With Christmas coming up, many of us will be looking forward to what's on the menu this festive season - but why not try something a little different this year?
If you'd like to experience what festive food might taste like in another country, there are plenty of options in Newcastle city centre where restaurants are offering Christmas menus that make a change from the usual roast turkey and pigs in blankets. And as they are all offering their take on Christmas dishes throughout the festive season, you have the chance to try them all out.
Whether you fancy tucking into some Japanese-inspired festive food on the Quayside or getting a taste of Peru with some delicious authentic dishes, these restaurants in the heart of Newcastle promise to transport you abroad with their flavoursome Christmas options. Here are just five venues in the city specialising in the cuisine of another country that are running festive menus this year.
READ MORE: 10 must-try venues for warming hot chocolate this winter in and around Newcastle
French: The French Quarter
This popular Westgate Road restaurant brings authentic French cuisine to Newcastle, and the festive season is no exception. The French Quarter is offering a Christmas set menu available for groups of seven or more, with places available to book online via their website.
The Christmas menu includes a charcuterie or cheese board complete with sourdough bread and homemade chutneys and jams to start things off. Mains to choose from on the festive menu include pork medallions served in a black and pink peppercorn sauce, roasted figs stuffed with goats' cheese and honey, and marinated king prawns served with aioli sauce.
For afters, diners will be treated to an espresso coffee alongside a selection of miniature desserts. The French Quarter also has some seasonal monthly specials on the menu to look forward to in the run-up to Christmas, including duck breast with red fruit coulis, scallops and coq au vin.
Italian: Topolino
Located on Dean Street, Topolino is offering not one but two Italian-inspired festive menus throughout December. Their main Christmas menu is available from the first of the month up to Christmas Eve, while there's also an Early Bird special running on the same dates for those who dine early from midday until 6pm.
The Christmas Early Bird menu offers two courses for just £15.95 per person, with starters including black pudding on toasted bread with peppercorn sauce, spicy fishcakes served with sweet chilli sauce, and classic bruschetta topped with fresh tomato, onions and olives. Meanwhile, main dishes on the festive menu range from roasted chicken or sirloin steak to seabass fillet on a bed of mussels.
Over on the main Christmas menu, dishes include veal steak and Parma ham served with sage lemon butter sauce, eggplant stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, or cod served with roasted onion cream and artichokes. Starters range from blue cheese and cranberry garlic bread to tiger prawn and smoked salmon salad. You can book a table via Topolino's website.
Japanese: Aveika
This Quayside restaurant and bar is promising the "perfect alternative to the traditional Christmas offering" with a varied menu that vows to cater to all tastes. Diners can enjoy two dinner courses for £19.95 or three courses for £24.95 with the Christmas menu running from 28 November until 30 December, and you can book your table for the festive period via Aveika's website.
Japanese-inspired starters on this year's festive sample menu include salmon nigiri, chicken katsu sushi, yasai roll, and tempura vegetables. Over on the main dishes menu, there are the likes of teriyaki beef, miso and honey leg of lamb, chicken katsu curry, and glazed salmon teriyaki.
If you're not too full, desserts on the Christmas menu range from chocolate fudge cake to sticky toffee pudding. And if that wasn't enough, Aveika is also running a festive bottomless brunch on Fridays and Saturdays in the run-up to Christmas, where diners can choose from a selection of meat, fish or vegetarian dishes to accompany bottomless prosecco for £39.95 per person.
Peruvian: Rumba Casa Latina
Tucked away on Marlborough Crescent behind the Centre For Life, this vibrant Peruvian restaurant and Latin American bar is sure to shake up your Christmas dining. You can call or email the restaurant to book a table for the festive season, with contact details available on their website.
Starters on Rumba's Christmas menu include traditional Peruvian dishes such as the potato-based Causa Limena and Ceviche with fish fillet chunks marinated in lime juice with red onion, coriander and fresh Peruvian chili. Over on the other side of the menu, you can choose from a Christmas pudding served with brandy sauce or a chocolate gateaux with fresh cream for dessert.
For the main course, diners can opt for pork loin marinated in mild spices and cooked in a rich Peruvian sauce, chicken rolled and stuffed with cheddar cheese and king prawn, or Arroz A La Jardinera - a flavoursome Peruvian-style vegetarian rice dish. A three-course Christmas dinner from Rumba is priced at £25 per person.
Spanish: El Torero
Another Quayside gem, El Torero is bringing a taste of Spain to the festive season with its Christmas menu that launches on 25 November. Priced at £21.95 per person, this restaurant is perfect for families or friends to enjoy a meal out together over Christmas as all dishes on the menu are designed to be shared.
The menu includes lighter bites of mixed breads, olives, Iberico cured meats and deep-fried aubergine, as well as a range of Spanish tapas-inspired dishes. These range from king prawns with chilli peppers and garlic, pan-fried pork loin, and chunks of chorizo sausage, to salmon, prawn and leek croquettes, goats cheese, and mushroom and broccoli gratin.
El Torero's usual tapas selection menus will be available throughout the festive season too, alongside these Christmas specials. To reserve a table, you can call or email the restaurant with contact details available on their website - demand is expected to be high, so a £5 deposit and completed booking form will be required.
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