NØRTH Kitchen + Bar, Stoke-on-Trent
NØRTH Kitchen + Bar is the new incarnation of RAWR in Stoke-on-Trent’s Cultural Quarter. The change came in early November 2019 with the new brand and a new menu. I visited one recent lunchtime to take a look.
Goodbye RAWR, Hello NØRTH
Situated on Piccadilly, RAWR opened in September 2016. I wrote about it in one of my very first Eating Out reviews in the following year.
At that time RAWR described itself as “a health and lifestyle brand”.
In my review, which you can read here, I was a bit sniffy about ‘detoxing’, ‘superfoods’ and ‘Buddha’ bowls. But I loved the fresh, natural foods and couldn’t really fault the actual content of dishes I tried. My gripe was really about the aura around such foods.
I wrote, “I’d love to see the wider public incorporating more natural, raw and plant-based foods into their diet, but wonder if some of this ‘buddha bowl’ type lingo might be a barrier to that.”
Looking at NØRTH‘s menu now, I was pleased to see that there’s no mention of Buddha bowls. But, even better, their simpler-named ‘bowls’ read like they were still full of great-sounding, fresh, real foods.
So, why the change of name and menu?
Announcing it, NØRTH said, “What started as a small 8 seater Juice Bar with 4 Sandwiches and 1 Salad on the menu has become a busy City Centre full service Restaurant and Bar”. They hope the name change will better reflect where they are now and is also a nod to their long-standing Scandi/Nordic influences which they intend to explore further.
FRESH JUICE
RAWR always had a great range of drinks, both alcoholic and plant-based. For my lunchtime visit, I chose from one of NØRTH’s many juices and smoothies.
My glass of Turn Up The Beets (£4.80) was a sweet-tart mix of apple, beetroot, orange and ginger and I loved it. A wonderfully fresh pick-me-up which somehow felt quite Christmassy with its deep red colour and warming ginger notes.
And talking of Christmas…
We’d arrived a little after midday which meant we could choose from both the Brunch menu (available 10am – 3pm) and the Lunch menu (12 noon – 5pm). But, after eyeing them on NØRTH’s social media, I decided to go for one of their Christmas specials.
CHRISTMAS DELI SANDWICH
Unusually in our house, for the last few years we’ve had turkey for Christmas dinner. We’ve decided to do something different again this year, so I thought NØRTH’s Christmas Deli Sandwich (£11) would probably be my one taste of turkey this season.
That didn’t quite go to plan though as they were out of turkey. But I accepted the offer of chicken instead.
There’s also a nut roast version (£10) which is suitable for vegans.
Besides poultry breast meat and stuffing, the sandwich (actually a good quality ‘rustic chia bun’) came stuffed to the gills with vegetables, both cooked (carrots, brussels) and raw (lots of curly kale).
I confess I was a little wary of the pairing of maple roasted veg with cranberry sauce. Not liking too much sweetness in savoury foods, I did wonder if it would be too much. But no, there hadn’t been too heavy a hand and the sandwich was still properly savoury, helped along by a tangy, slightly hot, horseradish mayo.
Where the sandwich did fall down was the pigs in blankets. I thought it a lovely idea to skewer a couple onto the top of the bun. But they were very overcooked. One of them I did eat but didn’t really enjoy. The other, almost totally black, was inedible. As I pointed out to our server, it was so hard I couldn’t even cut it with a knife.
That was a shame, as the harmonious flavours and textures of the sandwich were excellent. I loved the freshness of all the vegetables too.
The Christmas Deli Sandwich also came with a decent portion of skin-on fries. I have no complaint with those and scoffed the lot.
OTHER DISHES
If you’re at NØRTH after 5pm, then there’s also a Christmas Kebab (chicken in gravy £15 / nut roast £13). These are served on a large flatbread, with similar flavours to the sandwich plus celeriac mash.
View the current Dinner menu here.
You’ll find loads more deli sandwiches and classic sandwiches on the Lunch menu, along with chicken, veggie or vegan burgers and those (non-Buddha) bowls.
EGGS
My eating companion, ID, chose from the very extensive Brunch menu, on which many dishes are vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten free.
There are small brunches based around various fillings and toppings for buns, toasted multi-seed or sourdough bread, plus a choice of big brunches (meat, veggie or vegan). A good selection of add-ons such as halloumi, portobello mushroom, crispy bacon and spinach mean that you can easily create your own bespoke dish.
ID selected from the Eggs section of the Brunch menu with its eight variations on poached, scrambled or baked eggs.
His Chorizo, Red Peppers, Onions, Roasted Baby Potatoes + Poached Eggs with Toasted Garlic Buttered Sourdough (£8) was faultless. The eggs and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The chorizo had a subtle heat and the very good sourdough toast had plenty of garlicky, buttery flavour.
As he’d skipped breakfast, ID had also ordered a side of Spiced Baked Skin On Fries (£4). Unfortunately, these didn’t appear until after he’d finished his egg dish. Also, I think we’d both expected the fries to have been cooked with spices. But the only spicing appeared to be a sprinkling of ground spices over the top of a batch of regular Baked Skin On Fries (£3).
RECOMMENDED
We experienced a few glitches on our visit: they were out of a major ingredient for one of their Christmas specials, the pigs in blankets should never have left the kitchen, and there was the late arrival of the side order.
To be fair though, they did reduce the bill as recompense without being asked. However, with the Cultural Quarter attracting more food and drink competition all the time, NØRTH would do well to keep an eye on those sorts of hiccups.
Nevertheless, I do love NØRTH’s offering based around good quality, fresh ingredients presented in imaginative combinations.
Although not a vegetarian or vegan establishment, there are many dishes to suit these diets. And for those of us who base a lot of our eating around plants with small or moderate amounts of meat, fish, dairy and eggs, NØRTH is a great option too.
There was a hoo-ha back in October when Stoke-on-Trent was said to be the least vegetarian and vegan-friendly city in the UK.
A study said that Stoke was the worst as it has no completely vegetarian or vegan restaurant. But with many cities seeing closures of vegan restaurants, I think venues like NØRTH have the right idea: aim for a menu where everyone who loves fresh, ‘real’ food, no matter what their diet or whether they’re in the mood for something ‘healthy’ or an indulgent treat, can find something to enjoy.
I think the move away from a ‘health and lifestyle brand’, the change of emphasis and the new name is a positive step. Hopefully, it will mean even more punters coming through their door.
I look forward to seeing what else NØRTH has to offer as it continues to evolve.
Recommended.
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ACCESSIBILITY
I’m not aware of a formal access statement for this venue and the following is my subjective impression only. Please note, however, that I’m not mobility impaired so you may wish to contact the venue directly to check whether it meets your own requirements.
There is some outside seating on the street in front. There’s a step up into the building with ground floor seating. Toilets are via several steep steps. Upper seating area is via stairs.
If you’ve visited this venue and can provide more information useful for people with disabilities, please leave a comment below. If you’re the owner of this venue, I’d be happy to update this post with any further information about accessibility.