I just love discovering new places to eat in the North East, so I was chuffed to get an invite to try cocktails and dinner at Sohe asian restaurant in Jesmond, a beautiful leafy suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Food
The menu at Sohe is packed full of asian cuisine, with flavours from Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea. I also spotted a few dishes I recognised from eating my way around Indonesia recently. There are small plates, rice bowls, sushi (which sadly I didn’t manage to my mitts on) and meat dishes (you can check out the full menu here).
I started with the Crispy Balinese Rice Balls (£5.60), Malayan Chicken Satay Skewers (£6.50) and Tempura King Prawns (£9.95). I expected the king prawns to be my favourite, but actually they were a little bit disappointing. I found them to be a bit tasteless and would have expected more for the price. On the other hand, I didn’t expect the rice balls to be up to much, but actually they were much tastier than I anticipated! They were crispy and had a great flavour.
To go alongside our starters, I supped on a Kwai Royal – an asian twist on a Kir Royale – prosecco, Chambord and Kwah Fai (lychee liqeur). It was delicious, but I’d recommend mixing in the liqueur otherwise the final sips become just a bit too sweet.
Our mains were when the menu really came alive. I tried Kaeng Khiao Wan (thai green curry, £13.90) and beef Massaman (£14.95). The thai green curry was lovely, with just the right amount of spice for me. But the Massaman was the real star of the show, I loved it. The beef was soft, the sauce was creamy and really tasty and the server left off the peanuts at our request, which is great given my husband is allergic to nuts. Both dishes came with sticky rice – my favourite.
Afternoon Tea
Sohe has also just started offering an afternoon tea, offering an Asian twist on a classic British dish. The savoury layer was delicious, featuring a hoisin duck wrap that was packed full of meat, the chicken satay skewers and the rice balls from above.
Sadly, the sweet layer didn’t quite follow the same standard. Don’t get me wrong, the food was tasty, but it was lacking the promised Asian twist. The macarons could have been matcha or green tea instead of chocolate; the scones could have been made with lychees or served with pineapple jam – I think there’s definitely room for improvement here.
The Drinks
Instead of dessert, we headed to the bar to try our hands at mixing our own cocktails. I can’t say I was the best at it, but if you want a go, the bar will soon be introducing cocktail making packages. Keep an eye on their website and social media for more information.
My favourite drinks were the Lychee Sour and the Watermelon Margarita (both £6.50) but you can see the full menu here. I was also whipped up a Sidecar, which was delicious, you can tell I like my cocktails on the sour side! All the cocktails are around £7, but there are often 2-4-1 deals on and up until August, bottles of prosecco are just £15 on a Friday.
Sohe looks as good as the food tastes – the bar area is made up of lush, velvet, brightly coloured sofas with muted lighting. There are a tonne of drinks options behind the semi-circular bar, an array of delicious cocktails and some really scrumptious food. It is the perfect place for a date night and one I will definitely be taking my husband to shortly.
Do you like the sound of Sohe? What’s your favourite Asian cuisine?
♥ JH
Disclaimer – the food and drink were provided to me for me, but all opinions about them are my own.
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