Always looking for a new adventure we thought it would be fun to try out Hadrian’s Tipi, Newcastle on its opening weekend. Sure, if it’s just opened not many people will know about it! If we go around 5 pm on a Saturday night there’ll be loads of space and plenty of atmospheres! Or as it turned out, let’s attempt to go to Hadrian’s Tipi when Newcastle United was kicking out a home game and Little Mix had just finished their Arena gig.
Which also translates to… It’s too busy let’s try again another day.
Hadrian’s Tipi, Newcastle 2017
A few days later and I had a sign related job to do at Hadrian’s Tipi. It was by pure coincidence that it was best to do this job near lunch time. It was even more of a coincidence that I swung by the house to pick Catherine up for a surprise lunch out. She’s also good for carrying my tools of the trade.
Hadrian’s Tipi this year is a full on Alpine Village meets industrial shanty town. As far as theme and that fun Christmas feel, this hits the nail where it should be hit. The former Odeon site has been tarmacked over and is a walkable space. Other temporary venues I’ve been to have simple swept the rocks to the side and not quite finished the job.
Nothing says Christmas like a giant wigwam in the city. Ok, that isn’t quite right, but the draw is more along the lines of nothing says Christmas more than a special time-limited event that is focused around food and drink… with an open log burning fire.
We spotted a post box to send letters to Father Christmas via the North Pole. 
An Alpine lodge in the village serves Fudge, biscuits and sweet treats.
Place offers a passion for good coffee and Rock music.
With lots to choose from we had to limit our choice of food. My Choice was Fat Hippo.
Fat Hippo, Hadrian’s Tipi
The Fat Hippo menu is a cut-down selection of their popular favourites from their other venues.
All burgers were cooked fresh to order and as a result, there was a little bit of a queue. Nothing too bad as it was lunchtime, but I can imagine this would get quite lengthy on an evening. I chose to go with a doubled up PB&J.
I must admit that it is a favourite go-to Burger for me. I think its the idea of something totally different to anywhere else that sells it to me. Although this takeaway version was a little moist. The Peanut butter and Bacon Marmalade had melted and created a nice gravy in the burger box. If I was in a restaurant it would have been fine. A knife and fork would resolve this, but being outdoors almost picnic style, I have a sloppy hand sandwich. The burger was still delicious and the hand coating was cleaned up with a little signmakers degreaser and a micro fibre cloth.
Hatch 76, Hadrian’s Tipi
Cat had spotted the Duck wrap over on Hatch 76’s menu. She’d mentioned it even before we arrived today, our aborted mission on Saturday had set her taste buds into overdrive. The Queue was moving quickly and she joined me with her Duck Wrap
The wrap was loaded with Lettuce, spring onions, Crispy Duck and Hoisin Sauce. Everything I would expect from a Crispy Duck wrap. The combination of savoury duck and sweet sauce is amazing. I love it. Which was a good thing as Catherine’s dreamed off wrap wasn’t what she thought it would be? The sweet Hoisin sauce was too much for her. I was given the task of munching down a second meal for lunch. What a shame!
Fowl Play, Hadrian’s Tipi
It was time for Fowl Play to entertain Catherine. To keep things simple she went with the Cock ‘n’ Roller. Crispy fried chicken on a bun with lettuce and a secret special Fowl Sauce.
The Crispy coating was exactly that, crispy. It had an amazing crunch and was definitely not soggy with the cooking oil. It was a happy replacement and I wasn’t left eating the third meal.
Hadrian’s Tipi was a fun venue for a quick lunch. The only downside of eating outdoors during November is it is freezing and generally windy. The icy chill blasted through the canopy covered village dining hall. A couple of times food containers were shuffled along the bench seating with the breeze. The relaxing dining turned into focused munching on a workout for your reflexes to boot. We’d love to return on a night time, but childfree would be the preference, even though we enjoy family nights out.
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