NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week: Your 'must try' Thai offering 2-4-1 cocktails

With it’s panoramic views of the historic Grey’s Quarter, is there any better placed spot to take advantage of the latest addition of NE1’s Newcastle Restaurant Week?

Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, probably not.

Who wouldn’t want to eat their food al fresco on a vibrant roof terrace, or take your place next to floor to ceiling windows, with views of Newcastle to die for?

This is exactly what is on offer at Chaophraya - Newcastle’s rooftop Thai eatery, which can be found with a little wander into Eldon Square, a stone’s throw from Grey’s Monument. And as well as the views for days, the food and drink isn’t too bad either!

This isn’t your usual restaurant, I think it’s fair to say. It may be a chain, but it feels remarkably unique and special, placed right at the heart of Newcastle’s food quarter.

After navigating your way up some winding stairs, past some decorative elephants and any number of Thai deities, you are drawn along a corridor, past a bustling, lively kitchen, bursting with sights and smells of the east. Then, placed at our table, which was in perfect eye-shot of The Monument, a Newcastle icon, we were presented with a slimmed down version of the usual menu, one specifically drawn up to cater for ‘restaurant week’ which runs from Monday, August 5 through to Sunday, August 11.

For the record, three courses is £25, which two is £20. If anyone knows this diner well, or have read previous reviews, you know two was never an option. Three it is.

Tacos isn’t something you’d usually think up from a Thai place, so my interest was immediately piqued by that offering. To go with it, myself and my fellow diner - she seems to get dragged kicking and screaming to all of these reviews nowadays - went for two other new menu items, one called Moo Grob, a crispy pork belly dish, and Tod Man Khao Pond, which were a sweet chilli and peanut adorned sweetcorn fritter type thing.

As expected, they did not disappoint. The fritters were light and crispy with a real chilli kick, while the pork was the real win, with crunch and velvety porky richness when dipped in a light soy glaze. It was to die for.

The tacos were very unique. A spicy chicken mince with almost translucent taco base. They were like nothing I’d ever had before - in a good way - but they were definitely one for a knife and fork unless you’re up for a messy night.

When invited to these kind of things, I always ask the restaurant and whoever our host is for the evening, this one was particularly wonderful, what they’d like to showcase? Invariably, they’ve got something new they’d like people to try - and this was no exception.

So I was dished out the Pad Ka Prao, which was a pork fried rice, with a fried egg on top and spicy dipping sauce laced with chillis. I know, if I had any more pork I’d be oinking out of the place. However, for me, you can never get enough belly pork - it’s peak taste levels. This was outstanding. The crispy pork chunks emerged proud as you dug into the beautifully cooked rice, with the egg running its way down into the mix.

My fellow diner went for the rather exotically-named Gai Pad Met Mamuang Himmapan. That’s chicken and cashew nuts with rice, for you and I! Again, this wasn’t any ordinary offering, with the roasted red chilli sauce packing a real punch.

We didn’t need any more. You know that, I did, too. But I hadn’t come all this way (I’d only travelled a few miles) not to go in for all three courses.

And I have to say it was a special touch from the restaurant as they presented a sweet and salty garnished chocolate delice.

Now seems like a good time to mention the cocktails, too. Their menu was full of eastern-inspired vodka, rum and gin favourites and can be bought, in restaurant week on a 2-4-1 deal. We went fruity, but you don’t have to. Yok Lor - a raspberry vodka concoction - was refreshing as it sounds, much needed on one of the hottest days of the year. And the other was a Raspberry Crush, an ice-laden sweet sensation.

TASTE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SERVICE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

VIBE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

RETURNABILITY ⭐⭐⭐⭐