Vujon, 29 Queen Street, Newcastle

Feb 26 2010 The Journal

VUJON Indian restaurant is something of an institution when it comes to the eating out scene in Newcastle.

That’s partly because it’s been around for so long – it celebrates 20 years at its location on the city’s sought-after Queen Street this year – but also because of its reputation for fine-dining, pan-Indian cuisine.

The restaurant has won many awards in that time – including Best in the North in the British Curry Awards in 2007, followed by Top 10 in the UK and most recently being named as the most innovative restaurant in the North in the same awards.

I’ve only ever been once in those 20 years, so a return visit was well overdue, especially since the restaurant has recently undergone a major refurbishment to mark its anniversary.

First impressions were pretty wowy – a smart reception area, a warm welcome from polite staff and a glimpse of super-stylish contemporary interiors.

Inside, it’s all very plush, decorated in warming golds, caramels and browns with swish silk curtains and glam chandeliers.

Our group of four was shown to a cosy corner table on the ground floor – there’s dining downstairs too – where crisp white table linen, good cutlery and crystal glasses were the order of the day.

Owner Mahtab Miah makes for entertaining company, chatting about his five grown-up daughters, and telling us about the appointment of the restaurant’s first-ever executive chef, Sanjay Mohakud, who will work alongside head chef Khalid Miah.

Vujon actually translates as gourmet dinner in Sanskrit. And the restaurant serves up a rich variety of authentic Indian food, reflecting the style and flavour of cooking of the many different regions.

The menu is very extensive and we tried out a few classics as well as a selection of contemporary dishes from the new menu, which is available from the end of March.

We took our time perusing as we munched on papadoms with super-fresh accompaniments including mango chutney, onion salad, chilli and yoghurt dips.