Girls Night at Dalton Park

Dalton Park might not be somewhere you'd think to go for a girly night, but following their redevelopments, that's certainly now an option! You can browse for some bargains, catch up over dinner and see one of the latest films whilst being a stone's throw from the coast and just a short drive from Newcastle/Sunderland/Durham.I quite often pop along to Dalton Park for a browse on a weekend and it's great to know that during the week shops are now open until 7pm, perfect for getting some Christmas gifts. I picked up my well-loved Radley bag after scouring everywhere in the North East and enquiring with Radley HQ on twitter, from their outlet store, I love looking for bargains in their Beauty Outlet - check out my recent beauty buys, The Body Shop always have great offers on and for gym kit, I like to browse in Adidas. I wondered what it would be like as a location for a girly night since the new restaurants and Cineworld cinema opened, so I headed along with my Mam and Sister.We decided to try out Prezzo and, being designated driver, I stuck to the San Pellegrino whilst they enjoyed wine. Skipping starters and settling straight into mains I went for the Tropicana pizza - I am all for pineapple on pizza, as controversial as it may be! whilst my Mam tried out the very generously sized Penne Alla Rusticana (chicken, pancetta and peppers in a creamy pomodoro sauce) and my sister, Lucy opting for Tre Gusti pizza. We all enjoyed our main dishes but Lucy was particularly impressed with the gluten free base for her pizza.
There's always room for dessert so when I spied a cheese board on the menu, I knew I had to try it out. I was certainly not disappointed when my cheese selection, crackers and chutney arrived and nearly started tucking in before I took a few snaps. It seemed my Mam enjoyed her cappuccino and cheesecake - one of their mini dessert options whilst Lucy chose to have a cuppa to finish off her meal.Next up, was a trip to Cineworld to see The Girl On The Train. We'd all been eager to see it since hearing the book was being adapted for the big screen. Being an avid cinema-goer, I'm pretty familiar with Cineworld, however the new Dalton Park cinema feels a lot fresher and the seats are really comfy. With seven screens there's a good range of screening times to pick from too, so you can be flexible around shopping/eating.
Whilst I didn't particularly enjoy the film as much as, I'm pleased they both did. For me, it felt a bit slow unlike the book which was fast-paced throughout. It did seem to have a better pacing towards the end, when things get pretty tense, but I honestly preferred the book and the way I'd imagined the narrative playing out when I read it was entirely different.
So, Dalton Park as a girly night destination; shopping - yes, food - yes, although I do feel like there could've been a cosy, family friendly pub, or thai/mexican restaurant perhaps to give more variety since Prezzo, Pizza Express and Frankie & Benny's all have an overlap in their menus, cinema - yes, especially with that spacious leg room! I'll be back again soon for a date night since there's some good films coming out in the next few weeks!We were kindly offered a complimentary meal and cinema passes for review. All words and photos are my own.