Indian Eats in Newcastle & Gateshead

Rani Indian Restaurant

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Restaurant | "Rani - Not Quite Fit For Royalty"

Rani Indian Restaurant Photo - Rani Indian Restaurant, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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I love old buildings and except for a few really brilliant modern landmarks designs have no interest in the newly built. I can appreciate, however, why many old buildings sit empty while soulless new developments spring up in and around our cities. The most important old buildings are often protected which means that the space can't be altered to make it more appropriate for the needs of today's businesses and refurbishment rules often means that new windows and the like are prohibitively expensive. Newcastle's Rani Indian Restaurant strikes me as a business that's housed in such a building. Just off the city's famous quayside and situated directly under the Tyne Bridge, this handsome late...Read More

I love old buildings and except for a few really brilliant modern landmarks designs have no interest in the newly built. I can appreciate, however, why many old buildings sit empty while soulless new developments spring up in and around our cities. The most important old buildings are often protected which means that the space can't be altered to make it more appropriate for the needs of today's businesses and refurbishment rules often means that new windows and the like are prohibitively expensive.

Newcastle's Rani Indian Restaurant strikes me as a business that's housed in such a building. Just off the city's famous quayside and situated directly under the Tyne Bridge, this handsome late nineteenth century building is certainly visually impressive but I can't help thinking that the problems that come with such a property may be responsible for a frequent turnover of businesses that have occupied it. In the last ten years or so this property has been home to a Thai restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a Japanese restaurant and now Rani.

As handsome as the tall windows are, they no doubt cancel out the benefits of the heating. While we were in the restaurant I couldn't feel comfortable because it was just too chilly. Doors have been removed between the rooms to open the place up and make it feel more spacious but every time the front door opened there was another blast of arctic chill. Access is via a handful of steps on the corner of the building and there doesn't appear to be any wheelchair access. Even if there was, the tables are crammed in and there wouldn't be much room to manoeuvre.

We remembered just in time that we had a voucher to use at Rani and phoned to book; perhaps it was because we were making a booking for a Tuesday evening but Himself came off the'phone feeling that whoever he had spoken to was not really interested in the request. No name or number was requested and when the voucher offer was mentioned the response was a weary 'Yes, yes'. Fortunately there was a table for us when we arrived twenty minutes ahead of schedule, hoping to eat early and get back home to watch the football; naturally it wasn't a table with our name on it. There's a comfortable seating area just inside the doors but on this particularly cold evening I was more than happy to be shown straight to a table away from the entrance.

The offer we'd purchased entitled us to two starters, two mains and rice to share; as I didn't personally buy this voucher I don't know how much was paid for it but I have given the menu price of the items we ate as these time limited offers change frequently. A £1 surcharge for lamb or chicken tikka, king prawns and other seafood applied not only to our offer but to mains from the menu too.

There was a decent selection of starters but nothing really unusual except maybe mussels which appear only occasionally as a starter in Indian restaurants in this neck of the woods. The starters were just a little pricier than average for Newcastle restaurants of this standard with my choice Sheek Kebab Roll priced at £3.50 and my companion's Desi Tikka at £5.90. From the description of my starter choice I knew just what to expect: minced lamb that had been formed into a sausage shape and cooked on the skewer before being wrapped inside a rolled chapatti. The meat was super spicy but a little on the dry side and need copious amounts of mint sauce to make it more palatable. The 'Desi Tikka' on the other hand came with no description but my curry obsessed dining companion knew what to expect; however, I feel that this erratic approach to describing the dishes is worth pointing out. While some dishes were described in fine detail, others were described in such a way as to mean nothing to the average diner, or else to be such a minor variation as to be almost pointless: examples of this would be "Chana: bhuna dish cooked Apna style" and "Roshun: bhuna style plenty of garlic". Anyway, Himself really enjoyed the desi tikka which was as hot as promised and got him prepared for his next course. The chicken was thoroughly cooked but moist and flavoursome and it was notable in that those good flavours were not lost in the chilli heat of the sauce.

