GREGGS is not a name you associate with fine dining or fancy booze.
However, as I tucked into a sausage roll covered in hot chilli sausage while drinking a £95 glass of champagne, I was surprised by how well they went together.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker got to try out Greggs’ new champagne bar[/caption]
The marbled bar is staffed by posh waiters in bow ties[/caption]
Inside the new champagne bar in Fenwicks[/caption]
Yesterday, I visited the chain’s new champagne bar pop-up in Newcastle.
The plush bar inside historic Fenwick’s Food Hall is opening to customers today and closing on December 31.
Shoppers will be able to get their hands on an assortment of savoury snacks including bakes, sausage rolls and melts with posh sauces, as well as cocktails based on classic sweet treats.
Foodies can even pair the savoury bites with some seriously posh champagne and Prosecco, with both small glasses and whole bottles on offer.
Prices for a glass start at £10 and range up to £75 while bottles start from £37 and go up to a whopping £425.
At the pre-launch of the champagne bar, I got a first try of some of the new Haute cuisine and bubbly on offer.
The space has been designed in the Art Nouveau style with a marble c-shaped bar which is scattered with crystal bells to call for attention.
A grand three-tiered glass display features a range of spirits too, with workers dressed in smart suit trousers and bow ties.
As I sat down, everything told me I was somewhere more akin to an underground club in 1900s Paris than your everyday Greggs branch.
I tried one starter, one main, two champagnes and a cocktail.
First up was the £4 sausage roll with hot honey chilli sauce which came with bits of chopped fresh chilli inside.
I never would never think of combining sausage roll with a sweet chilli sauce, but it was surprisingly better than predicted.
The sticky and tart sauce blended with the salty pork sausage meat well and the fresh chilli added a subtle kick.
That said, if you gave me the option of choosing between this and having a sausage roll with tomato ketchup, I’d choose ketchup every time as the flavours just pair better.
For the main option I tried the chicken bake with katsu curry sauce and pickled cucumber, which costs £4.75.
If I’m not buying a sausage, bean and cheese melt at Greggs, a classic chicken bake is my next choice, but I was sceptical the trio of flavours would work together.
I must admit I was wrong though, and the umami flavour from the katsu sauce paired really nicely with the creamy white sauce from the chicken bake.
That, combined with the freshness of the pickled cucumber, and the trio of flavours made for a really balanced bite.
The two champagnes I had were the Bollinger Rosé Brut, which is £22 per glass or £95 a bottle, and the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, on sale for £55 a glass or £295 a bottle.
The first was light, citrusy and really refreshing, with a subtle hint of apple in there for a bit of tang.
The Perrier was a bit more tart and aromatic, but I was less of a fan of this one.
I loved yum yums as a kid so I was buzzing to try to the yum yum twist cocktail next.
It combines rum with a yum yum flavoured soft drink and icing sugar around the rim of the glass and costs £11.
One sip and I was dragged back in time to being a school kid and tucking into a whole bag of the sweet pastries.
What’s on the menu?
Greggs’ champagne bar at Fenwick will be open daily from today, 11.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, excluding Thursdays, when it will shut at 7pm.
On Sundays, the bar will open at 11.30am and close at 4pm.
Shoppers keen to head down have to reserve ahead via www.fenwick.co.uk/events/restaurants/bistro-greggs-at-fenwick/bistro-greggs-at-fenwick
But what is actually on the menu crafted by Fenwick executive head chef Mark Reid? This is the full list with prices:
- Sausage Roll with Hot Honey Chilli Sauce – £4
- Vegan Sausage Roll with Harissa Coconut Yoghurt – £4
- Cheese & Onion Bake with Romesco Sauce & Almonds – £4.50
- Steak Bake with Peppercorn Aioli – £4.95
- Chicken Bake with Katsu Curry Sauce & Pickled Cucumber – £4.75
- Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melt with Bloody Mary Ketchup – £4.50
- Prosecco – Ca di Alte – £10 for glass or £37 for bottle
- Rosé Prosecco – Ca di Alte – £12 for glass or £42 for bottle
- Gremillet Brut Champagne – £15 for glass or £55 for bottle
- Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut – £18 for glass or £80 for bottle
- Bollinger Rosé Brut – £22 for glass or £95 for bottle
- Laurent Perrier Rosé – £25 for glass or £125 for bottle
- Rare Champagne Millesime – £40 for glass or £210 for bottle
- Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque – £55 for glass or £295 for bottle
- Louis Roederer Cristal – £75 for glass or £425 for bottle
- “Pink Jammie Fizz” cocktail – £11
- Yum Yum Twist cocktail – £11
- Cream Eclair cocktail – £12
- Non-Alcoholic Peach Melba cocktail – £7
Greggs loved to cause a buzz with its pop-up events – but it’s unlikely to be rolled out more widely.
If you live nearby then it would be easy to make the journey and pop in.
But will we soon see Greggs on posh menus? Unlikely.
Greggs’ autumn menu
Gregg’s tasty-autumn inspired menu is now available in stores across the UK for a limited time, here’s what’s on the menu:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte – from £2.50
- Over Ice Pumpkin Spice Latte – from £3
- Salted Caramel Latte – from £2.50
- Over Ice Salted Caramel Latte – from £3
- Orange Mocha – from £2.60
- Orange Hot Chocolate – from £3.10
- All Day Breakfast Baguette – from £3.80
- Mexican Bean & Spicy Cheese Flatbread – from £3.50
- Pumpkin Spice Doughnut – from £1.35
- BBQ Chicken Pizza Box – from £7.55
The sausage roll with sweet chilli sauce was the most peculiar-tasting bite[/caption]
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