Siam Bay Cuisine opens next week

Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle

A NORTH Tyneside restaurant is to get a new lease of life, bringing a taste of Asia and India to the area.

The former Indian Ocean restaurant at Marine Avenue, Whitley Bay is undergoing a £150,000 refurbishment and will be relaunched next week as the Siam Bay Cuisine, offering both Thai and Indian food.

The 100 cover restaurant has been bought by the Miah Hospitality Group, which also owns the highly successful Thai Royal Orchid restaurant in Hexham.

Authentic Thai furnishings are being shipped in for the restaurant, which is getting a complete facelift and which has also created 12 new jobs.

Owner Kaddus Miah is splitting the kitchen with Indian chefs cooking the Indian sections of the menu and cooks from Thailand preparing the Thai dishes.

And guests will be able to ensure their meals are being prepared by the correct experts thanks to a webcam, which will be placed in the kitchen and relayed into the main restaurant.

"We pride ourselves on the fact that we use chefs who are experts in their own particular kind of cuisine," said Mr Miah.

"Which is why the Indian chefs will be preparing the Indian dishes and the Thai chefs the Thai dishes. And our dinners will be able to watch them from the restaurant itself."

The restaurant will open to the public on Friday, June 12. Bookings can be made I advance on 0191 251 3366 or 0191 253 0091.

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A NEWCASTLE bar famed for its extensive cocktail collection is offering visitors the chance to dine in style with the launch of its new comprehensive food menu.

Popolo bar, lounge and kitchen has extended its former bar meals and light bites menu and is now offering a wide selection of dishes ranging from comfort food favourites to pizzas, pastas and burgers.

The Pilgrim Street venue's new menu includes eight different pizzas, six pastas, nine varieties of burger and a selection of seafood, including three types of mussels along with a wide range of salads, soups and sandwiches, which will also be available until 7pm everyday.

The bar has also introduced a Comfort Food section, specifically designed to offer greater value for money. Options here include steak frittes, Thai red curry, homemade fish cakes and chilli con carne, which all cost less than £7 each, as well as a choice of authentic nachos, previously made famous by Popolo's sister venue Blue Coyote.

Nick Berg, Group Marketing Manager for the Aquaclear Group which owns Popolo, said: "Popolo is known locally as the bartenders bar thanks to the wide range of drinks we offer. We hope with the introduction of this new food menu, Popolo will become known as a great place to dine as well, even if you don't want to drink at all."

Food prices at Popolo start at around £2.95 per starter, £3.50 for a sandwich and £4.95 for a main course. Food is served from 11am everyday. Drinks are served 11am until midnight Sunday to Tuesday and until 1am Wednesday to Saturday

:: For more information, visit popolo.co.uk