My main course was 'podina jhall' (£7.90) which was offered as a lamb or a chicken dish: I chose lamb. This was described as a hot dish in which the meat was marinated in chilli, mint and garlic and then cooked in home ground spices. It was initially the fresh mint that came through as the dominant flavour but the chilli soon took over and I felt that this was a dish that could have been more enjoyable with just a little less chilli because the other flavours were strong enough without it. As a result I picked out the pieces of lamb which were tender and not at all fatty and made a point of eating them before trying again with the sauce, mixing it with the pillau rice to try to make it not such an ordeal.

Himself chose the 'lanka masalla' (£7.90) which he had with lamb. This one was described as a hot dish with fried onions, chilli, garlic and fresh coriander. It was less hot than the podina jhall but still pretty lively. Fortunately Himself has a better heat tolerance than I do and he made light work of this dish before helping with mine. As with the podina jhall the meat fell apart easily but was still juicy. While this was a tasty dish Himself commented that there was nothing about it that was really distinctive and I wonder if that might be the case with several of the vaguely defined dishes on the menu. At £1.50 each the chapattis seemed overpriced and were a little cold and therefore dry when they arrived but the pilau rice was fine and served two people easily.

Overall we found the food to be good but not great. In terms of value it's mostly fair: the most expensive dishes on the menu are the seafood dishes from the Rani specials section, the most expensive of which come in at £12.90. Dishes such as bhunas and vindaloos from the Classic Curries section are priced at £6.90 or £7.90. All vegetable side dishes cost £3.90 but can be served as a main course for £5.90.

Rani offers an 'early bird special' (available between 5.30 - 8.00pm) for £12.95; this comprises a starter from a small selection, a choice from a fairly extensive list of main courses (chicken or lamb only however, or any vegetable dish), rice or nan bread and finally ice cream or coffee.

I wouldn't rush back to Rani (certainly not during cold weather); the food wasn't bad but it wasn't exciting or noteworthy. The service was rather detached and unfriendly with no attempt to engage with any customers that I noticed. Given the choice I'd splash out on a trip to Rasa, a southern Indian restaurant just round the corner but if you can't stretch to that Rani is just OK.

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on April 6, 2013

Rani Indian Restaurant
2 Queen Street
Newcastle upon Tyne, England NE1 3UG
0191 231 2202

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Sachin's

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Restaurant | "Sachin's Slip Up "

Sachin's Punjabi Restaurant Photo - Sachin's, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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Although it is often cited as one of Newcastle's best Indian restaurants, Sachins does 'enjoy' a less than salubrious location which means that many people are often totally unaware of its existence. Situated behind the Central Station, the area is semi-industrial though it is slowly being developed and when the new hotels actually open, the restaurant will no doubt reap some of the benefits of the gentrification. Not that Sachins is in dire need of customers; while many restaurants are struggling to fill their tables, Sachins doesn't seem to have suffered as much as many. This was our second visit to Sachins; having had a very positive experience a couple of years back I had secretly made reservation...Read More

Although it is often cited as one of Newcastle's best Indian restaurants, Sachins does 'enjoy' a less than salubrious location which means that many people are often totally unaware of its existence. Situated behind the Central Station, the area is semi-industrial though it is slowly being developed and when the new hotels actually open, the restaurant will no doubt reap some of the benefits of the gentrification. Not that Sachins is in dire need of customers; while many restaurants are struggling to fill their tables, Sachins doesn't seem to have suffered as much as many. This was our second visit to Sachins; having had a very positive experience a couple of years back I had secretly made reservations to celebrate my partner's birthday and when he realised where we were heading he was pleased.

