Mantra Thai is somewhere everyone has heard of and most definitely noticed in Newcastle, with its authentic Thai style decor and atmosphere it is a must visit for families and friendly groups alike!
However…. we were invited along to try the new style early evening menu and I think we were just unlucky that we caught the tail end of a huge family outing with kids running amok and the whole families complete disregard for anyone else in the restaurant. That being said I am going to give a completely unbiased opinion of what we ate and our visit!
We arrived and were greeted very warmly and shown up to our table, soft drinks were ordered and brought over swiftly while we looked at the menu. The new early evening menu (5-7pm) was explained that you chose from 1 of the 2 starters (veggie option and non veggie option) then a main course. The price is £15.95 for 2 courses which I think is great for a meal out in Newcastle city centre.
While we waited for our starters they brought out prawn crackers which were so much better than usual white greasy crackers. The sauce however had a little too much kick for me but Caroline loved it!
Our starters were brought out on rectangle plates which held a sweet chilli dip, Prawn Wrapped In Blanket, Vegetable Golden Parcel, Thai Fish Cake, Grilled Pork Skewer and Thai Pickled vegetables. The vegetables, prawn, parcel and skewer were delicious but the Thai fishcake was inedible and like a fritter of fishy grease. (Caroline said her veggie option was the same!)
For main course I ordered the Chicken and Cashew nuts – A popular dish of stir fried strips of crispy chicken breast with cashew nuts, onions, peppers, carrots, pineapple and roasted chillies. This was delicious and often something I order from a take away when we eat Thai/Chinese at home. It wasn’t spicy and had a beautiful nutty flavour throughout.
Overall, yes I would recommend Mantra Thai if you were looking for somewhere to take the kids or if you were having a girls night out pre drinking session etc, not the kind of place you would go if you were wanting to hear yourself talk or have a quiet night out!
Since dessert wasnt on the menu we popped along to Slug & Lettuce to indulge in the 2 for 1 cocktails and with Caroline driving I opted for a double Pornstar Martini which ended our night perfectly!
…a night in Newcastle wouldn’t be complete without a photograph of the Tyne bridge!
XOXO
Debbie
We were provided with a meal for 2 for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
