Lunch at SOKU at The Lockup in Ouseburn

Ouseburn is home to some of the best restaurants in Newcastle, however new eatery The Lockup offers something a little different. This collaborative neighbourhood venue on Maling Street is set to host regularly-changing dining residencies, starting with local favourites SOKU.

SOKU

Lawrence Norman (North East Chef award winner and former sous chef at Michelin-starred Hjem) and partner Alana Whenary launched SOKU after travelling around Asia last summer and they’ve quickly built a loyal following with pop-ups around town and a cool collaboration with Meat:Stack.

For a limited time, they’re cooking up an exciting menu of sharing plates with flavours from across Asia, using exceptional seasonal produce.

The Lockup

The Lockup is an absolute gem with a cosy, contemporary dining room and an upstairs roof terrace for cocktails and bites with views over Ouseburn Valley. It’s definitely the best place to spend the summer months on the Quayside.

The dishes

We visited for lunch and ordered a selection of small plates to share. The first dish to arrive was sesame prawn toast, yuzu mayo, prawn hot sauce, spring onion, katsuobushi. This was the most luxurious prawn toast I’ve ever had with chunky pieces of fresh king prawn, intense sauces and pungent katsuobushi (bonito flakes) shaved so thin that it literally waves and curls.

Crispy pork som tum salad, bitter leaves, peanuts, fish sauce was aromatic and refreshing. The salty, crispy pork was lightened by the bitter leaves and fresh mint and the light dressing was zesty and delicious.

Rump steak, green peppercorns, barbecued vegetables and SOKU sauce was an absolute delight. The top quality, tender steak had a smoky flavour and was cooked perfectly medium-rare on a bed of sweet, slow-cooked peppers and onions and finished with crispy shallots.

The steak went nicely with a big bowl of SOKU fries, nahm jim, crispy shallots. The hot, golden fries were smothered in a tangy, sweet and sour nahm jim sauce and topped with more crispy shallots – so addictive!

The cooking at SOKU is bold and uncompromising – every dish we tried was well-crafted with punchy, complex flavours. The food is on the rich side, so be sure to order a salad or veggie dish for freshness and balance. I’m looking forward to seeing what SOKU does next (hopefully their own restaurant) and who will be cooking for the second half of 2025 at The Lockup.

SOKU will be at The Lockup in Newcastle until the end of July. For more information and booking, visit: www.instagram.com/lockupouseburn

All photos by Cherie City

@cheriecity

The Lockup recently opened in Ouseburn and its first kitchen residency is by local favourites SOKU. Lawrence Norman (former sous chef at Hjem) and Alana Whenary launched SOKU as a pop-up after eating around Asia last summer. For a limited time only, they’re bringing creative Asian flavours to The Lockup, a cosy neighbourhood dining space with a fabulous rooftop terrace. We visited for lunch and enjoyed: ?? Sesame prawn toast, yuzu mayo, prawn hot sauce, spring onion, katsuobushi. ?? Crispy pork som tum salad, bitter leaves, peanuts, fish sauce. ?? Flat iron steak, green peppercorns, barbequed veg, SOKU sauce. ?? SOKU fries, nahm jim, crispy shallots  Everything was fantastic with intense, aromatic Thai flavours, home-made sauces and fresh ingredients. The level of cooking at SOKU is high and service is great too. The menu seems to change often, so be quick to try these dishes. #ouseburn #thaifood #newcastleupontyne #newcastle #steak #newcastlefoodie #FoodTok

? Wifey Riddim – Shygirl & Club Shy & Jorja Smith & SadBoi