So I slightly fell off my diet regime at the weekend, but I’ve been doing pretty well so I don’t feel all that guilty and I only have a week and a half to go – I finish on pancake day, it’s no coincidence! Anyway, I recently wrote my top places for tapas in Toon, and quite a few people mentioned that they hadn’t heard of the Ahar Indian restaurant in Whitley Bay. On a Thursday and Sunday they have a special tapas style menu, and on Sunday night we went for the first time in ages. Hangover needs must….

I booked a table, which is highly recommended as this cosy little places gets busy QUICKLY, and unless you turn up at opening, you’re likely to be turned away if you’re a walk in after 7pm. The restaurant is on Park View, and there’s plenty free street parking nearby.

Even though Thursday and Sunday is tapas night, you can also order off the main menu as well if you prefer. When it comes to Indian food I always end up absolutely stuffed, and can never finish it all, so the tapas style is perfect for me! At 12.95 per person it’s incredible value.

A full summary of what you can get is, a starter, two curries, a side, a rice and a nan bread each. We also got some popadoms to share between us in addition to the set tapas menu, because helloooooo lime pickle and mango chutney sauce!

The staff are very friendly, and really try to personally welcome in and escort out every customer. The drinks orders are taken and made in the tiny ornate little bar in the corner, you almost feel like you’re in their house and have been invited round for tea. It’s actually a really beautiful restaurant, with cut crystal glasses, authentic decor, roses on the table, and all sorts of napkin folding creations!

Our starter arrived pretty quickly, I had bhuna prawn on puree, and Kieran had chicken chat. They were both gone within minutes.

The tapas mains are brought out on a big tray, and laid out around your plate. We aren’t the most adventurous when it comes to curry, I always get the mossala, but I swear to God it is the most AMAZING mossala sauce you could possible hope for. It’s thick and creamy and just unreal.

My other curry was chicken bhuna, but I’ve also tried the lamb bhuna before and it is also delicious. I had pilau rice, and Bombay aloo as a side, as well as a garlic naan. The sides always have me reaching for my phone to quickly google them, they aren’t something I ever have usually at an Indian restaurant.

Before I went to the Ahar for this tapas menu, I honestly don’t think I’d ever tried any of the sides, purely because I could never eat them and they would just go to waste. The tapas menu here allows you to try things you might not always go for, especially as you get two curries. You could also mix and match with whoever you’re with as well, for even more variety.

You might think these portions look small, but they are so filling without being too much. There’s at least five or six pieces of meat in each of the curries, and the same for the bombay aloo potato side. There’s literally nothing better than dipping the naan in the leftover sauce too.

We cleaned our plates, and had no room at all for desert.

For a relaxed Sunday evening, when you’re a bit hungover and possibly a touch of the Monday fear/Sunday night blues, a last minute decision for Indian tapas is a great one! Our bill for three popadoms, two set price tapas meals, and drinks (no alcohol) came to 32.50. Worth every penny!

Apologies the photos aren’t the best, the lighting wasn’t great – all part of the atmosphere!