newcastlecentric

Planning an office night out? Further evidence that there is such a thing as a living hell. Fear not, Cat McGinty has just the place for you…

You know what it’s like; it’s midweek, it’s pouring with rain and you’ve had a week from hell so far.

Obviously the last thing you feel like doing is putting on your glad rags, spending an evening making idle conversation with 14 work colleagues and devouring vast quantities of food.

But the sour mood can’t last after walking through the doors of Barn Asia. Its difficult to please a group of rain soaked colleagues still chewing over the afternoon’s dismal meeting, but the pleasant warmth, glowing lighting and fabulous garlic-and-spices aroma do just that.

The staff immediately direct us to a seating area while we wait on the inevitable stragglers. Unlike some restaurants this isn’t some poky space for storing inconveniently timed customers until a table is available, but a separate area featuring a large lounging sofa and an eclectic mix of low chairs and tables, exotic plants and cosy lighting.

In fact one could easily enjoy several drinks here without that waiting room feeling. And some did.

A waitress bravely explains the Barn Asia menu concept to us as a group (never an easy audience to hold - especially with the more determined expenses-exploiters already on the third beer).

Don’t let the word “concept” put you off here - the South East Asian menu changes regularly and offers a range of small dishes that can be eaten as tapas or as a starter. Main courses on offer encapsulate stir frys, BBQ dishes, salads, Tempura and Thai and Laksa curries.

There is something here to tempt everyone from the most adventurous of palletes, to the more cautious diners. We choose traditional starter-main-dessert, but most of us opt to pair up in order to sample two starters without being 44 stone by Christmas.

The food arrives promptly and as close to simultaneously as I have ever seen with a group of more than 6, literally within moments, which already recommends Barn Asia above many of its Newcastle competitors.

And it’s fantastic.

The duck starter I ordered was the kind of dish where you want to order another while you’re was still eating the one you have. I pinched some tempura squid from a colleagues plate and it came with that kind of dry, light, crispy batter I wish was available at the chippy and dipping sauce that managed to be tasty without being too salty or overpowering the delicate squid.

I caught myself making a mental list of the people I wanted to bring here, and we hadn’t even had our main course yet.

And they didn’t disappoint. The Thai green curry with twice-roasted pork is hot and sour in just the right quantities. The rice is sticky but not gluey, there’s just the right amount of sauce and its thin, not the thick gloop that sometimes passes for sauce in Asian restaurants.

Realistically we were probably all too stuffed to appreciate the finer points of any sweet dish. Many of the Europeans round the table order coffee and seem delighted, though that could be accredited to the contrast to the rubbish coffee in the office.

It’s definitely a fantastic place to eat, with fantastic food and excellent service, especially considering we were a large and somewhat bolshy group. We all slipped back into the rainwashed evening satisfied and smiling.

Barn Asia is in Waterloo Square just off St James’ Boulevard, five minutes walk from Central Station. For reservations call 0191 2211012 (closed Sunday & Monday)

For more stories like this, you can follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS feeds or visit our page on Facebook.