This year we were travelling all day on our wedding anniversary so decided to delay our celebratory meal for a few days and tick a restaurant off Mrs. Cools foodie bucket list. Thali Tray is tucked away in Arch 2 in Ouseburn and serves incredible Indian Street Food.
Thali Tray started life as a mobile pop up but after an impressive first few months teamed up with Newcastle Brewing Ltd to create Newcastle's first craft brewing and Indian street food joint. I love the decor with a very stripped back hipster vibe. The bar is fully stocked with craft beer and cider as well spirits and soft drinks. There is also an outdoor seating area between the kitchen and the main restaurant where, in the evenings, you can toast s'mores in the fire pits. The staff are all really friendly and relaxed.
The concept of a Thali Tray is a couple of small portions of curry with rice and either a naan bread or a puri bread. You also get Lime Pickle, Fresh Chillies and a Soyawadi Tikka Skewer. Me and Mrs. Cool both went for the Keralan Tray, which is Nadan Chicken Curry and Kerala Beef, we decided to get one with Naan and one with Puri so we could try both.
A lot of people I know don't like lime pickle but I really love it and this was was really tangy with just a little bit of a kick. The Soyawadi Tikka Skewer was something of a revelation for me. Soyawadi is a Vegetable Protein made from Soy Beans and I honestly thought it was chicken when I was eating it. The texture was exactly the same as chicken, the flavour from the tikka marinade was really tasty and this has made me re-evaluate my dietary choices.
The curries were both incredible, such an amazing depth of flavour and really felt authentic. The Nadan Chicken Curry was the hotter of the two but not unpleasantly hot. We both felt it was a little heavy on the cardamom but other wise delicious. The Kerala Beef was on another level, the beef was soft and tender and the sauce was so rich and flavoursome and one of the best curries I have ever had.
Both the Puri and Naan were delicious, I preferred the Puri for scooping up a mouthful of the curries and the Naan was perfect for mopping up any left over sauce. We were really impressed with Thali Tray and at £22 for two meals including drinks it was an absolute bargain. Next time we are here I want to try some of the starters, especially the Onion Bhaji.
Well, that's all for now.
S
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Oooh this looks and sounds delicious. Think it's one for me to keep in mind for future date nights as we both love Ouseburn and Indian food.
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