Sensational Seafood at The Big Mussel

After a very stressful day at University running around like a headless chicken, I found myself (once again) at one of my all time favourite restaurants in Newcastle - The Big Mussel.

The Big Mussel is a small individual seafood restaurant near the Quayside in Newcastle City Centre. It offers possibly the best menu for all seafood addicts, with a large offering of local seafood dishes all at unbelievably reasonable prices, namely the 1 kg pots of mussels and large bowl of chunky fries – which are completely TO DIE FOR!

The restaurant is a secret treasure hidden between the wealth of Chinese and Indian restaurants leading to the bustling Quayside. I don’t think I would ever have found it if my sister hadn’t taken me there when I first arrived in Newcastle – the company logo – a giant mussel shell posing in a macho pose – appears to advertise an all-you-can-eat American diner, or even a rather bizarre gym, rather than the best seafood restaurant in the North East – making me unlikely to have strayed inside without my sisters encouragement.

On arriving to the restaurant this Wednesday, (unfortunately twenty minutes too late in order to experience the truly delightful bargain of early bird Mussel Mania), we were greeted by a packed restaurant. I was surprised to see the restaurant so busy on a week day evening, and was afraid for a moment that me, my sister and her friends would be unable to get a seat. Luckily the waitress moved some tables and managed to accommodate the five of us on the balcony (a first), in a prime position to access the stair well and toilets easily.

We soon realised why the usually tranquil restaurant was so fully booked this evening…it was Jazz Night. Jazz Night is a weekly event - every Wednesday from 7pm onwards a Jazz guitar duo plays on a raised stage for the entertainment of the diners. The event is obviously very popular…and it was easy to see why.

The guitar duos mellow tones added to the ambient atmosphere of the already tranquil restaurant, rising above the diners and creating a real buzz of relaxed socialising. Halfway through the meal I was amazed to notice that the duo’s stage area was situated on a platform close to the ceiling of the restaurant – making them at the same level of us. I spent the majority of the evening wondering how the duo (and their expensive equipment) managed to access the isolated platform without the aid of any visible stairs – apart from a shaky looking ladder perched against the platform there appeared to be no other way of getting to the stage.

The table may have been hastily constructed, but with candles, dimmed lighting and good company I managed to forget the stresses of my day and truly enjoy my random evening out.

We ordered some wine, which was enjoyed from my favourite large glasses, which hold half a bottle and appear to swallow my entire face within their rim. This was quickly followed by my favourite appetizer, bread and oil (due to my intolerance to butter), which, to my dismay, was rapidly gobbled up by my companions.

We didn’t have long to wait for our main meals – which is always a sign of a good restaurant. I had been daring and ordered (for the first time) something other than my usual mussel pot. I decided to try a main meal, fruits of the sea– pasta, mussels, salmon, cockles and tomato and garlic sauce. I was not dissapointed by my choice, and as I watched the others fiddling with their steming mussels I felt delighted by my break from the norm. The meal was truly delightful, a perfect sized helping, perfectly seasoned and a true pleasure to eat.

After a couple of hours of truely delightful and relaxing dining we emerged reluctantly into the cold dark night. We left full, but not uncomfortably stuffed, and truely relaxed from the melo music and serene atmosphere. The manager as usual was delightful, and shook my hand as we left, in a truely friendly and honest way.

I have undoutably become a Jazz Night convert and hope to visit the Big Mussel again very soon. The Big Mussel is arguably Newcastle's best keep seafood secret, and as the winner of the Seafood Resturant of The Year 2010, and I hope that it continues to maintain this award winning combination of seriously good seafood, serene surroundings and unintrusive service which keep it so unique and delighful to dine in.

5 stars - the only thing that would have made the experience more perfect would have been the option of a pudding. To my dismay, the eatery offers no desserts for lactose intolerant clients, which is similar in most diners across the city. However, I was so full it would have been pure greed and gluttony to have consumed a single crumb of a cake, and I probably would have felt very poorly.