This is our second visit to Zaap - the first being several years ago. I'm surprised I didn't review…read moreit then, but happy to now! Super fun atmopshere and seating options. Friendly and helpful service! More than one employee helped us, whether it was deciding on menu options or looking for sports cards. We did a couple kids meals with different rice options, a beer for the adults (the only draught), and Drunken Noodle and Pad See Ew. Full marks all around. Plenty of food, especially with the side noodles. The Drunken Noodle, my go to Thai dish, was very spicy for me. I like spice, but I'm sure some people handle it better. I was determined to finish my plate, but I was in sweaty tears by the end. Still delicious. We will probably visit this place for a meal every time we are in Newcastle.

Very friendly staff. It smells divine as you walk in so you…read moreknow you're in for a great meal. Cocktails were on special as well as our lunch which was £12 for select apps and mains together. Great value and everyone absolutely demolished their meals. The decor was spectacular. You really felt you had been transported, felt very special and authentic. Would absolutely go back and recommend in a heartbeat. The menu was huge so there should be something for everyone.

Visited 14/3/17 - Group of 8 people from work…read more Food Standards' Agency Rating: 5/5. We chose (after much deliberation): Menu C £24.50 per person - For four or more The Old Siam platter (This starter fill me up with chicken wings, prawn and sesame seed toast, chicken satay, spring rolls...) Tom Yum Chicken - (Spicy Soup made with lemongrass lime leaves and galangar with chicken) Stir fried prawn with cashew nut Roasted duck in red curry Stir fried beef with fresh chilli Stir fried egg noodle and mixed vegetables Egg fried rice All very nice, and I had Chang beer (£3.50) A very extensive wine list. We were upstairs near the window, and I think we were the ones remaining in the restaurant. It wasn't a busy night. So the service was very good and attentive. One colleague asked for more rice for them, and we ended up getting more rice for everyone. At this point I was totally stuffed. I don't know what the final bill was as this was picked up by one colleague for company expenses. I'd go back to try some individual dishes. I can't fault the place.

My fiancé and I came here for dinner on a Friday night - we did book ahead which I'd recommend as…read moreit does fill up on weekends. We sat downstairs which seemed to have a better atmosphere than the upstairs room. We brought some special champagne and only had to pay a £5 corkage fee which is really a bargain! They brought champagne glasses and a cooler which was fantastic. We started with two appetizers: Kung Poew (grilled prawns with hot and spicy sour sauce), and Poa Tak (fisherman's soup). The prawns were enormous and were lovely with the sauce - it certainly was spicy! The soup was spicy too and had a nice variety of seafood with a flavorful broth (lemongrass very aromatic in the broth). You probably only need one starter for two people, as we couldn't finish our entrees in the end, but they were both lovely and I'm glad we ordered them. We followed with red curry beef and chicken with chilli and holy basil. Both were really fabulous. Very complex flavors, everything tasted fresh. The spice comes from fresh chilis by and large, not dry chilis, so they are easy to avoid if you want to pick around them. You can order a very spicy dish as a result. The coconut rice (rice with coconut milk drizzled on it!) was a nice cooling flavor after the curries. Only about £9 each per entree, and they were both so lovely, we really thought we got a great deal. I'd come back here anytime for Thai, you can reliably order anything off the menu and enjoy it!

We came here a couple days ago for a late light lunch. We were in the mood for soup so I ordered…read morethe Mushroom Tom Kha and my husband had the Mushroom Tom Yum. Both soups were fresh tasting and delicious! Perfectly seasoned! My husband's was spicier than mine but I liked them both equally. We also ordered King Prawn Fried Rice to share. After having the soups, we were both a bit disappointed in the fried rice which tasted bland by comparison. We asked for some soy sauce and were brought some other things to spice it up and that helped. The serving size of the rice dish also felt too small for the price. The ambience was nice but quiet and the staff were all very friendly.

I came here for my birthday dinner with a group of friends, after wanting to try the new Thai…read morerestaurant in town for a few months. We made a booking on a Wednesday night, which you probably don't need to do if you're in a small group. The upper floor was busy, but not full, and it was empty when we left at 9:30. The restaurant has a very classy, elegant feel to it compared to the other Thai place in town, Old Siam, which has a more casual and family-run feel to it. At Mantra, service is very professional, and attention is paid to plating and style. I started with a Cosmopolitan, and our group shared some starters. Between eight of us, the Mantra Sharing Platter for four and an order of fried squid made for the right amount of food. The sharing platter includes chicken satay skewers, king prawn tempura, veggie spring rolls, prawn and chicken toast, and ribs. You can order per person, which is very clever. Get it for less people than you think you need, as it's quite a lot of food. My favorite was the totally addictive prawn and chicken toast, which I'd never had before, it was savory and delicious and craveable. But all of it was very good, and presented beautifully! We all enjoyed the sticky ribs, and crispy tempura. My partner and I shared the Jungle Chicken Curry and Seafood in Aromatic Spices. Both were lovely, the Jungle Curry being rather spicy indeed, especially the sauce/broth. Bright colors, fresh vegetables and well-cooked meat, and a beautiful presentation made it a great meal. Several people got dessert - mine was free and a surprise as the birthday girl. It was some sort of delicious chocolate mousse. It's a little pricier than Old Siam, and the food quality is very similar. The presentation is slightly more elegant, and the service more professional, however. This is more the Thai restaurant for a special date, whereas Old Siam is the one you'd go to on any old Tuesday. But you can't go wrong with either, and everyone really enjoyed their meal at Mantra.