I should stress that the comments I've made about the location apply only to the appearance of some of the disused, semi-derelict buildings; there is on site parking which is perfectly safe and there is no risk to diners arriving on foot. The downside to the location is that other than The Telegraph which attracts an rather 'alternative' crowd, there aren't any pubs nearby where you might have a drink before or after your meal; this means that customers tend to make a night of it at Sachins and it's practically impossible to get a table without a reservation as there's not really a turnover of tables as the evening goes on.

When we first visited we were invited to sit and have a drink while we looked at the menu, before we were taken to our table. On the most recent occasion we were taken straight to our table on the upper floor, as far as you could possibly go, even though there were plenty of free tables on the lower floor and not so far along the restaurant. The table where we were seated had two conventional dining chairs and upholstered 'built in' seating on the side along the wall. It seemed odd to take the dining chairs so we took the 'comfortable' side which in restrospect turned out not to be so comfortable for a lady with not so long legs. The other issue was that the bulb had gone in the light over our table and it was a struggle to read the menu.

As it was a special occasion I decided to push the boat out and start with a cocktail which ended up being the drink that accompanied my meal (along with some water) partly because it was a rather large cocktail and partly because the waiting staff proved rather reluctant to be aware of the needs of diners. Himself drank Cobra with his meal. My Lychee Fizz was refreshing and at around £5 it was a fair price.

My lamb tikka (£5.95) starter certainly sizzled when it was brought to the table and I couldn't decide whether it was black because the lamb had been over cooked in the tandoor and forgotten about, or because it had been sitting on the hot plate for too long instead of being brought straight to the table. There was a whiff of charcoal and blackened onions. The problem was that it was by now so dark in our little corner that I couldn't tell if my instincts - that the dish was horribly burnt - were right. I dug out the camera and took a snap, the flash would illuminate the plate and tell me if my suspicions were correct: they were. Of course, true to form it took some time to attract the attention of a waiter who, when told that the food was burned simply apologised. I asked him to fetch the manager who offered to fetch a new one but by this time Himself was almost finished his starter so I declined, expecting not to be charged for the abandoned dish.

Himself had the paneer pakora (£4.95) which was a really good choice. The gram flour batter was pleasantly spiced and the crusty coating of the creamy cheese was very good.

While we had the attention of the manager I asked for the light bulb to be replaced but was told that this wasn't possible; the light was broken. I asked to be moved to another table but was told that wasn't possible either. I stood my ground and insisted on being moved: wouldn't you know it - they found another table. Still partly in the dark because of Sachins fondness for dim lighting even when it does work, but slightly better than our previous position (not least because we were no longer sitting beside what was a draughty window) we settled down to wait for our main courses.

Sachins is billed as specilaising in food from the Punjab but the menu includes a section called the 'Spice Trail' which includes dishes from other regions of India. Spice Trail dishes range in price from a modest £8.95 to £13.95. The main menu includes an extensive selection of vegetarian main courses (in addition to plenty of meat free starters) all priced at £7.50.

My Goan king prawn dish (£13.95) was a tasty enough dish with plenty of juicy prawns and lots of well flavoured sauce that was made more vibrant with a good squeeze of lime juice but it didn't really thrill me. Hot plates aren't used at Sachins and I'm not the world's fastest eater so the use of a simple ceramic bowl to bring the curry to the table was less than practical. I opted for a 'saffron pullao' (£3.50) to go with my main; this was rather good, there was only a hint of safron but the rice was nicely spiced with mustard seeds and curry leaves though I would suggest that the tempered spices were added at the end rather than the rice having been fried.

Himself enjoyed his 'lal goshat' (£9.95) a hot lamb dish in which the meat had been slow cooked having been first marinated in yoghurt and hot red chillies. The marinating and slow cooking had taken some of the fire out of the chillies without losing any of the distinctive flavour and the meat fell apart beautifully. Himself enjoyed this dish very much. He ordered roti with his main course though, as we did with the rice, we shared them. The roti (£1.80 each) were excellent and made a good change from the ubiquitous nan breads which tend to be on the stodgy side when made in the north east, I feel.

