Sitting in a prime location of Newcastles City Centre, on the top level of intu Eldon Squares new dining quarter you will find Giraffe World Kitchen. Giraffe World Kitchens motto is "Exploring the world of food is our passion. Our obsession. It gets us up in the morning and into the kitchen, never knowing exactly what we'll come across next." As the name suggests, Giraffe sells itself as something of a global affair. Take a quick glance at its extensive offerings and you’ll find everything from American short ribs to Japanese Katsu and spicy Mexican burritos. It’s rare to find such a celebration of different cultures and flavours all within one menu! Both brilliant for those who are considered fussy eaters or, like me, want to try a little bit of everything.
First Impressions
The restaurant’s interior evokes far flung corners of the world with an artwork feature wall inspired by India and Thailand, a chefs table covered with Moroccan pendants, global inspired patterned tiles and furniture upholstered in a range of colourful fabrics and leathers. We were greeted by friendly, happy staff and were shown to our table. Even though there was a heatwave on the day we visited and the waitresses suggestions (due to it being like a sun trap) against my better judgement, for the need to be seated somewhere photogenic I chose one of their corner booths. The overall atmosphere was a more informal vibe, however, for mid-day dining, this is absolutely perfect for our day date after a long afternoon of shopping. We were handed over our menus and offered table water, with well-informed staff willing to help you through your choice. With such a diverse selection of delicious cuisines deciding was really difficult so I took all the advice the staff offered. It was great to be able to try some foods I’d never had before, that world kitchen status is no lie!
What We Ate
To start we couldn't choose just one, so decided to share both the Shredded Chicken Tacos and Salt & Pepper Squid. The shredded chicken was incredibly juicy and flavourful. Just like you would get at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Accompanied with guacamole, sour cream and chipotle, what more could you possibly ask for? I won't lie, I was a little bit disappointed when I realised I could only have the one as Liam had tucked into the other. Needless to say, all was not lost as we still had our Salt & Pepper Squid to enjoy. Already a firm favourite of ours when we dine at Asian restaurants, these small fried balls of squid are simply delicious. Crispy yet tender squid served with a sweet chilli jam and fresh lime for an extra kick of flavour.
After tough deliberation and a gentle nudge from the waiter, for my main I opted for the Spicy Rice Bowl and Liam ordered the Ranch Steak & Eggs. Liam's meal only lasted 0.05 seconds as amongst me taking photos he had managed to almost eat all of his as he was so famished (blogger boyfriend problems) so sadly I can't really explain what his tasted like. However, I assume from the speed it was consumed it must have been pretty tasty. However, I can honestly say the Spicy Rice Bowl is the perfect way to make your mouth sing with joy. Understandably a firm favourite on the menu at Giraffe, the whole bowl is full of good-for-you things; nourishing brown rice with perfectly cooked chicken, sugar snaps, red peppers, crispy onions, chilli and soy sauce and topped with a fried egg. The entire bowl was dressed in a variety of different spices, but so well balanced I just couldn't stop myself from going back for more.
Even though our stomachs were practically bursting at the seams we knew we had to order dessert. The Churros arrived hot and crispy, rolled in sugar and cinnamon, and served with a warm dulce de leche dipping sauce and the Rocky Road Sundae was just what I needed to cool down as the heat had started to get to me. Delicious layers of vanilla and salted caramel ice cream, with chocolate brownie chunks, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and mini marshmallows. Need I say more, they were both the perfect sweet treat to round off our meal.
Final Thoughts
To summarise, if you’re looking for a relaxed dining experience with happy, friendly staff, a great variety of food; with a lean to the healthier side that gives you value for money then I’d totally recommend dining with Giraffe World Kitchen. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and I look forward to going back very soon!
This post is in collaboration with Giraffe World Kitchen, all words are my own.
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