Just a week after it opened, I was invited to visit the new Greggs pub in Fenwick’s flagship Newcastle upon Tyne store. The Golden Flake Tavern was launched at the end of September with a swank press launch (which I wasn’t invited to) and then opened to the public. I had the pleasure of not only visiting, but enjoying lunch with Steven Littlefair, the purchasing manager for Fenwick’s restaurants, *and* Ben and Alex from Full Circle Brewery. Quite the gathering!
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. The press launch had just taken place and most of the journalists who attended were still polishing their copy and editing their images, so I hadn’t seen much from people who had actually been. I couldn’t imagine what a pub in a department store might look like – a pop-up counter in the food aisles maybe?
But no, it was more than that. A lot more. This is the first pub Greggs have put their name to, but not their first collaboration with Fenwick. There had been a champagne bar in the past too. But this was a “proper boozer” – fitted out next to the chippy in its own space to one end of the department store. It was full of dark wood, knick-knacks on the walls and muted tones.
Mimicking the traditional boozer
It kind of goes to show how easy it is to mimic traditional pub vibes with the right amount of wood and the careful application of tat. The Golden Flake could easily have been there for a couple of decades, but there were a couple of tells that it was a fresh install. Firstly, it was done out in the mellow dark version of the Greggs brand colours that had been adopted for the pub. Secondly, the ceiling was very freshly painted.
I noted the etched glass “real ale” signs on the windows and asked Full Circle if there was a plan to add cask ale. It had been planned, I was told, but whoever designed the place was familiar with how pubs look, but not how they operate. The bar had been installed without sufficient space to actually fit the beer engines. A rookie error, if you design for aesthetics, rather than logistics!
But the place was buzzing, and there were plenty of older patrons sat at the bar enjoying a quiet pint. It had the feel of a busy, popular pub. I hope that Fenwick look to keeping a non-Greggs pub there when this experiment is over.
Will you be dining with us today?
A pub menu based around Greggs’ food is an intriguing proposition. It’s clearly attracting attention. When discussing my visit with a local to the area, their first question was how I’d managed to get a reservation. The lure of the novel must not be underestimated. And it was that novelty that made me want to visit.
The menu takes Greggs products – pasties, sausage rolls, even the newer hot food offerings like potato wedges and adds a little something to make them a plated dish. I was interested to learn that it was stipulated that the Greggs food could not be changed or altered in any way – the Fenwick kitchen staff can only add accompaniments.
So the sausage roll is served slice on the diagonal, with mash, gravy and crispy sage. The Steak Bake mixed grill is literally the pasty with chips, a mushroom and tomato. Perhaps “steak bake and chips” might have been a better name, thinking about it as it’s more steak and chips than mixed grill.
I had the Chicken Bake Parmo – very much a ‘when in Rome’ method of ordering, although of course the true homeland of the Parmo is not Newcastle, but Middlesborough, or so I’m told. This was a Chicken Bake with white sauce and cheddar cheese melted on top, served with potato wedges and coleslaw.
50 shades of brown: the Chicken Bake parmo
My visit was on a beautifully sunny day, and rays of light streamed across the table as my dish was served. This served to accentuate the endless beigeness of it all. I don’t know what I expected really. But it was the sort of dish that Americans really delight in mocking the UK for online.
With some feelings of trepidation, I tucked in. The Chicken Bake tasted like a Greggs Chicken Bake, because that’s what it was. The white sauce and cheese on top served to add more white sauce to what ordinarily comes inside the pasty, but with the added ‘bonus’ of making the pastry on top moist and flaccid.
Not a word I like to use in food reviews, but on the nail here.
This creamy overload was accompanied by a rather bland, but mayonnaise-laden coleslaw, cementing a further layer of rich, but under-seasoned creaminess to the top of my mouth. I popped a potato wedge into my mouth, hoping the deep fried crunch would at least break up the textural monotony.
It did not, dear reader, it did not. The wedges were not crisp, but only coated in a thin veneer of slight disappointment. They certainly brought no texture to the party.
My palate begged for some freshness and vibrancy. A little seasoning, a fresh green salad in place of the claggy coleslaw. But it was not forthcoming. In fact, I took the liberty of having a little nibble of pretty much everyone’s dish on the table and they were all the same. Entirely lacking seasoning and something fresh to lift the palate. The mashed potato, the mac and cheese, all bereft of a touch of salt and pepper to lift their flavour. The mash could have done with a little butter too, while I’m at it.
Did Greggs food work as a plated dish on this occasion? It did not. I’m a sporadic eater of the Greggs pasty. Usually I’ll order the Steak Bake, but sometimes the sausage, bean and cheese melt. I am more regularly found getting a sausage cob and a coffee of a morning there, if I’m honest. So I feel vaguely qualified to comment. This menu left me with the firm impression that Greggs should stay in its lane – emergency food to be consumed on the go. A quick meal for a couple of pounds.
I think it would be possible to curate these products into pub food. But not quite like this. The roast dinner, served on Sundays, comes with more vegetables and so may be more palatable. But a Steak Bake is hardly a reasonable substitute for a beef wellington, in my opinion.
Light in a dark place: the beer selection
What The Golden Flake does do well is drinks. And, let’s be honest, beverages are pretty essential to a good pub. I was with Full Circle Brewery during my visit, but that was months ago and they’re not here now, so rest assured I’m saying what I like, not what they want to hear.
The custom beers they have made are a genuine triumph. Quite surprisingly so, I would say. The Pink Jammie Pale Ale, based on the doughnut of the same name, delivers a wonderful hit of jam flavour before smoothing out into juicy NEIPA-style tones. There is a light bitterness that pulls it into balance, making it very drinkable on its own or with food.
I heard someone else taste it and express their surprise at that jam hit on the initial sip. I’m happy that Full Circle have this opportunity to introduce a lot of new people to the incredible array of flavour that craft beer has to offer. I genuinely love anything that puts independent brewing at the front and centre, so I love The Golden Flake for this.
The Gosforth 1939 Stottie Lager is the real hit though. Refreshing, bready, but not too heavy on body. It is a great counterpoint to the richness of the food. I had a bite of stottie to check the similarity and the flavours and levels of sweetness are just right.
They could have gone really over the top with the weirdness. Pairing with pasties could have ended up in some pastry stout murk that didn’t do anything for anyone. But they did not. Full Circle’s light touch on the collaboration, and the skill in the brewing, has made for a delightful brace of beers which are worth a visit to The Golden Flake by themselves.
Conclusions
Would I eat at the Greggs pub again? No. I’d recommend stopping by the regular Greggs branch just outside the door of Fenwicks and saving yourself a good £7 or £8 by just having, and enjoying, your favourite savoury on its own, as nature intended. Then head into The Golden Flake and enjoy watching other people discover that a plated Greggs has not yet been perfected over a pint of Full Circle’s Gosforth 1939 Stottie Lager. It’s a great little pub for people watching.
I cannot deny the attraction that Gregg’s unusual direction had for me. I wanted to witness it for myself. It’s clearly got hundreds of other people curious too, since it’s nigh on impossible to get a table. But does anyone really eat there twice? I guess that will remain to be seen.
I received a complimentary meal as a guest of Full Circle Brewery, but as you may have guessed, I’ve written what I actually thought and not what the press release says. In fact, Greggs don’t send me their press releases, or invite me to their press launches so there you go.
