:Sunderland's new Buddha Beat restaurant - menu, prices and what else to expect

Here’s what to expect from Buddha Beat as it opens for business in Sunderland city centre.

The decor

Housed in the former Sunderland and South Tyneside Water Board building in John Street, the Grade II-listed site is familiar as a restaurant after operating for 13 years as the popular D’Acqua before briefly being taken under new ownership as Undisclosed.

But, after the basement unit lay empty for a number of months, Buddha Beat has really made it their own.

Gone is the familiar purple colour scheme and fish tanks of D’Acqua to be replaced with an aesthetic that’s as eclectic as the menu.

Whilst some walls are adorned with graffiti-style street art and punk pieces devoted to the late Queen, others frame faux pink cherry blossom trees and wallpaper that echoes the Asian flavours of the dishes. Meanwhile, the central bar features military-esque camouflage wallpaper.

In keeping with this urban celebration of Asia, window sills house stone Buddhas and traditional Japanese waving cats.

It brings new life to the basement site and injects it with some much-needed fun and colour after its brief, dark chapter as Undisclosed.

There’s a mini warren of underground rooms at the listed building, with around 70 covers over three rooms, including a chef’s table, which can be booked for 6-10 diners to watch the chefs at work.

The food

The menu is the brainchild of executive chef and owner Andy Drape whose passion for food from this corner of the globe was inspired by his travels across Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Malaysia when he was training to become a chef.

Those who’ve visited his River Beat restaurant in Gateshead will be well-acquainted with his flair for Asian tapas and curries.

And the menu at his new Sunderland restaurant follows suit.

There’s a broad range of meat, fish and vegan tapas, as well as mix and match curries if you just want a single main. Gluten-free diners are also well catered for.

We went with the tapas, with three each proving more than enough to fill our rumbling tummies.

They arrived three at a time which is the right pace for the size of the portions and the size of the tables for two so you’re not juggling lots of dishes at once.

The pork belly was well priced at £8 for a huge satisfyingly-fatty slab of succulent pork, loaded with rich, natural flavour which was complemented by Chinese-style five-spice seasoning. Cricket bug powder dust, and pickled ginger and soy caramel also make the dish a great medley of flavours and textures.

Poached coconut chicken, a cold vermicelli noodle salad with mango and Asian sticks (£8) was also beautifully executed, a great balance of fresh and creamy.

We also really enjoyed the edamame pad Thai from the veggie tapas menu, (£8) and it didn’t take long to slurp up its moreish sweet nuttiness between us.

The king scallops and pork was one of the more expensive tapas options at £14 – but as you’d expect from scallops. The fat and fleshy scallops were punctuated with hunks of pork. Great attention to detail in the dressing again with a peanut caramel sauce.

You get plenty of mussels for £8 too, served with a baguette for mopping up the Thai-style sauce.

As well as great variety from the food, it’s served on chunky tableware, some with ribbed edges, others patterned, that’s a little different from your run of the mill plates and adds to the experience.

If you’re wanting to line your stomach ahead of a game at the Stadium of Light, the restaurant has launched a pre-match offering of any match day special and a pint for £10.

Drinks

The drinks menu is vast, nine pages long to be precise.

A nice touch in the draft options is a Buddha Pilsner, brewed down the road at Vaux (£5.90 a pint) and Japanese favourite Asahi (£6 a pint), with bottled options including Chang (£4).

There’s a whole host of liquors, tequilas and rums, as well as a great range of alcohol-free options, which is a refreshing change.

Cocktails too are a colourful affair, all are priced £9, with options such as Bali Rum Punch and Singapore Swing.

Wines include some premium options such as Bollinger Brut Special at £80 if you’re feeling flush. Wine by the glass can be pricey, with some coming in at £12 for a large glass, but there’s some more affordable options by the bottle such as Domaine De Pellehaut Blanc for £25.

Our only quibble with our visit was the drinks, however, which were served slowly. So much so, a second glass of wine I’d ordered never arrived. It was taken off the bill and the staff, who were really friendly, apologised.

I don’t think it helped that we were seated round the corner in the lounge so couldn’t catch their eye as a reminder we were still waiting. Hopefully just teething problems.

Our bill for six tapas, prawn crackers, two cocktails, a glass of wine and gin and tonic was £97.50, which is at the pricier end of the scale, but the food in particular offers great value for quality with a real flair for flavour.

Opening times

Buddha Beat is open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 4pm – 10pm and Friday and Saturdays from 12pm to 11pm.