'Passage to India' deals bring customers by train to this intriguing Indian restaurant in an old station house alongside the Newcastle to Carlisle railway.

Having enjoyed the delights of a Raj-style escorted service, customers can settle down and peruse the extensive menu, which meanders through tandooris, dhansaks and biryanis, stopping off for a few novelties and unusual regional dishes along the way.

Some of the kitchen's noted specialities include salmon bahja (fried with fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and raw onions) and mangsho pesta ke shadi (topside of beef cooked with mild spices and pistachio nuts). Also look for murgh amchur (chicken with mangoes) and king prawns bongo po (prawns from the Bay of Bengal prepared with sliced green chillies).

If you fancy splashing out with friends, go for owner Daraz Aziz's five-course 'super dinner' or the chef's even more extravagant seven-course bonanza.

A second branch, Valley Connection 301, is situated by the abbey in Hexham Market Place, while a third outlet known as Valley Junction 397 occupies a converted signal box and carriage at Old Jesmond Station, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The Valley is also featured in: Michelin Guide

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Indian

Dinner: 6.00 - 11.00pm Mon-Sat

Visa, Master Card

• Vegetarian menu