We skipped dessert preferring to head home and have coffee in the comfort of our own home. Truthfully we didn't feel inclined to linger and while some of the food was very good, we were disappointed by the experience. Having been to Sachins previously and had such a good experience I feel I can't be too harsh about this visit. Sachins is one of the most popular and well regarded restaurants in Newcastle and I rarely hear any criticisms.

The three stars I have awarded could have been four if the service had been better; if I had reviewed based on my first experience then four would certainly be a better reflection. On its day Sachins is a great restaurant; this evening it let itself down.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 17, 2013

Sachin's
Forth Banks
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England NE1 3SG
+44 191 232 4660

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Raval Luxury Restaurant & Bar

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Restaurant | "Raval - The Height of Luxury?"

Dinner at Raval Photo - Raval Luxury Restaurant & Bar, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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The Raval stands at the Gateshead end of the famous Tyne Bridge; there is parking nearby and it's a ten minute walk to Gateshead Metro Station and Bus Station. You can walk to the Raval in about fifteen minutes from the centre of Newcastle. The exterior is very simple but it looks smart and that impression is confirmed when you walk in. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful aroma of lilies and there, at either end of the bar, were two magnificent arrangements of lilies. Even when we'd been seated in the dining area, their lovely fragrance permeated through the restaurant. We were first invited to take a seat in the lounge area. This looks comfortable and smart but when we...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 15, 2013

Raval Luxury Restaurant & Bar
Church Street
Newcastle upon Tyne, England 8 2
+44 (0)191 477 1

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Dabbawal Indian Street Food Kitchen

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Restaurant | "Dabbawal - Confusing Street Food and Slow Food"

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Dabbawal Street Food Kitchen serves 'Indian street food' which is brought to your table and served up so that fussy Brits can enjoy the conventional restaurant experience. While I can't really fault the food and find the surroundings perfectly fine, I do think that there's something missing from the whole experience. To me, street food should be just that: cooked, served and enjoyed on the street - or at least some open air place, even if there are tables to sit at while you eat. Dabbawal does have an events catering section and can often be found at local food events and other festivals and I've enjoyed some of their tasty chicken wraps on a couple of occasions, but most recently we visited the stati...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 14, 2013

Dabbawal Indian Street Food Kitchen
69 - 75 High Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne, England NE1 6BX
0191 232 5133

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The Chill Out Cafe

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Restaurant | "Turn Up, Chill Out "

Dinner for two at the Chill Out Cafe Photo - The Chill Out Cafe, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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One good thing to come out of the recession is the number and variety of new food related businesses. Consumers seem to be going back to old fashioned values, liking to treat themselves with the odd homemade mini luxury like a beautifully decorated cupcake or a posh pickle or chutney, rather than splashing out on a major purchase. ‘Local’ seems to be having a revival too with neighbourhood restaurants springing up in cheap to rent premises. The Chill Out Café in Newcastle’s Heaton district is one example of a new venture that is very ‘of the moment’. Originally called the ‘Indian Chill Out Café’, this is a small restaurant that serves a limited (but good) selection of Gujarati dishes but is also open ...Read More

One good thing to come out of the recession is the number and variety of new food related businesses. Consumers seem to be going back to old fashioned values, liking to treat themselves with the odd homemade mini luxury like a beautifully decorated cupcake or a posh pickle or chutney, rather than splashing out on a major purchase. ‘Local’ seems to be having a revival too with neighbourhood restaurants springing up in cheap to rent premises. The Chill Out Café in Newcastle’s Heaton district is one example of a new venture that is very ‘of the moment’. Originally called the ‘Indian Chill Out Café’, this is a small restaurant that serves a limited (but good) selection of Gujarati dishes but is also open as a café just for drinks: during our visit customers included a young couple who had come in for coffee, a council workman who had come in to collect a takeaway meal and other diners ranging from a rather trendy pair of twenty-somethings to an elderly couple (not us!).

