The longest established restaurant in town opening in 1972 and has been under the same ownership ever since. It is fairly small downstairs, seating 26, but it seats a further 26 upstairs. An Indian restaurant of the old school, having the same layout of tables along each wall, and same pattern of wallpaper (no longer flock, but a similar design) since its early days. I have visited periodically, although with gradually less frequency given the increasing number of alternative restaurants. However, despite the increasing competition since it opened it continues to satisfy a  regular number of customers. 

A fairly average menu features all the standard dishes but nothing out of the ordinary. I have always found the food a fairly average, slightly bland formula curry, and my most recent visit showed that nothing had changed. For example, on my last visit I reported on Onion Bhajias (2 flat type, fairly average, as was accompanying salad of shredded lettuce with a slice of tomato and cucumber), Chicken Chat (lacked the spiciness and sharpness it should have), Patia (in a light coloured sauce with a hint of sweetness but not very hot or spicy) and the house Korai dish (rather bland with very little flavour. Interestingly it was initially served in a standard dish but when we queried if it was the right dish it was whisked away and served, only moments later, in a Korai! )

On this occasion we started with Onion Bhajias, which were exactly as previous reports described, and Chicken Chat which was a little tastier than previously remembered but still a fairly average example. For a main dish I had Chicken Dhansak which was OK, but one of those where the chicken seems to have been plain cooked (ie not cooked with any spices) and then added and heated in the spicy sauce (remove all sauce from a piece of chicken and if it is left absolutely smooth, white and flavourless then this is a good indicator that the curry has been prepared in this way). The other main dish was Khadani Meat (the only dish remotely different to those on standard high street lists) which, by the taste, was mutton in a mild, slightly creamy sauce and a hint of mint. Quite pleasant if you like mild curries, but perhaps better with chicken unless you like a fairly forceful lamb/mutton flavour (which personally I didn't mind).

As before the vegetable curries all very average and slightly oily.

Efficient and friendly service, portions and prices about average. They must be doing something right as it has stood the test of time, but although I found it quite pleasant it was certainly nothing about the average. Indeed, I suppose the word which springs to mind to describe everything is ‘average’ !

Malcolm Wilkins - December 2003