Friendly service, great food that was presented very well. Good intimate atmosphere. Overall 5 starsread more

I ordered on Uber eats. It was delivered quickly. I ordered Pad Kra Pao…read more There was a warning that this was very spicy, it was so mild that i thought they uad sent me the wrong dish. No rice included which for a dish always served over rice wa a let down. It was okay tasting at best but it tasted like a generic gravy. I have travelled extensively within Thailand and Pad Kra Pao is one of my favourit dishes. This was a hige disappointment. Very few chillis (2 small slices in the whole dish), lacking fish sauce, generic gravy flavour that tasted more chinese than Thai. Expensive given the lack of rice and not authentic to any region I have ever visited. Massive rework needed.

Delicious and authentic Thai food! Had the pad kee mao with mixed vegetables and tofu, which was…read moreabsolutely delicious. They put traditional and authentic Thai condiments on the tables (Thai spice chili, House made pickled peppers, and fish sauce). All of which were delicious. Just be careful when adding the chili! They're spicy! And it's cash only.

blink and you might miss this nice little cafe/thai restaurant tucked away at clayton street…read more After passing by a few times, i finally decided to give it a go. Took my first step in, and i was greeted by such gracious thai hospitality The staff were tremendously friendly and welcoming. +1 Ordered the sea bass and noodle soup, the food is rich in flavour and reminded me of home! The fish was fresh and appetizing (boss said she gets her seafood fresh and none of those frozen stuff) with the right amount of sweetness and heat. To my delight and surprise, the noodle portion was quite big and equally flavourful. Well balanced sourness, sweetness and saltiness. If you like spicy food as much as i do, you 'd be glad to know that their chilli paste and vinaigrette are homemade and can be quite hot. For all the spicy/thai/general food lovers and people from SEA,i would say this is now my favourite food hunt in Newcastle by a mile.

It was at my suggestion to got to the fat Buddha with colleagues, and in hindsight, I wish I…read morehadn't.... Unfortunately, I am going to rain on previous reviewers' parade. There is a main bar area, and a slightly enclosed area to sit, presumably when your table is ready (not sure if they do takeaways). If you face the bar, to the left are a series of booths. To the right is a main restaurant area, with a few booths. When two of us arrived, we struggled to get any service at the bar, and clearly there was an extremely loud group in the main part of the restaurant (about 35 blokes). There was also a hen-party in too, but they were less noisy. Let me make it clear, no restaurant can afford to turn away 35 paying customers. However, I learnt that there was an upstairs' area, and this would have been the best place to have accommodate this sort of number. However, I suspect that they were short of staff this evening; as we were struggling to get attention. They knew they had this booking!!! One colleague said if he had arrived, on his own, he would have walked out. The rest of our party arrived, and our compliment was a total of 5. We sat in the waiting area having a drink, and was assured of being seated soon. I had to chase this up. We then taken to a table with a few feet of the noisy throng. Fortunately, within 10 minutes they moved to the bar and seating area; carry their basket containing bottles of beer. THE DRINKS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, I THOUGHT, AND COLLEAGUES SEEMED TO CONCUR. The food: Salt and Chilli King Prawns - £6.75 Stir-fried with Five-Spice and Chilli I enjoyed, and very succulent, and I enjoyed the spice and garlic. Thai Red Curry Beef - £13.80 Spicy Thai Curry with Red Chilli, Galangal, Fennel & Coriander The beef was chewy, only five slithers of beef, not red, but a beige colour. Although, the sauce did taste nice, and I this with: Yaki Ramen Noodles - £4.00 - Nothing special in the taste. The other problem was that the noodles went cold pretty quickly. The star dish from two colleagues was: Spicy Lamb (A Buddha favourite) - £13.95 Thinly sliced and cooked with Five-Spice, Chilli, Cumin and Steamed Buns. I shan't return. I could not recommend the place, after this experience, to any friends and colleagues. One of the reasons I wanted to try is that family are travelling to Newcastle with me and I thought I'd take them somewhere different.