This is a homely place, that is smart without being stuffy, and relaxed without being too casual – a happy medium you might say. It occupies a corner site with huge picture windows which allow you to watch the world go by. Heaton is an area where lots of students and young renters live and the streets are bustling at all hours. The tables and chairs are a nice mix’n’match affair which contributes to the cosy ambience. A bold statement wallpaper of a brown background with black and white flowers covers the main wall and there are loads of colourful framed photographs of people and landscapes from India. It’s quirky and modern and works really well. Finally there are plants, loads of them: lovely, well tended cheese plants, and the like, that add to the idea of homeliness.

Gujarat is a province in the western part of India and its cuisine is largely (but not exclusively) meat free. The menu at the Chill Out Cafe is a single sheet and while the choices are limited, they do include a couple of meat curries, fish options and vegetarian dishes so, provided you’re not a really fussy eater, you’ll find something to choose. You’ll also be asked when you order how hot you want your dish and the chef is quite happy to make things hotter or milder depending on your preference. If you like hot, ask for very hot; we asked for one hot and one medium and felt that both could have been comfortably spicier.

There are only four starters to choose from but we’d have happily picked any of them. I had the potato vada (£4.50), balls of mashed potato covered in a spiced gram flour batter and deep fried. They were fantastic: the outside was crisp and crunchy while the moist potato inside was fluffy and light. They were served with a tangy coriander chutney that had a really fierce kick. Himself chose something he’d never tried (or heard of before though only days later we saw it featured first in a magazine, then on a TV show), ‘pav bhaji’ (£4.50) which is a mixture of spiced cauliflower, cabbage and peas in a tomato sauce on top of a toasted bread roll, topped with mild cheese, in this case Gouda. If I hadn’t seen it later in the magazine and on TV I might have believed this strange dish made up but while it was quite unusual, it was also very good. The cabbage, cauliflower and pea mixture would have been good on its own, perhaps formed into patties and fried like bubble and squeak, but it was made even better with the addition of the melted cheese. Although I liked what I tried of this, I was glad I hadn’t chosen it myself as it is quite filling for a starter; it would be a good lunchtime plate if you wanted a bit more than a snack, but not a full main course.

The Gujarati main courses on the menu at the Chill Out Café are all meat free and from these I chose the channa masala – chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce (£4.50): it was a generous portion but speaking as someone that isn’t a vegetarian I did feel that the dish was a bit dull and more like an overgrown starter than a main course. I’m happy to eat meatless dishes but this one needed something extra to make it a bit more exciting. Having said that, I can’t deny that it was tasty; the sauce was rich and full of flavour and it was carefully spiced, even if it was not as hot as I’d have liked. The chickpeas were just right for me: I hate them to be too hard but these had just the right amount of bite.

Himself enjoyed his lamb curry (£7.50), which contained both chop and leg meat. There was plenty of meat in it and it was tender and full of rich flavour though, like mine, it could have been hotter in terms of spice. While it was described only as a ‘lamb curry’ this was no ordinary dish, the balance of flavours was excellent and this was a warmly aromatic dish. Side dishes of rice and chappatis were well executed and fairly priced. In fact all the dishes at the Chill Out Café are very reasonably priced and make a good advert for staying local (not that local to me geographically, admittedly but I really mean outside of the city centre).

The restaurant doesn’t have a booze licence but you can bring your own or buy from the nearby off licence; a word of warning, however, the corkage charge of £1.50 (I think) is per bottle so bring wine, or larger bottles of beer otherwise you are going to be paying quite a bit extra. We didn’t know about the lack of alcohol but we were happy with soft drinks having spent the afternoon in several real ale establishments; the mango lassi I had was really good and was so thick I could have done with a long handled spoon to make sure none was left in the glass.

The Chill Out Cafe is open from 8 in the morning until about 10pm. In the morning you can get breakfast and hot drinks but only cooked English style breakfasts are available and I would love to see some Indian breakfasts on the menu. At lunch time there are various wraps (paneer, chicken, etc) and the delicious sounding keema on a bun topped with Gouda, all priced at less than £4 each.

