by Judy and Tony Cartledge We took over Picasso’s in October 2004 — without either of us having any previous catering experience! What we did have was years of experience as customers, and, because of the housing boom, enough money to take a gamble on a new venture. So why gamble on Picasso’s? Well, the food was good, the place was lively, the staff were friendly and efficient. It had an ‘atmosphere’, but a civilised one — no hen or stag night parties! That’s the bonus of not being in the middle of Whitley Bay — which also means plenty of free parking. Our attitude was: ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’......but we still reckoned there was scope for big improvements. So we kept all the staff, notably Pepe, Sergio, Alvis, Sue, and Mala, the head chef. Actually, as we didn’t know what we were doing to start with, we didn’t have any choice, but it was a good decision anyway because they’re excellent. But we also re-decorated and improved the place, making reception an enjoyable place to sit......and getting rid of the purple walls. We changed the beer, swapping Fed for Stella and Boddingtons, and went through the menu, dish by dish, dropping a few, adding others, but above all, insisting on fresh food. We also changed the wine list — so now you can get a good bottle of house for less than a tenner, or a magnificent bottle of Faustino for less than £20. To be honest, we weren’t sure if we’d get bored or stay enthusiastic, make a fortune or lose one. But it’s turned out OK — certainly if the increasing number of customers is anything to go by. And the one thing we’ve promised ourselves is that (even though we do know a bit more) we’ll carry on judging the business as customers ourselves! And that means whenever you come, we’d like your views — especially if they’re complimentary. But if you have a criticism, we will do something about it. Return to top of page...