This little sandwich shop opened just after Christmas and has been a huge hit! I was really excited…read moreto see more diverse ethnic food being brought to Newcastle and Time Bahnmi really gives places like Subway a run for their money! It's a small little place with minimalistic decoration and a limited but ever - growing popular menu offering sandwiches as well as rice meals and side dishes. They also offer a great range of Vietnamese drinks! As a veggie, they offer a tofu filling which is actually decent! The sandwiches can be a little oily though and as they are made per order, it can take some time during peak hours to revieve a hurriedly made sandwich. I suppose this is made up by the fact that this is the only place that I have seen Siracha out and about! Great for quick light lunches or something easy to grab on the go.

I've been here a few times before with my husband who really likes their banh mi, and I've had…read moretheir summer rolls which are delicious - veggies in rice paper dipped in addictive peanut sauce. When I saw they expanded to a noodle menu, I was so excited. I love pho and it's really hard to come by! But then I tried it. Sigh. It was inexpensive, and we waited ages for it to be ready, and I had high hopes, but it just wasn't right. The broth tasted fine, but not the long-simmering, rich kind it should be. The noodles were thin rather than the wide, flat noodles necessary in pho. And my meat (not my husband's, to be fair) was really fatty for some reason - I kept having to pick bits out. It filled a craving, but fell far short of what good pho should be. Alas, the quest continues. Stick to sandwiches and snacks here, the soup won't cut it.

Love The Golden Pearl!…read more This Asian market has everything you need. Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese - things from virtually everywhere. It is a lifesaver when you want to avoid the fake Asian grocery items at Tesco and want the real stuff. They even have a great freezer section with rare fruits/vegetables and things like fresh kaffir leaf and seafood. Aside from food they also sell things like rice cookers, woks, chopsticks, etc. More recently Golden Pearl has also added a little cafe section with a menu serving mainly Thai food. They have a selection of usually 4-5 daily specials and a little seating area so you can seat and eat while reading a book or watching people walk down North Road. I would say this is definitely the best Thai food you are going to get in Durham. Sometimes some of the curries can be a bit broken, but each time I go here they seem to be getting better and better and really nailing things down.

Very reasonable for the money. The first meal I've enjoyed in Durham. The menu has a few constant…read moreitems, but changes daily meaning there's lots of variety. The market section of the shop is also pretty great. Note: they do accept credit card, however only on orders more than 10 pounds so it'd be wise to bring cash. The regular size portions of the daily specials are 3.95. They can be upgraded to a large or to include a beverage for an additional pound.

The location is very easy to get to - it's just behind Dance City or Central Lofts, depending on…read morewhich way you're coming from. The decor is great - it's very homely and very comfortable inside. Low lighting and asian ornaments that look like they've been accumulated over time allow you to relax and breathe in a relatively well-thought out asian atmosphere. They normally ask if you've reserved a table and it can get quite busy, so if you're thinking of going even after this review, then be sure to give them a call first. So far so good, but the elements that let this restaurant down are the following: - speed of service - food - customer service - price You might be thinking "that's everything apart from location and decor"... and you'd be right. We only ordered two main courses (smallish servings which most probably have pre-prepared ingredients) but we found we waited for around 30 mins or more to see them arrive. When we dugg in, the salt levels in one of the dishes was just completely overwhelming. Our tongues were literally humming with the sodium in the food. We were in a rush to see a movie on the other side of town, so the dish was not sent back. Instead I mustered the courage to eat most of it - else it would have gone back immediately. We complained as we were asking for the bill, but the waiter just nodded his head and didn't give much of a response at all. Similarly, when the manager came over to take our payment she did not mention the issue at all. Instead it was swept under the rug and left there presumably to fester for the next unexpecting guest. Which brings me on to the final point - price. The most expensive main course is around £18 and the least expensive main course is about £10. I can get a much better tasting, much larger meal just a block down at "Utong" which is a Thai restaurant with seafood and hotpot as its speciality. What you end up paying for is the relatively different interior and not much else. To be completely fair, if Barn Asia's food had much less salt in it, it would taste delicious. Eat here if you have a good heart. If you don't, I'd not risk it!

Amazing food, very reasonably priced. Not really designed for people with very simple and…read moretraditionally English tastes - as the name suggests, this is Asian food. Because it is not a Chinese restaurant, or Japanise, or Korean, there is more variety than you would usually find in any one of these. Some dishes have alternative versions, based on the different cooking styles of different Asian countries. But the food is not only interesting, it is also of very high quality. If you find the menu a bit confusing, the staff are very helpful, and knowlegable if it's advise you're after. As some of the best bars in town are near the Central Station, and this isn't too far from there, it would be a great place to start a good night out with friends.