MONSOON VALLEY, 92 HIGH STREET

This restaurant opened in 2000, and offers both Indian and Thai cuisine. The manager tells me that he used to have two chefs – one Thai and one Indian (Bangladeshi I expect) – but now there is only the Indian chef (two was expensive he says), who learned to cook the Thai dishes from the other chef.

It is a pleasant and slightly smarter restaurant than other local curry houses, with a light décor, smart furniture and settings, plenty of space between tables, and mirrored walls that amplify the impression of roominess. Several of the tables are circular, which is useful for groups, and it generally projects a comfortable and pleasing ambience.

The menu is also nicely presented and intriguing to read. Indian and Thai dishes are listed under their separate national headings - for starters, main dishes and vegetarian dishes – and one can mix and match as desired. There is a good selection of both, although the majority of dishes are Indian, as all the ‘Specials’ were Indian (except ‘Burmese Chicken’, cooked with Burmese spices, soy sauce, rice flour and baby potatoes), there is a Tandoori selection, plus a section headed ‘Traditional Indian dishes’ (which contains all the usuals).

When it came to the food, it was a bit of a mixed bag, but overall was good. The Onion Bhaji starter (two flat bhajias cut in half) were crisp, tasty and excellent, but the Chats (we ordered one Prawn Chat and one Chicken Chat) were very indifferent. The Chats had a good amount of either chicken or prawn with a lot of chick peas, but the sauce was thin and acidic without much accompanying flavour for body and to balance the sharpness. However, the other starter – Prawn Satay from the Thai list – was also very good, and was accompanied by a delicious peanut sauce.

Of the main dishes I rated my Ginger Lamb the best, as the small pieces of lamb were tender and cooked in a nice gingery sauce (partly ginger wine according to the menu) with fresh ginger and onions. It was also hot enough to give a tingle without being over the top. Another good dish was the Duck Garam Fry (marinated sliced duck breast cooked in a blend of spices and green chilli and served on a sizzler). On the other hand, the Chicken Bahar (strips of chicken tikka cooked with tomatoes, green pepper, spring onions and yoghurt) was very bland and uninspiring, even though marked as ‘medium’ on the menu. The other main dish was Cashew Orange Prawn, a mild dish from the Thai selection, which the recipient said was good although it was too bland for my tastes.

The accompanying vegetables of Soy Veg, a main vegetable dish from the Thai selection, comprising potatoes, mushroom and courgette sautéed in garlic and soy sauce was again rather insipid (and fairly small for a main dish), but the Mixed Vegetable Bhaji was unanimously declared superb – very dry, peppery and flavoursome. The Garlic Nan was also good – light and fluffy, while rice the standard stuff.

The prices were about average, and the portions adequate  and probably about right, although smaller than at some restaurants (for example, we finished it all, and felt fully satisfied, whereas at some restaurants we struggle and then sometimes often some). Service very friendly and efficient. I would certainly return.

Malcolm Wilkins – February 2007