With fringed lampshades akin to something you’d find in your gran’s house and a plethora of the kind of frame less vintage mirrors I’ve been raiding eBay, Gumtree and charity shop for, eclectic and quaint is how you’d describe the decor of Capello Lounge in Newcastle Under Lyme. If you think of the deep wooden decor of Central Perk coffee shop in friends with a hipster chic make over, Capello’s is exactly what you’d get. A relatively newly opened establishment serving up a combination of cocktails and food in a relaxed environment, it’s become what you’d call a “hip and happening” place to eat for those that or “hip and happening” and a place to grab a coffee and a slice of cake for those who are more hip replacement.

Modern eateries that aren’t greasy spoons or 241 pub grubs have steadily increased in the Stoke/Newcastle area. RAWR has since extended from Newcastle-Under-Lyme to open a second cafe bar in the Picadilly area of Hanley, tsp. has been providing customer with sweet cupcake treats and there’s slices of awesome being served up at Klay Pizzeria.

Cappello Lounge quickly became a favourite of mine due to its proximity to work, relaxed feel, relatively extensive cocktail menu and it offering the ability to pop out at lunchtime for a bite to eat without breaking the bank. It offers up the dishes you’d come to expect from a high street eatery with the added addition of a tapas menu (not my favourite thing to order, I have to admit) and a specials menu which is regularly updated and includes some super tasty alternatives if life me you’ve almost exhausted the regular menu.

I dropped by last week for a bite to eat and a catch up with Terri who, despite us living in the same city I only see once every couple of months. Our catch ups, like most girls, tend to consist of good old gossip over a soda and lime and if there’s food on offer then we’re in a much more jovial mood. On this Tuesday evening the weather was in our favour and we opted out of the heat of indoors for a spot outside in the sunny beer garden, complete with brightly coloured patio furniture and potted succulents to make your food extra Instagram worthy. The patio policy is super considerate to its patrons with it being a no smoking area (during the day at least) and with the rays out in force even after 6pm there are sunglasses and sun lotion made publicly available to ensure you can enjoy your food without getting a tan/squinting.

On Tapas Tuesdays we eat 3 tapas dishes for £10 and down a glass of wine, (well, you do if you’re Terri Lowe).  I chose to order from the specials menus despite the sweet nothings of the mac and cheese calling me and ended up with a Tuna Nicoise Salad… and a bowl of sweet potato fries (bye diet) and it was delicious.  The tuna was cooking to perfect and flaked apart at the touch of my fork, the green beans were crisp and at least made me feel like I was partaking in a healthy meal and the sweet potato fries were deliciously coated and especially awesome once dunked in a pot of mayo.

It’s worth noting that Capello Lounge also offer up an incredible breakfast and brunch menu which I’ve been assured is well worth waking up before midday to sample.  They also serve a number of soft drinks suitable for A.M consumption including virgin cocktails, Watermelon Ice Tea and a number of fruit smoothies and posh lemonade.