How have I never been here before?! I LOVED it!! The interior is just brilliant. Upstairs you have…read morebig round tabled booths with an absolutely great atmosphere. The hanging chain mail style decorations are a great touch. Downstairs is more of a bar area, which also looks great. I'd advise you to make a reservation before coming here so you're not disappointed. The menu is extensive with dishes from China/Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, and Japan. Yes, I know what you're thinking...with such a huge and varied menu the food is probably going to be mediocre compared with a restaurant that just specialises in 10 dishes for example. Wrong!!! The food was insanely good. I started with salt and pepper squid which was really excellent. Light and crispy (and non-greasy) batter, excellent flavour, and a good portion size. Then I had sizzling aubergine in teriyaki sauce and rice. Again I absolutely loved it. Great flavours and texture. The aubergine was perfectly cooked. Great atmosphere on a weekend in this place. The music is great...pop/dance music but not too loud that you can't hold a conversation. Can't wait til the next time I visit home so I can come back!!

I visited from Edinburgh and at River Beat was probably the best meal I have had in a long long…read moretime! Everything was exceptional, the menu, the food, the presentation, the taste, the service, the location, the cost, all just spot on!

Great food, stunning location, and an even better price!…read more We visited this establishment on our staff night out, and it was well worth it! We found out about it using the free StreetAway app, and managed to get 34% off 3 Tapas and 2 Drinks! The location, as I previously touched on, is absolutely stunning, and is a real hidden gem. It's nestled right on the River Tyne, next to the Swing Bridge, and we went at night, meaning it was a fantastic sight to see the lights of Newcastle. As for the food itself, I couldn't have asked for more. I'm normally a picky eater, so was very apprehensive about actually eating here. However, I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised (who'd have thought Squid would taste so good!). I would definitely come here again, whether it be for a meal with friends, a date, or another work night out. Great stuff!

Authentic Thai food. Decoration is very nice. Great environment to hung out with friends. Make…read morereservation to window seat close to monument.

The food was very good. Great view of the monument area and the service was good too. Prices were…read moremoderate and the food was fresh and tasty. I would recommend the Duck and i have heard great things about the ribs and the chicken pad Thai. The pork belly was tasty. They list it was spicy but it was not at all in my opinion. The drinks were very well made.

Great authentic place. Had the heihei lamb chops which came with the most amazing sauce I've ever…read moreeaten. Staff helpful but a bit stressed. Recommended!

Finally came to check out Hei Hei for a Restaurant Week lunch on a Saturday. We called to book,…read morewhich we needn't have done, as we were the first to arrive when they opened at 1 pm. By the time we left an hour later, there were only about 3 or 4 tables of customers. The restaurant is very appealing - dimly lit with lots of black and red, good for an evening. When it's too quiet in there, the main sound you get is the Chinese pop music piped through the system. While the servers were very friendly, they don't all speak English - we tried to ask one a question, but she utterly couldn't understand us no matter what we did. Which is fine, just makes it slightly difficult to communicate a request. We started with a soup each - hot and sour, and chicken with sweetcorn. Both had that slightly thick, glutinous texture that Chinese soups have. I liked the roast pork strips in the hot and sour soup, making that one our clear favorite. The other soup was very mild and quite sweet from the corn, but not a whole lot going on otherwise. Honestly, I wouldn't really bother with either of them - they're fine, but they've got nothing on a lovely Thai soup with coconut milk and lemongrass. The next starter was crispy aromatic duck served with these very thin pancakes, hoisin sauce, and vegetables. These were actually great - we assembled them like little tacos. Loved the flavor of the hoisin, the crunchy vegetables, and the savory duck all together. The pancakes are so thin and light, they aren't too filling. For the mains, we got stir fried chicken and prawns with vegetables and cashew nuts served in a shredded potato basket, and crispy aromatic lamb in peking garlic sauce. We got a side of stir-fried pak choi, and "special" fried rice - I think it had some prawns in it. Both dishes were tasty - the lamb was the clear favorite. Although the presentation of the chicken/prawns was really cool, it was a very mild dish without much distinctive taste - just meat and vegetables in a sticky, shiny Chinese sauce. The lamb had a much stronger flavor, and was indeed crispy, and just felt really unique to have lamb at a Chinese restaurant. The sauce here was sticky too, but it was red and loaded with chili flakes, and was actually pretty good. Pak choi and rice were nothing very special - shame, as I love fried rice normally, but this was pretty bland. It's really hit or miss here. I'd come back again, but most of the dishes we had were just that typical sticky, gloopy Chinese food type. Not that they don't taste nice, but I just don't find that texture very appealing. I'd say, try the more unique offerings on the menu for the best bets, and you might get a pleasant surprise.

Great buffet for only £6 /person! Not to many different dishes but the ideal for all tastes. Great…read moreenvironment. Just go for the desserts... I never found such delicious cakes in a Chinese. And you can always forget the drinks if you don't want to spend £2,80 for a Soft drink (pint size). Definitely a great choice and you would never guess by the outside...