Attractive columned and tiled exterior leads to a typical high street restaurant interior seating about 60. However, tables were too small to comfortably accommodate the four people for which each was set. They were also very close together and it would be extremely cramped if full. Fairly plainly decorated but attractive hanging floral (imitation) baskets the far end.

Comprehensive menu of all the standard dishes, but food was very indifferent. Onion Bhajee (flat style) moderately spiced but quite stodgy. Chicken Chat OK, being small chopped pieces in a fairly tangy sauce, but oh! - so salty!! Chicken Pathia had very little sauce. It was acceptably hot but there was no discernible sweetness or sourness about it and again it was very much over salted. My wife’s Chicken Tikka Masala was about average except, in common with the others, it was far too salty. In both chicken dishes it strongly tasted as though the chicken had been fully cooked, unspiced, and then just mixed in the sauce immediately before serving rather than being cooked in the spices and sauce. (My wife removed all the sauce from one or two pieces and they tasted like plain chicken without any distinguishable spicing). The accompanying Sylheti Bhajee was fine (although not as described by the waiter - see below - but like breakfast hash with chillies according to my wife) but guess what? - far too much salt. We mentioned the chef’s over fondness of the salt pot to the head waiter who, to his credit, apologised and offered replacements. However, as we were into the meal (and felt it unlikely that the replacements would be much different) we declined but drank copiously from the water jug! Rice standard stuff but Peshwari Nan very doughy with little other than coconut paste inside.

Service mediocre. Polite welcome but no smiles. Unfortunately the younger waiter (of three) was very unknowledgeable abut the dishes, but attempted to disguise this by mumbling vague, incoherent and inaccurate answers to questions. For example, on a joking reference to the similarity in name to the Bel Puree dish on the menu to Bhel Puri (the street snack originating from Bombay) he assured us that Bel Puree was the same as Bhel Puri. "Potatoes and all vegetable on puri - very nice" he said. He clearly had no idea what the other (and better known) Bhel Puri was. Furthermore, when my wife enquired the difference between Vegetable Bhajee and Sylheti Bhajee he mumbled that vegetable bhajee had "potatoes, carrots and all vegetables. Very nice". My wife then had to prompt him as to what Sylheti Bhaji was, to be answered "it has potatoes, carrots and all vegetables - very nice". We gave up then! However, the food was served efficiently with the plates nicely warmed.

Portions reasonable but the prices for the type of restaurant and area marginally higher than average. All in all a poor meal and a restaurant to which I am unlikely to return.

Malcolm Wilkins - January 1999