Newcastle's Chinese New Year celebrations start today and for some that's an opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture.
And one of the best ways you can learn about a culture in my opinion is through the food. There's no shortage of Chinese restaurants in the North East, though at many you'll find versions of dishes adapted or created for the English palate.
However, Infusion 2018 in Newcastle city centre claims to serve real Chinese food, the way it should be, using authentic regional recipes and the finest ingredients from China. Those regional recipes include some that you won't find on your average Saturday night takeaway menu, including "old altar pickled pig tripe" and "spicy duck blood".
Read more: Top Chinese restaurants in Newcastle to book for Chinese New Year
If those dishes sound a little intimidating, don't worry as there are plenty of old favourites too, such as beef in green pepper and black bean sauce, sweet and sour chicken, and my starter of spare ribs in Cantonese sauce.
The ribs (£7.80) were a delightful combination of sweet and sour and I took my first bite, a vinegary kick hit the back of my nose, followed by a much milder flavour that was almost like chocolate. They had plenty of meat and were moist and succulent, and were removed from the table completely clean of sauce and meat.
A mix-up in the kitchen meant that the vegetable dumplings (£4.80) my partner ordered arrived as vegetable spring rolls (£6.80). That didn't bother us in the slightest, but the waitress was extremely apologetic and a few minutes later, we had both the spring rolls and dumplings to try.
My partner described the dumplings as the best they'd ever had, high praise indeed since Chinese, Japanese and Korean are our cuisines of choice and we almost always order gyoza. They were surprisingly doughy and crispy at the same time, packed with mushrooms, cabbage and more.
We couldn't pick out every ingredient in there but they tasted very fresh. The filling in the spring rolls was subtly different, with the crispy rice wrappers paired with a sweet chilli sauce as opposed to a vinegar/soy based dip for the dumplings.
We found it impossible to choose between the two, and would quite happily have both again. All of our starters came in little boats which was a lovely touch and made the feel more of a special occasion than a standard Tuesday night teatime.
While we waited for our main courses to arrive, we had a drink and took in the décor. Infusion 2018 has huge windows - sadly they don't have great views as Vita Student Living towers over it on the other side of the road, but it's a nice place to be.
The wallpaper is designed to look like exposed brick, giving it a New York loft feel and there are pillars throughout stacked with all sorts of alcohols, including rice wine. Though there's an extensive wine list and Tsingtao beer, we sat with two of the restaurant's home-made teas - one hot, one cold.
These are beautifully sweet and I suspect made with either condensed or evaporated milk, or both. Back to how the place looks, and there's a smattering of smaller tables, while the larger ones have the obligatory lazy Susan, and if you're in the right position, you can see your meals being prepared in a semi-open kitchen.
That's how we knew our mains were about to arrive. I went for the Signature Pressure Cooker Dish (£15.80), said to be a traditional North Eastern Chinese dish with slow-cooked pork belly pork, spare ribs, potato and carrot, all served in a bowl standing on an iron stand with fox heads - it felt theatrical and nonchalant at the same time, quirky without being so for the sake of it.
The sauce for my hot-pot was rich and thick, with both meats extremely tender. One slight problem is having pork belly and ribs, if you're not used to this type of dish you may get a mouthful of rib bone - though that's not the restaurant's problem.
One unfamiliar texture I found in my dish and my partner's was the wood ear mushroom. Known in China for its healthy properties, you'll see it in supermarkets as black fungus, which sounds unappetising, but it's packed with a delicious nutty flavour, while it's taut and spongy to bite into - it feels like it's trying to fight back against your teeth.
My partner chose the Combination Vegetable Spicy Pot (£14.80) which came with deep fried bean curd, Chinese mushroom, lotus root, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, green bean, potato, carrot and wood ear mushrooms. The dish literally made our mouths water, thanks to the Szechuan pepper included, and my partner described each vegetable as the best version of itself it could be.
Even the egg-fried rice side dish had a flavoursome punch, with us detecting five spice and spring onion in the most humble of dishes. As I eat meat but my partner doesn't, we both ordered a dish to ourselves but I'd recommend sharing - especially if you're going with someone and you have a similar diet.
It wasn't just because the food was delicious that we loved Infusion 2018, it's that the food was so homely and comforting. I'm not from the North East of China and I've never been so I can't say for certain whether the dishes are traditional, but the feeling that someone had spent ages carefully assembling our meals and cooking them with care shone through.
We have both wanted to try Infusion 2018 for a long time, but for one reason or another have ended up there. When we left, we both said that we knew it would be good, but not that good - and I'd recommend finding out just how great it is for yourself.
And the best bit? The portions are so enormous that lunch and dinner the next day was sorted.
For more information on Infusion 2018, visit the website.
Where's your favourite Chinese restaurant in Newcastle? Let us know!
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