newcastlecentric

If you’ve heard folk refer to The Diamond Strip but haven’t a clue what they’re talking about, let Helen Foley take you by the hand and buy you a shot of tequila or two along the way…

All that glitters is… well, diamondy. Especially when it comes to a Newcastle night out. Of course we’re referring to The Diamond Strip; the loop of uber cool watering holes, complete with unsociably loud music and unreasonably high drinks prices.

It’s so-called as it not only refers to the loose diamond shape the bars are situated in, but it also the demographic of pseudo-glitterati that is attracted to the area.

At the North West tip of the diamond is Revolution; never mind that it takes you six hours to get served on a Saturday night, folk seem to be more than comfortable under the beautifully high ceiling, Stoli in one hand and a startling lack of change from a tenner in the other.

Moving along Collingwood Street, we arrive at what used to be Apartment. Now Florita’s, this bar is expanding the novel and eclectic trend currently sweeping Newcastle that is Lynchism (I made that up myself). Florita’s and little Baby Lynch next door are both Vibrant Venture bars, fitting into what is the cool new trend of being totally random when it comes to décor.

Take a short stumble and you’re at Perdu. The pretentiousness of the name helps it stand out because it’s French, thus making it sound posh. Funny though, that translated it means lost, which is precisely how you feel once you’re through the doors, realise its pitch black and everyone looks the same.

Before we take a sharp right at the end of Collingwood Street though, we ought to extend the diamond idea along to Mosely Street where the persistently changing bar Bijoux nestles awkwardly at the Rockport-clad foot of the Bigg Market.

Despite its location being outside the ‘diamond’ formed by Collingwood St, St Nicholas St and Westgate Road, Bijoux also has a French name, so let’s throw it in the mix.

Tup Tup Palace continues the up-market trend on St Nicholas Street. This bar has all the makings of a proper city goldmine but sadly has recently been reported to be suffering severe financial difficulty. A relaunched menu, a new room inside the venue and a rebranding exercise will hopefully reverse its fortunes.

Round the corner again, we arrive at Tokyo on Westgate Road which has been thus for a long, long time and is perhaps where Newcastle’s love affair with the six quid glass of wine began. Which leads us back to Revolution, completing the tour of the Diamond, or more suitably named Diamante, Strip.

Its loyal weekend demographic view it as an acceptable middle ground between other drinking areas they would never set foot in. They’re too good for the Bigg Market riff raff, yet woe betide any designer clad, hard grafting, tax paying gent or lady to set foot in the more scruffy, relaxed and student-led dives further towards Central Station.

In fact, its like the Quayside of the future; you can be as hideously drunk and embarrassing as you like, whilst still ranking higher in the social stakes compared the average Bigg Market lout, as you’re paying above the odds for the sauce. After all, we can all pretend that we’re minted and classy if we shelling out a fiver for a shot of tequila.

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