What we thought of the food at the Everyman Cinema, Northallerton

How was it? Well if you are a fan of the Indie films, you’ll probably like this one but we thought the shoot-‘em-up/car chase action sequences were just too long and too loud and inadequate compensation for the thinnest of plots. Perhaps, like Harrison Ford, we are getting too old to really enjoy this sort of thing.

But now you are probably wondering when this column became a film review and you would be entirely justified in thinking so. But stay with me, this was a trip to the movies that was also an opportunity to eat out.

We were at the new Everyman cinema in Northallerton – one element of the Treadmills development on the site of the town’s old prison.

Everyman is billed as a new concept for cinema going where the food and drink is almost as important as the movie itself.

Eating Out at the new Everyman cinema in Northallerton

In place of rows of tightly packed seats are two-seater velvet-covered sofas with cushions, spaced so that cinema staff can bring drinks, snacks and something more substantial to your seat while you watch the movie.

It has proved popular elsewhere. The Northallerton Everyman is just the latest opening in a nationwide expansion of 41 cinemas which have seen profits rise as other cinema chains struggle. It seems its “boutique” cinemas are the affordable treat that many crave right now.

We’ll come back to the issue of affordability later but for now let’s just say prices seem to match the surroundings. Compared to the local flea pits of years gone by, Everyman is something very different. Apart from the novel seating arrangements in the screen rooms, there are a series of funky bar/seating areas. The seating is swanky and low, the music is upbeat and, depending on where you sit, quite loud. Everywhere the air conditioning is Baltic.

Eating Out at the new Everyman cinema in Northallerton

The menu features dishes that could be best described as lite bites or snacks – sharing plates and hot dogs – and pizzas and burgers that are more substantial.

You can eat in the bar areas or choose to have everything served at your seat in the screen. We worried about the logistics of having the six sharing plates we had chosen served at our screen seats and as we had arrived with plenty of time we ate in the bar. It proved to be a wise decision.

Six plates was probably too many but the deal is three for £16.75. We had chosen five but our waitress urged us to select a sixth to qualify. So it was two plates of tempura prawns (£6.50 as a single selection).

They were delicious too with a light and crispy batter which became only slightly soggy with a couple which nestled at the bottom of the serving bowls.

Eating Out at the new Everyman cinema in Northallerton

The hummus, served with flatbread (£5.60) was super creamy and garlicky, the padron peppers (£5.85) nicely charred but a little bit flaccid.

Buttermilk chicken (£6.50) was four decent chunks of fried breast meat and perhaps best of all were the fluffiest, lightest garlic parsley dough balls (£5.25) we’d ever tasted.

There’s a large drinks selection – cocktails (13 of them), wine (by the glass or bottle), some exotic beers and ciders (all by the bottle) plus soft drinks, milkshakes and even just a humble cup of tea.

Just in case you might have forgotten you are in a cinema, you can also buy popcorn (salted, sweet or mixed) but a large one will knock you back almost six quid.

Eating Out at the new Everyman cinema in Northallerton

Our bill for food and drink (a bottle of IPA and a bottle of Italian lager) amounted to £48 which was not outrageous but certainly on the steep side.

We mused that had I not been a subscriber to The Times (that’s the London one) and eligible for the Wednesday two for one ticket offer we would have spent £32 on the tickets which would have been a £80 night out.

Our other gripe was the serving of food throughout the movie. It is undeniably distracting if you want to be really immersed in the film. While the lines of sofas are well spaced out, you do still have to make room for the staff as they make their way down the rows to reach customers with armfuls of burgers, hot dogs and cocktails.

It is hard to believe there have not been some spectacular accidents caused by a stray out-stretched limb belonging to a customer who has dozed off on their sofa having pigged out on doughballs and who isn’t enthused by Indie’s final fling.

Everyman Cinema

The Treadmills, East Road, Northallerton DL6 1NW

Tel: 01233 555642 Web: everymancinema.com

Open: when films are screened

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 7 Surroundings 9 Value 5