The Garage Cafe, Newcastle

I've discovered that as much as I love trying new places, when it comes to dining out near home I tend to find places I really love and just return again and again. One of my firm favourites for breakfast has to be the Garage cafe, which is near Heaton and Sandyford.

Why I love the Garage Cafe

It isn't a pricey place but the food is consistently great. The menu is simple and the ingredients are fresh. I've had a couple of the breakfast sandwiches which are always nice and I like the fact you can make your own combination.

My favourite breakfast I've had at The Garage Cafe has to be the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. What a weekend treat! There was the perfect amount of syrup to balance the deliciously salty bacon: perfection. I also had to add extra sausage which comes in this round form which is great, especially if you get the sausage bun as it is so easy to eat.

The interior decor

The Garage Cafe has a real unique and quirky style. The furniture is a mis-matched style which gives it a cosy, rustic feeling and I love the mix of comfy low chairs to relax with a coffee and more typical dining tables to get stuck into your breakfast. The decor matches the name of this place: car parts adorn the walls and it's actually set in an old car garage.

I love the french navy colour they've painted parts of the walls, it's so relaxing and I think this is why I always feel so chilled when I go to the Garage Cafe. The best way of describing it is like you're in someone's home having a chilled brunch: it's got such a nice homely feeling about it.

The Garage Cafe in summary

I'd definitely recommend heading to the Garage Cafe for an affordable brunch in a lovely setting. Sometimes places with fun and photogenic decor can be a let down on the food front - that totally isn't the case here.

Cute and quirky decor, delicious affordable food, what more could you want? It's also nice and quiet on the weekends so is perfect for a last minute plan. I could definitely imagine spending a day working here as the coffee is good and there are plenty of nice, big tables. Let me know in the comments if you try it out!

Bongo's Bingo, Newcastle: What to expect

We were invited to review Bongo's Bingo and received complimentary tickets and a bottle of prosecco. To read my full disclaimer, click here.

Bongo's Bingo has become very popular in Newcastle, with tickets selling out immediately. It's one of those concepts that nobody quite gets until they have been, so last night I took four friends along with me to check it out and share with you exactly what to expect if you get tickets. Spoiler: it is nothing like your local bingo hall. Those are my pals on the bottom right, we were very lucky to get a table right at the front!

Do you actually play bingo?

Yes it is absolutely like any other game of bingo with your bingo cards and pens, both of which are included in your ticket price. Some people brought their own dabbers but this isn't essential. The aim is to get one line, then two lines, then a full house in order to win various prizes. There are eight games of bingo each night with breaks scattered in between the games.

How Dermalogica saved my bad skin after travelling

This post includes PR gifted products from Dermalogica.

Living in Singapore and travelling round Asia really gave me quite bad skin. I have never had amazing skin, but living in constant humidity without access to my usual products, really made it go crazy. 

I am sure that anyone else who has travelled long-term will agree that bad skin after travelling seems to be a given!  I have combination skin and I constantly looked shiny whilst in Asia, despite trying mattifying products. Coupled with dryness from the humidity and sun damage, I looked spotty and dull.

As regular readers will know I like to live to a strict budget and save most of my money for travel (you can read all my tips here). This meant I had never invested in my skincare and continued to live with it in a bit of a mess, hoping that it would just ‘sort itself out’ at some point.

At the start of this year, Dermalogica contacted me to see if I would like to try their skincare range and I was over the moon. Finally a chance to potentially save my post-travelling skin!