Review: NE1 Restaurant Week Cafe Andulaz

Café Andaluz, Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week 2023
10th August 2023

A new restaurant for me this evening as part of Newcastle Restaurant Week and tonight it was the turn of the Spanish to tempt the tastebuds. At Café Andaluz, they do not just prepare delicious Spanish small plates but transport you to the essence of a Spanish restaurant so beloved of the British holiday maker – especially at this time of year. It did help this evening, that the weather was much warmer than it has been of late and with an early evening sitting made us both feel like we were on our holidays on the Costa Brava or back in Tenerife. The staff are friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable about the dishes they are serving.

For Restaurant Week, the restaurant invites you to choose three small plates from their extensive menu and a selection of delicious desserts to complete your meal for only £20 per head (not including any sangria or any other drinks you may consume.)

I chose the classic paella, a king prawn dish and the ham and cheese croquettes. Paul went for his tried and trusted favourites of patatas bravas, garlic mushrooms and chorizo in red wine. We opted for the addition of garlic bread with cheese too. The table was heaving when all the dishes were delivered promptly to our table and I have to say that we were completely stuffed at the conclusion. My only quibble with the food that was served is that the chef seems to think that aioli goes with everything. It certainly seemed odd to my palate on a paella.

Tapas really hits the spot for me because, while I never seem to be out of restaurants, I do not have a huge appetite. Tasting menus work very well for me and so does tapas. All of the dishes this evening were beautifully presented and tasted amazing. If anything, they were a little too generous – even so – there was very little left by the time we had leisurely grazed our way through them. The star of the show for me tonight was the absolutely delicious garlic bread with cheese but every dish was very tasty indeed and prepared in a delicious and largely authentic Spanish style.

There is no doubt at all that we will return to Café Andaluz in the not-too-distant future and if you can book at table before this special week ends then I really recommend that you do so. They will hate me for saying this but three small plates and a dessert is more than an elegant sufficiency without adding anything else.

Newcastle Restaurant Week continues until 13th August and the details of the many restaurants taking part are listed below.