m not quite sure you’d be able to just walk in and get a seat.
It’s probably handy to know as well that they don’t serve food in the winter. The bar was reopened as a cocktail bar for the winter months and changed the drinks menu to be more festive. And in case you were wondering, you can still sit outside in the cold, as they have space heaters and blankets for winter season. I also think they have a canopy they pull over if it starts raining in the summer. So nice to know your visit won’t be ruined whatever time of year you decide to visit.
I really hope Roof Thirty Nine stays permanently and isn’t just a flash in the pan thing as I can see it as somewhere I’d like to go back to, perhaps with my mum for a special occasion or as part of a girls afternoon out.