Enfields Kitchen - Gateshead College | Enjoy a delicious 3 course lunch for just £6

*This is a collaborative post

For those of you who don't know, my brother is a chef (he's just opened his first restaurant - check Evan's Bistro in Whitley Bay out) and like most chefs, he spent some time in college learning the ropes, gaining experience and qualifications. I have fond memories of visiting his college restaurant and remember how nervous he was cooking for his family for the first time. That seems like such a long time ago now though but I do remember feeling very proud and being super impressed with what the students had achieved. Students learn all sorts in their college kitchen from food hygiene to knife skills and classic recipes. They are able to get creative at times too. 

Colleges offering hospitality and catering as a course will usually have their own restaurant in order to offer their students some real hands-on experience as part of their course. Enfields Kitchen is a restaurant managed by Gateshead College students. The restaurant is part of the Baltic campus and super easy to get to. We parked in the on-site multi-storey car park and the campus is just a 10-minute walk from Gateshead Interchange and the Q1 bus stops right outside. It's also just a 6-minute walk from the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and a 20-minute walk from Grey's Monument. The postcode is NE8 3BE. 

Booking is recommended (call 0191 490 2457 or 0191 490 4629) and the restaurant is open to the public at the following times:

LUNCH

Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 12pm - 2pm (£6 for 3 courses)

DINNER

Thursday 6pm - 9pm - last seating 7pm (£10.95 for 3 courses)

As I browsed the menu online I do admit to doing a double-take and wondered if perhaps there had been a typo online but no, it's true. A 3 course lunch at Enfields costs just £6. What a bargain! 

The restaurant is a contemporary bistro and as soon as you walk through the doors you forget that you're actually inside a college and you could easily be sitting inside a city centre eatery. We booked for lunch and there were a couple of options available for each course. If prior warning is given, dietary requirements can be catered for as discovered by Canny Food who enjoyed some Vegan food as Enfields recently.

I expected the students who were serving us to be a little nervous but far from it - they were all confident, chatty and helpful - a real credit to the college. We were served homemade bread rolls and provided with a jug of water as we waited for our starters to arrive.

I will just warn you now that I am going to rave about this place quite a bit. Our starters were superb and I would have happily paid £6 each just for the starter nevermind the rest of our meal. Steve's macaroni bites were beautifully presented and my homemade soup was warming, rich and packed with flavour.

With a brief rest between courses, it was onto our mains. I ordered the chicken escalope and I will hand on heart say it was the best chicken escalope I've ever eaten. It was even better than the version I tried at Caffe Vivo the following night. The chicken was so succulent and again, the dish was so flavoursome. Hat's off to the kitchen team for this dish as it's one of those dishes I'll remember for a long time. Served with buttered green beans and a side of steamed potatoes and vegetables, it was very satisfying too.

Steve ordered the Cumberland sausage ring which was served with rich onion gravy and creamy mashed potato plus a side of vegetables. Again, a perfect dish and Steve thoroughly enjoyed it.

When asked if we'd like desserts, of course the answer had to be yes. At 3 courses for £6, I defy anyone not to be tempted. 

The desserts were beautiful and the portion sizes weren't shy. Again, we couldn't fault a thing. Service was prompt and we were in and out within an hour which suited us perfectly. There were other tables around us who were enjoying a more leisurely lunch and the restaurant is fully licensed too should you wish to enjoy a glass of wine or two with your meal. There were a real mix of diners in the restaurants - quite a few local pensioners who obviously know a good deal when they see one, a few groups of friends, college staff and as we were leaving a couple of college students were seated too which was nice to see.

If you're looking for a new place to enjoy a delicious lunch with friends but are on a budget, Enfields is a perfect choice. Even if you're not on a budget, I still recommend trying this place out. It was definitely worth the drive from Northumberland. 

You can find out more about Enfields Kitchen here.