In terms of an overall impression, almost all restaurants tend to slot into a number of groups, and Indian restaurants are the same. So it is particularly impressive when an Indian restaurant sets new standards in a switched on hot-bed of gastronomic fever such as Newcastle on Tyne, where quality eating out is enjoying a surge that exceeds even the greatly increased national interest, this exception to most of the normal rules is Spice Cube.

As owner himself says, - The Spice Cube never looked like a typical curry house and that's something our customers responded to from day one! This starts with the décor, which is modern chic, light and airy, with splashes of restrained colour, giving an aura of relaxed sparkle. Indian culture is on the march in these vibrant surroundings. No wonder then that they were the winners of the North East Regional Curry Final 2010 at South Tyneside College to find the best curry in the North East.

Reliable sources say that India has its own ladies-who-lunch culture, lunch here in this frenzied age, needs to be almost an on the hoof event, but the next best thing is a two course meal with lighter than usual portions chosen from a menu of about 12 dishes. There are light lunches of salads and soups from dishes such as chicken wings, vegetable samosa, chicken or lamb tikka or seekh kebabs in a platter.

As with any self-respecting restaurant it is usually the dinner menu that carries the reputation of the entire team, which here is headed by Ram Trivedi.

Twelve or so starters include crisp parcels filled with seasoned lamb, chicken breast stir fried in chillies, coconut and turmeric dressing, and mustard seed and crisp fried gram flour coated okra. But it is amongst the modern main courses that the skills really begin to show, Indian Railway lamb curry, the tenderest pieces of lamb gently cooked with potatoes in a curry leaf, onion and mustard seed gravy or karawali fish curry, marinated salmon fillets, simmered in coconut, coriander and mustard flavoured spicy sauce.

Amongst the traditional dishes are that all time favourite rogan josh, diced lamb cooked with Kashmiri chillies, fennel and dry ginger powder, murgh handi Lazeez, chicken simmered in brown onion, yoghurt gravy, scented with cardamom and saffron and topped with grated boiled egg, a tandoori kebab platter with Punjabi chicken tikka, chicken wings, tandoori king prawns, seekh kebab, salmon tikka and lamb chops. Amongst the vegetable options are paneer methi malai, creamed fenugreek and Indian cheese cooked with cumin seeds and garlic.

The Early Evening Special, offers a free starter with every main course and accompaniment ordered per person between 5pm to 7pm, perfect when an evening out lies ahead, or for healthy eaters following the 'nothing-after-eight' guideline!

Spice Cube's wine list goes its own way, providing a home for many of the world's unusual wines, with Malbec from South America, Pinot Bianco from Northern Italy, Tintoretto from Spain and plenty of choices amongst cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. Read much, much more on their Website, particularly arrangements for parties and special occasions.