Red Diner

Red Diner, one of Newcastle’s Chinese restaurants, is located on 42 Stowell Street. What sets the oriental restaurant apart is its Karaoke rooms. While during the day good quality food is prepared by a Hong Kong chef, at night, eight Karaoke rooms are open till midnight. With a capacity of six to twenty people every room has a minimum expense on food and drinks instead of a set fee.

Walking into Red Diner, their exquisite decoration catches the eye. Chinese paintings on the wall show its logo and name in both Chinese and English. A large and vivid image of a peony is especially prominent.

I pick a seat near window. The bamboo chair and dark wood table with their typical Chinese character make me feel at home. Red Diner offers Sichuan dishes and Cantonese cuisine, two totally different styles of cooking in China. I tried two dishes, one of each cooking style. Especially the mouth-watering Sichuan chicken with a lip tingling spicy sauce impressed me very much. This dish belongs to traditional Sichuan cuisine with very spicy flavour and peanuts on top.

Sichuan chicken with a lip tingling spicy sauce (四川口水鸡)

One of the Cantonese dishes is the seafood Tofu hot pot with a range of different ingredients. Its nutrition value is comparatively high, and its soft taste makes it even better.

Seafood Tofu hot pot (海鲜豆腐)

Red Diner’s food is popular with both Chinese people as well as the local British. They have different menus and changing special offers every day, which is why this restaurant is definitely worth its money.  The average price for fried rice plus portion of vegetables is around £18, however the portion was big enough for two meals. During daytime, there are fewer guests, so the place is very quiet. If you prefer this, then coming here for lunch or an early diner is a good choice .

At night, the atmosphere changes completely. People will come in large groups with several friends, to sing Karaoke and have a good time. With advanced equipment, comfort sofa and soft lighting in each of the Karaoke booths people can relax themselves after a day’s busy work. Most importantly, the latest chart songs from the USA, UK, China and other countries are on the list of songs available.

Personally speaking, I like the private rooms where you can get food while singing Karaoke. Recently, I had my own surprise birthday party here with over twenty friends. I really enjoyed it not just because of the birthday discount, but also the memorable night I spent singing and eating with my friends.