Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai cuisine combine to make a new restaurant a must-go-to place. Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR enjoys the delights - and there are plenty - of Barn Asia.
 ONE of the joys of writing the Eating Out page is testing the latest restaurants to open in the region. Sometimes they turn out to be welcome additions, other times they appear so run-of-the-mill and you wonder why they bothered in the first place. Every once in a while, though, you stumble upon one which takes your breath away - and the latest to do that to me is Barn Asia. It is the newest addition to the ‘Barn’ chain of restaurants - and a fine addition it is too. Four of us checked it out last Saturday, its opening night, and it won’t be long before we’re back again. Barn Asia bills itself as the first of its kind on Tyneside, bringing together the French-influenced cuisine of Vietnam with dishes from other Far Eastern countries. It's a fusion which works very well indeed, as does the way the dishes are served up. The phrase small but perfectly formed springs to mind, for the restaurant specialises in Asian-style `tapas', which was perfect for the four of us to enjoy. We must have spent a good three hours sharing our dishes, drinking some fine dry wine and putting the world to rights. First though, what about the venue itself? It does seem a little bit out of the normal drinking and eating route, tucked as it is next to Dance City in Waterloo Square off St James’ Boulevard. In essence you have to make a conscious decision to go there, it is unlikely you will stumble upon it (though it would prove a great little find for anyone who did). It does have a feel of the Far East about it, the decor bright and airy, with huge prints of artwork from that region adorning the walls. The light wood of the tables contrasts with those colourful prints and equally colourful ceiling lights. Floor to ceiling windows run the length of the restaurant, giving good views on to Waterloo Square and you can imagine a terrific atmosphere here in the sunshine (should we ever get any). Opening night appeared to do steady trade, the staff very accommodating and explaining the Barn Again philosophy of the tapas-style food. We started our evening with a bottle of Viognier Tamaya (£16), a refreshing dry white, which, several bottles later, obviously went down a treat. The pork and shitake mushroom pot-sticker dumplings with black vinegar (£5.50) were to die for. So much so, we kept re-ordering the dish. As for the Tiger beer, chilli jam and coconut mussels (£4.50), well they had so much kick to them the steam was almost pouring out our ears. The mussels just oozed with taste, while the chilli had the bite of a tiger (not the beer) to them. Those flavours were counter balanced by the softness of the crispy Thai jasmine rice balls, peanuts and fresh herbs (£4). Lemongrass and prawns are not two flavours I would immediately put together, but the lemongrass skewered king prawns, Sichuan cucumbers and shan nam prik (£7) were outstanding. The same could be said of the scallops with pork and peanut caramel (£6), a wonderful amalgam of tastes, each bite being savoured to enjoy the strange mix of flavours. I had never tasted duck egg before, but was in adventurous mode and ordered just that (fried) with Asian mushrooms, oyster sauce and prickly ash (£4.50). The mushrooms had a perfect texture and tasted sublime. We like our Thai red curries, hence ordered two of the dishes (chicken £11 each). They didn't disappoint. Large chunks of chicken covered in a mellow yet slightly rich sauce, they went down a treat. The Singapore Laksa tofu curry (£7) had a completely different taste, but proved just as delicious. It is, in essence, a spicy noodle soup, quite filling, and probably here with a thicker consistency than usual. The bang bang chicken (£5) may sound a hottie, but it is actually a very mild salad and made for a fine contrast to the majority of what we ate. There's just the one stir fry to choose from - hot and sticky vegetables with honey and ginger. An array of flavours yet again, set off splendidly by the honey and ginger. That may seem like a lot of food to you - and OK, we did scoff quite a bit - but having enjoyed the dishes so much there was no way we were going to turn down desserts. There were four to choose from, there were four of us, so it seemed the natural thing to do to order one of each and do as we had done all night and share. First up was the caramelised banana and cardamom custard (£5), another blend of flavours which sent the taste buds into overdrive. Ditto with the jasmine rice pudding with mango, pineapple and tapioca salad with passion fruit and lime syrup (£5) For richness, you could fare little better than the double chocolate tart with orange and ginger creme fraiche (£6). Here, once again, the heaviness and richness of the tart was somewhat taken away by the freshness of the creme fraiche. Ice cream and sorbets (£5) helped cleanse the palate - and it certainly needed it after the numerous flavours we had encountered through the night. Barn Asia is the brainchild of Mark Lagun, the creator of Barn Again and Barn at the Biscuit Factory, and he is most certainly on to a winner with his latest venture. Mark travelled to Vietnam with his chef researching dishes and buying the memorabilia which he has shipped back to Newcastle to give the restaurant an authentic feel. He was present on opening night, bursting with character and so obviously enjoying his labour of love. He says he is a great believer in restaurants being a unique experience, that you shouldn’t be able to go to cities around the world and see the same places everywhere you go. “I’d like to think that every restaurant I’ve ever been involved with hasn’t ever compromised on quality and that Barn Asia will be as popular as all my other ventures have been,” he states. With its mix of small dishes, Asian-style tapas, curries and barbecued food, there is little doubt he will succeed in his aims. We had a hugely enjoyable evening at Barn Asia, and it definitely offers something we have not had before in Newcastle. Be warned, though, those little dishes can quickly tot up, and the effect will be seen on the wallet! But you get what you pay for. At Barn Asia, that means terrific, imaginative food in equally pleasing surroundings, all set off by some spot-on staff. | 
