I have been in Newcastle just over two weeks, and so far my stay had been spread between staying at a friend’s in Wallsend, my cousin’s in Heworth and the trendy but affordable Motel One in High Bridge Street.

I remember when High Bridge Street was a little shonky – nights spent drinking in Turks – so it’s a surprise to see it now filled with trendy if questionably named bars. I have a pleasant pizza in YOLO (yep, it is called You Only Live Once), and somehow find myself meeting two different ‘down for a few days’ London friends in Pleased to Meet You, a restaurant bar that is pleasingly chilled on a week night (though the bar is rammed on a weekend even at 5pm: I had forgotten how early Geordies start their weekends – around 5pm on a Wednesday as far as I can tell). It’s Restaurant Month so we have a pleasant 3 course for 15 quid; good veggie choices, not even marred too much when the poor waitress trips and pitches our shared chips and veg onto the floor.

So tonight I find myself in there again – this time after some tasty tapas in El Torero on the Side – for the third time and I realise, with a start, this is now my local…