Saturday afternoons are perfect for sitting on slightly uncomfortable patio furniture while shielding your pint from the flies.
My pal Niall and I had spent several fruitful hours in various establishments on Newcastle's Quayside and had worked up a hunger.
We waded through the swarms of hen and stag dos before we managed to take a look at the restaurants on offer.
After much deliberation, we decided to opt for the Big Mussel.
Hartlepool folk will know the type of food on offer, after the company opened up a restaurant at the marina.
The Newcastle branch is on two floors and was healthily busy as we entered.
We were given a perch on the upper level and chose a bottle of house red (£10.50) while we looked through the menu.
The only sensible thing to do when you go to a seafood restaurant is to actually choose some seafood, so we opted to skip the starters and plump for some fishy main course treats.
I selected mussels ostendaise (£13.95), which consisted of the shellfish in a bacon and cabbage sauce, accompanied by chips, a chunk of bread and a pot of home-made mayonnaise.
Niall went for sea bass (£12.95), which was a pan-fried whole sea bass served on parmesan risotto with a warm red pepper and olive oil dressing. He chose a garlic bread (£2.95) to go with it.
My mussels were really fresh and the bacon and cabbage complemented the seafood surprisingly well.
Niall said his fish was very well cooked and he really enjoyed the risotto.
And there was still room for pudding.
I went for a selection of Northumbrian cheeses (£4.95), whereas Niall selected a selection of sorbets (£3.95).
My cheese was very tasty and the waiter even complied with my request to ditch the Stilton and get a bit an extra bit of cheddar on the platter.
Niall said his sorbet was fruity and cleansed the pallet.
There was still time to wash the food down with a couple of Irish coffees (£3.95 each).
The restaurant was a good finish to a day of indulgence. And with special offers available for early diners, customers can certainly get value for money.