An impeccable taste of India; eating out.

BITESIZE stumbled upon an Indian at the weekend that it can't believe it had never been to before.

Rasa, in Queen Street on Newcastle Quayside, has been open about two years, and it was a friend treating us to a night on the Toon who suggested we go there.

It is unlike any other Indian in the city - as well as cracking food, on the night we were there, it also boasted a wonderful host in the shape of Olga.

According to its website, Rasa is a Sanskrit word that has a wealth of meaning, representing taste, flavour, affection, pleasure, delight, happiness, charm, sentiment, pathos, beauty and essence.

The dishes at Rasa are inspired by home cooking from the state of Keralam, which lies on the Malabar Coast of India, an area made up almost entirely of inland waterways, coconut groves and spice plantations.

From the Seafood Karu Muru - a crunchy stir-fried king fish, telopia fish and prawns tempered with Indian shallots, curry leaves, green chilies and zest of lemon juice, to a host of veggie options and the likes of lamb stew and adipoli erachi mulagu (boneless cubes of lamb dry cooked in turmeric water, then stir-fried in an open kadai with an abundance of black pepper, curry leaves and finely sliced fresh coconut slivers), the choice is incredible.

Look out for a review proper of Rasa in Eating Out in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check it out for yourself and book a table on [phone]