With friendly service, a comfortable environment, great food and fair prices, it's easy to see why so many people are raving about the Chill Out Cafe. Although it's not in the centre, it's only a fifteen minute walk from the Haymarket, or a five minute bus ride from the centre (take a 38 heading to the Freeman Hospital, or buses heading for the coast) ; there's parking just outside the restaurant too so there's no excuse for not heading over to this part of the city.
Highly recommended.

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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 8, 2013

The Chill Out Cafe
31-35 Starbeck Avenue
Newcastle upon Tyne, England NE2 1RJ
0191 261 0790

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Madrasi Southern Indian Cuisine

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Restaurant | "Tamil Nadu Meets Tyneside - It's Madrasi"

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When we go out for dinner with friends the responsibility for choosing the restaurant usually falls to our side; Himself and I are regarded as being 'in the know' about what's new and what's good but with some friends that praise can feel like a burden. When we choose somewhere we've never been to before I feel a particular dread that if everything isn't just right, it'll all be my fault, and there are two friends in particular that make me feel this way. Obviously I'm not going to name them here, that would be mean, suffice to say that Jack and Vera (as they'll be referred to) are the sort of dinner companions that put me on edge and who make me feel like personally apologising every time something i...Read More

When we go out for dinner with friends the responsibility for choosing the restaurant usually falls to our side; Himself and I are regarded as being 'in the know' about what's new and what's good but with some friends that praise can feel like a burden. When we choose somewhere we've never been to before I feel a particular dread that if everything isn't just right, it'll all be my fault, and there are two friends in particular that make me feel this way. Obviously I'm not going to name them here, that would be mean, suffice to say that Jack and Vera (as they'll be referred to) are the sort of dinner companions that put me on edge and who make me feel like personally apologising every time something isn't quite to their liking.

It was, then, with a considerable degree of trepidation that we booked Madrasi in the Gateshead suburb of Low Fell. There were a number of reasons for our choice: we didn't want to dine in the city centre and needed somewhere with parking space, we wanted something not too expensive and - at least for me and the Curry Monster, we wanted to go somewhere with a menu that would be a bit different from your run of the mill curry house. Madrasi specialises in dishes from southern India (more specifically the province of Tamil Nadu) and having eaten out a couple of times in recent days, we wanted something lighter which you generally get from southern Indian cooking. Fish features heavily on the menu at Madrasi; there are several lobster dishes and plenty of shell fish options as well as sea bass and cod.

Madrasi is housed in a tiny stone building just behind Low Fell's main street. There's a small car parking area beside the restaurant but when we visited it was rather muddy from the previous day's deluge. We had parked in a small municipal car park just off the main street and there was no charge for parking in the evening. There's a very small seating area just inside the door but we had booked in advance and our table was ready. There are about a dozen tables and the restaurant was busy all the time we were there.

The interior is very striking with deep red walls decorated with black and red art work. Personally I found the colour a bit oppressive in such a small space but one of our party loved it. We had been seated at the back of the restaurant close to where a partition wall hides the kitchen door. Just outside the door there was an overflowing bin for food waste where presumably the staff were scraping the plates before taking them back to the kitchen; it is a shame they can't hide this from view as it looked horrible, especially all the bits of food on the floor that had missed the bin.

Drinks were offered the second we sat down but took a good while to come. As the restaurant is meant to focus on dishes from southern India I was surprised by the lack of lassi of any variety though I was perhaps thinking more of Goa or Kerala, rather than Tamil Nadu. The four of us hadn't caught up for ages so we were full of chatter when the waiter came to take the order; we asked for five minutes but it took a lot of effort to catch a waiter when we were finally ready to order. Usually we'd share a plate of poppadoms but I was ravenous having skipped lunch and when Jack asked are we having starters, I pronounced a decisive yes, lest the deliberations take too long. Part of my reasoning was sheer greed; I wanted to try the duck starter even though I knew I'd probably be fit to pop later.

