At the time of my visit Lymington had been reduced to a one Indian restaurant town, and without any take-aways in the town centre either (although there is a take-away a couple of miles out of town on the A337 just before Everton). The previous take-away in the town - The Cloves in Stamford Road - was closed and set to become a kebab house, while the Simla Balti restaurant situated next door was also closed and deserted.

This leaves the coast clear for Lal Quilla in the high street at the other end of town as the only Indian restaurant. The next nearest in the New Forest are probably in Lyndhurst (for The Passage to India), Brockenhurst (for Indian Village) or New Milton, where I was assured one exists but I didn’t see it.

Malcolm Wilkins - May 2000