Well, although I have been in Newcastle and had heard many times of how good the food was at Sachins Punjabi restaurant on Forth Banks, I had never actually got around to trying it
As my partner and I are originally from Portugal, curry houses are not something that are that popular over there, but after sampling Sachins, they certainly should be!
We booked, as it was recommended to us, and although it was Monday and we were booking for Friday, it was a good job we had, as it was already nearly full-booked for the weekend.
When we got there we were welcomed into the venue on the ground floor level, which then led up to a middle floor and then a winding staircase takes you to an upper level. The restaurants’ main area overlooks the bar and it is very chic and has modern designs, the use of colours; just beautiful. Orange and autumnal colours are displayed all over the restaurant and bar and it is teamed with a classy grey décor.
A warm welcome awaited us from the frontof-house manager and we were seated very quickly. The menu is just right, not too many choices, but more than enough to tempt even the fussiest of eaters!
As I am not a lover of hot and spicy, neither is my partner, we both opted for the mildest curry on the menu, chicken korma and chose mushroom pilau rice, tandoori roti naan along with a side of masala chips. Once we placed our orders, we waited for our drinks to arrive, which were an alcoholic version of the maharajah’s mango cocktail and a mocktail version of it for me. These were very impressive indeed, deep in orange colour and seriously fruity and tasty. As a non-drinker, it was funny to see the effects of the alcoholic version on my partner, who said he felt squiffy with just a few sips!
The curry arrived and the portions are just right. Not too small, but not over-facing either. The curry was a real taste sensation and filled with soft, perfectly-cooked chicken breast. A creamy base which just oozed flavour. Having never had masala fries, these were a total winner in both me and my partners eyes. Crunchy on the outside, all the flavours of the coating coming through and incredible moreish. We also loved the mushroom pilau rice, it was light, fluffy and complemented the curry perfectly. Although there wasn’t much room for the tandoori roti naan, we gave it a good go, as it was crunchy on the outside, from where it had been cooked in the tandoor, but soft in the middle, which allowed it to soak up all the sauce of the korma.
We really shouldn’t have ordered dessert, but as we were so impressed with the rest of the food, we were curious to see if they did good puddings too. We decided to share double chocolate caramel fudge mountain, which is just as impressive as it sounds, I can tell you! Chocolatey, gooey caramel and fudge, what’s not to like. My partner isn’t much of a dessert person, thankfully, which meant more for me! It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it!
The whole night at Sachins was an eyeopener from two Portuguese guests, but it will definitely not be the last time we go. If you are reading this and thinking, we must give this place a try – ensure you book, as it is very popular.
