The Broad Chare - The Gourmet Gold Standard

Although The Broad Chare describes itself as a proper pub, with proper beer and proper food, it is a far more exhilarating experience than gives itself credit for! The menu hammers you with a variety of contemporary British cuisine, with a few international twists, exhibiting the finest local cuisine. The modest exterior opens up to a very warming pub and rustic upper dining room. For such a relatively small venue the range of real ales, international beers and outstanding wines is amazing. The hybrid pub/restaurant offers a series of bar snacks, pub lunches and exquisite gourmet dining experiences, that all work in harmony with one another. Without a doubt the best scotch eggs in all of Newcastle. Other menu highlights include the rib steak sliders, the fried monkfish cheeks, the pork crackling, the hand-raised pork pies, the Lindisfarne oysters, the duck hash, the mutton masala....actually the entire menu is exceptional. You will require multiple trips to this fine establishment. And that's just the regular menu, they always deliver a number of outstanding specials. The Fat Spoon's favourites include the venison and trotter pie, and the slow-cooked shoulder of lamb. Opting for the lamb is the pinnacle of existence, serving 5-6 humans this ultra-tender, juicy, melt-in-the-mouth, super-flavoursome mountain of meat (served with vegetables and Dauphinoise potatoes) is very reasonably priced. There are many reasons for why The Broad Chare deserves the Fat Spoon's highest rating yet, but you have to go try its wonders yourself, immediately! 96%

Akbars Newcastle - The Benchmark Curry House Comes to the Toon

Akbar's is a long established Indian restaurant chain from Bradford. It's greatly received ambience and menu has won it numerous awards which allowed the chain to rapidly spread across the country. They pride themselves on having higher calibre food and service than the standard Indian restaurant, and this does apply to their Newcastle branch. The sharp and modern décor coupled with the high level of waiting service really does generate a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Although employing a very cheap looking laminated card menu after all that effort was disappointing to see. Slack. The menu has all the classic dishes you would expect as well as some interesting duck and rabbit dishes and also some speciality Pakistani dishes that feature some adventurous organs and limbs. The quality of ingredients and level of preparation are good, but despite the interesting additions to their menu, the dishes did lack some of the flavoursome punch that can be found in some of the higher rated Indian restaurants of Newcastle. Akbar's is certainly a crowd pleaser and great for parties with something to celebrate, but if you're looking for a higher standard of authentic cuisine, then there are other options. The pricing isn't the cheapest either. 74%