Buddha Lounge Tynemouth - A review

As posted over on Life As Mrs R last month, this year is 'the year of me' and part of that plan is to make time for lunch dates with my husband Steve. We have a huge list of places to visit however when photographs continuously popped up on my facebook feed from the newly opened Buddha Lounge in Tynemouth, I knew this had to be our next place to try. We booked a table for lunch on a rainy Monday afternoon.

Buddha Lounge is situated on Front Street Tynemouth (in the building that used to be Lorelei's home) and I was shocked to see the transformation. There has been a lot of attention to detail to transform the already beautiful space into something even more special.

Most of the seating was booth style which was perfect for us. We loved the huge Buddha that was the centre of attention and I'm sure will feature on a fair few instagram photos in the next few months.

I decided to start proceedings with an Asian-inspired cocktail and was spoilt for choice. There was a nice selection to choose from and they all featured an Asian twist. Our server recommended the Passionfruit sour however I was torn between a Sakirinha which was interestingly made with sake and Momotaro which was Bombay Sapphire, lemon juice, passionfruit, homemade peach puree, ginger beer and cinnamon. I opted for the Momotaro and was very impressed - it was a long drink (and there was plenty of it) and it really captured a taste of Asia in a glass.

Now onto the food - the menu is flexible with sharing platters, dim sum, Asian tapas, noodles, salads and mains. We decided to order a selection of tapas to share between us. 

Crispy Duck Spring Rolls

Chicken Satay

Chilli Salt Squid

Crispy Pork

Proper Sticky Rice

Thai Red Curry Mussels

Prawn Dim Sum

Our bill was £53 for two people but for 5 tapas, dim sum, a side of sticky rice, a cocktail and a soft drink. This might seem on the expensive side however in hindsight we definitely ordered way too much food. The portion sizes are very good and there was probably enough to feed four people on our table. I think you could easily enjoy a couple of Asian tapas and a cocktail for less than £20 per person.

Our food was all extremely fresh - the mussels were soft and plump, the rice was the best sticky rice I've ever tried and our squid was nicely spiced and not at all on the chewy side which is so often the case. The crispy pork also deserves a special mention. We tried to pick our favourite dish but genuinely enjoyed them all and could not pick just one stand out dish.

The staff were all friendly and helpful and when asked seemed to know the menu inside out which is always a good thing. The atmosphere was welcoming to all - there were a few couples on lunch dates, a group of friends, a family with a toddler and a couple of lone diners during our visit and all seemed to enjoy their experience.

We give the Buddha Lounge a huge thumbs up. There is nowhere outside of the city centre serving up platters of sushi or Asian Tapas (that we can think of anyway) and it is a great addition to the Tynemouth dining scene. We will be back soon - I have my eyes on the fillet of beef teriyaki next!