|
My Favourite Pub
By Tim Lamb, general manager of
Eldon Square Shopping Centre
PUBS ARE a bit like music, ask what my favourite song or band are and the reply will change from day to day according to my mood, the weather or how busy a day I've had at work. There are of course some that crop up every time, Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins, Good Times by Jimmy Barnes and INXS to name but a few.
Pubs are the same. Do I want a quick pint after a hard day's work at Eldon Square Shopping Centre? A few beers with the lads to watch the match and talk about the pecking order in the North East football stakes? (It's good to be a Geordie at the minute!). A night out with my wife Philippa or a big night out in the town?
If I want to go for a big night out then it's Newcastle Quayside and when I'm out with Philippa it's Whitley Bay, Monkseaton Front Street or Newcastle, depending upon our mood.
But there is one pub that fills most of those requirements, and that's
The Cumberland in Tynemouth.
"A good old fashioned pub" is the best way to describe The Cumberland, it's welcoming, comfy without being stuffy, and full of character and characters.
Although I'm a confirmed lager drinker, the wide selection of beers and real ales is good enough to satisfy the `beaks and twigs' brigade. More importantly for me I can get a consistently good pint or two of Fosters at the right temperature - freezing cold! All served by happy, friendly staff that always seem to be just finishing
the last customer and ready to serve me!
Big TV screens (for the football of course!),decent music and a welcoming atmosphere all add up to a pub that is a great place to spend a few hours chilling out and putting the world to rights. The food on offer is basic, but well enough prepared and presented and certainly keenly priced, two for one meals are a regular feature and although I personally prefer to drink in pubs and eat
in restaurants, The Cumberland seems a popular place to eat as well as drink.
Sadly, there is one problem with The Cumberland, it's in Tynemouth and I live in Whltley Bay, they could consider moving closer but I guess that would be taking customer service to the extreme.
|