Orders made, so began the long wait. Jack's main course was unavailable we were informed though this news came only just before the rest of the food was brought to the table. From ordering the starters to them coming to the table took about thirty minutes. Jack and Vera were sharing a starter, onion bhaji, and were wishing by this point they'd ordered one each as they were so hungry. I had chosen the 'masaledar badak 'which comprised spicy shredded duck presented as a parcel in which a chapatti was the wrapping; it really was excellent and had just the right level of spiciness for a starter in that it got me warmed up for the main course. Himself had the shahi machli in which white fish had been lightly dusted with spiced flour and nicely fried.

On the menu there were certainly some dishes that were unfamiliar to me though I was disappointed to see that they still offer the traditional staples of the British curry-house such as dopiaza, etc. My chicken with lemon grass (a very reasonable £7.95 for something from the 'specials' selection) was not nearly as coconut-y or as creamy as I'd expected which I was rather pleased about; I'm not a fan of really creamy curries but I was intrigued by the mention of lemon grass, hence I ordered it anyway. The lemon grass was really distinctive and imparted a good flavour without overpowering the sauce. The pieces of chicken were small but the quality seemed good. Vera also had a tomato-based chicken dish which she left a fair bit of, not because she didn't like it but because she and Jack have a tendency always to over order and can never be persuaded to share side dishes. The portions here don't look massive but the food is filling and I'd have been full up with just the main course, to be honest.

For his main course Jack had plumped for fish - sea bass moilee (a creamy dish containing coconut milk) which, when it eventually arrived, he enjoyed immensely. To my mind the fish was swamped in sauce but he said the sauce was very tasty without being too hot; Himself later reported that he had tried the sauce and had found it a bit flat. On the bright side, the sea bass was meaty and nicely cooked and they certainly hadn't skimped on it.

My own curry monster had ordered lamb and had gone for what promised to be a hot dish which, when it arrived, did not disappoint. The lamb, he said was tender and the pieces were a decent size so hadn't cooked away to nothing, as often happens when restaurants skimp on the meat. Although he appreciated the heat factor, he also praised the dish for the range of flavours which were discernible and which made for a dish that was a well above standard curry house fare.

We clocked up a bill of over not much over £80 for three starters, four mains and accompaniments (the rice was so plentiful and the naan breads so hefty that Jack and Vera left more food than I consider decent, but Himself and I were happy with our light but well cooked chapattis), and drinks. Had the service been better I'd be less inclined to feel short-changed by this experience because I did enjoy my food but felt we'd really waited far too long for it.

I'd like to think we just hit the place on a bad day; perhaps they were short in the kitchen. I do feel like being generous because the restaurant does have a pleasant ambience and the menu is just a bit different from the norm and although you can pay quite a bit for things such as lobster here, there are plenty of dishes that cost a lot less. I'd certainly recommend the cooking but hope you don't wait as long as we had to.

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 15, 2012

Madrasi Southern Indian Cuisine
11 Belle Vue Grove
Gateshead, Low Fell NE9 6BX
0191 491 1333

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Rasa Newcastle

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Restaurant | "In the Pink at Rasa"

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Newcastle’s Queen Street is a haven of gentility and good food in the rough seas that are Newcastle’s Quayside area. Architecturally and historically this is an interesting part of the city but culturally it leaves a lot to be desired these days. Depending on what time you go you may have to endure gangs of drunken hens and stags screaming and puking in the gutters, but I can safely say that the food at Rasa is worth facing the sight of an overweight Welshman in a mankini. Rasa serves what Newcastle has needed for years – really good southern Indian food, from Kerala in particular. I’d heard the name but not given it much thought and it wasn’t until we were cutting across Queen Street when...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 2, 2012

Rasa Newcastle
27 Queen Street, Quayside
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 3UG
0191 232 7799

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