Member Article

French tapas restaurant and winery to open in Newcastle’s old railway arches

The old railway arches on Newcastle’s Westgate Road will soon be bolstered by the opening of another quirky, culinary offering with the upcoming addition of The French Quarter.

Providing an informal take on traditional French cuisine, alongside a range of specially-sourced fine wines, the new venue will bring at least 10 new jobs to the city centre.

Featuring both a French-style café experience alongside Tapas-style French dishes, the business is the first venture in England by Cedric Boc-Ho, who hails from the Loire Valley in France, and his partner Catherine Metcalfe from Northumberland.

Open from breakfast until late evening, the venue will present a ‘Four Quarter’ offering acting as a café, wine bar, bistro and market. Moreover, customers will have the opportunity to purchase refillable bottles of wine, which will be filled directly from a barrel.

Since meeting in the Alps seven years ago, Cedric and Catherine have longed to open a restaurant coupling an intimate knowledge of French food with passion for informal, independent dining.

Cedric, a wine enthusiast who holds a WSET level 3 qualification, is also looking to offer wine tasting experiences to groups across the region, either in The French Quarter’s private dining space or on a more personal level in a client’s home or business premises.

“It has been my dream to open a restaurant for so many years, since I was very young, and when Catherine and I moved to England and we found this site in The Arches, it felt like the perfect place to do that,” said Cedric.

“The French Quarter will bring something new. Newcastle is a city which already has a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and bars, but there is nothing like this. We are creating a meeting space for people to meet however they want, whether that is with a coffee and pastry, over a glass of wine, or in a bistro environment.

“But what is important is the informality. Here people are welcome to ask questions, to try our products and to share our passions for wine and food but equally they can sit back, relax and discover for themselves.”

Hexham-born Catherine said: “This is a huge project for us which we have planned for so long, and it is really exciting that we are almost ready to open our doors.

“Being part of an independent business community was an important factor from the outset, so we are really pleased with the location we have chosen, especially being so close to where I am from.”

Cedric and Catherine have been supported in their plans by Newcastle law firm Sintons, with the firm’s Head of Licensing Sarah Smith securing a license for The French Quarter.

Sarah Smith said: “Even in a city as vibrant and diverse as Newcastle there is always room for something new and different, and The French Quarter is just that. The combination of high quality and informality is a winning formula.

“Throughout the licensing process I have been hugely impressed by Cedric and Catherine’s passion for the project and their dedication to detail. We wish them and their team every success.”