PRIA, 4A ARGYLE STREET

Have you ever gone into an Indian restaurant and told that you would do better going to another one? Well I have, although it's not as unlikely as it sounds, so perhaps a little preamble would help by way of explanation.

The Pria is under the same ownership, and next door to, the Rajpoot, the more up-market of the two restaurants. They share a common frontage and you can't help but look at both as you approach, as the Rajpoot has a menu on the left hand side of a door that leads downstairs to the restaurant, while the Pria has their menu and door on the right. The immediate differences are that the Rajpoot is downstairs, and the door is guarded by a doorman (usually inside) who peers out unsmilingly - almost glaringly - as you look at the menu (personally I find his lack of a welcoming demeanor rather off-putting), while the Pria is at street level. Another difference is the price, as the Pria is very reasonable (especially for Bath), while the Rajpoot is decidedly more expensive.

After peering at the menu for the Rajpoot, and being slightly deterred by the unsmiling doorman staring at us from within (and also slightly cautious, as I've heard a number of stories of poor or indifferent service there), we decided on the Pria. On entering I enquired about the link between the restaurants, to be told that the Pria was more a Balti house, and did a take-away service, while the Rajpoot was the bees knees when it came to Indian restaurants, had won several awards (although he became rather vague and non committal when I asked where from!), and if I wanted a really good Indian meal then I should go there. Those might not have been the exact words, but you get the drift, so there's the preamble to why I was encouraged to go to another restaurant!

We didn't take his advice, of course, and sat ourselves in the fairly small (about 36 seater) restaurant. I believe it has fairly recently moved down from an upstairs location, and is now one of the burgeoning modern, contemporary-style restaurants with pale wood flooring, imitation light wood easy-wipe table tops, inset ceiling lights etc.  I was assured that despite the adjacent proximity and common ownership (and virtually a common site), the kitchens were quite separate, as were the chefs. The menu offered most of the usual dishes plus a couple of different ones (for example, Jontiapura, which was described  'very hot and cooked with rarely found herbs and spices' (whatever they may be!!), or a Katloma, described as a Nan stuffed with lamb and served with spiced potatoes and pillau rice).

We started with Onion Bhajee and Shami Kebab. The Bhajias were two very good sized round bhajias, which were nicely crisp on the outside, while the inside, while slightly moister, was surprisingly light considering their size. They were well spiced and, with the salad garnish and raita, represented remarkably good value at £1.95. The Shami Kebab was less appealing, being two flat patties that looked like beefburgers run over by a steamroller. They were moist enough (unlike some I've had which would make a good sole for a shoe), but I didn't find them particularly spicy - I certainly couldn't detect the taste of garlic, ginger etc as described in the menu. I'm not a regular eater of Shami Kebabs, but they didn't grab me as being anything over the average.

Main dishes of Chicken Bhuna and Chicken Jalfrezi were both very good. The Bhuna was fairly mild, with plenty of onion and it had a very pleasant fresh flavour to it. The Jalfrezi was excellent, with plenty of chillis cooked in it (rather than sprinkled on, which as regular readers will know, is something I often complain of). This imparted a good chilli flavour to the dish, which again had a freshness about it. My usual ploy of taking a piece of chicken, wiping off the sauce and tasting provided a good, tongue-tingling evidence that the chicken had been cooked in the spices.

Mixed Vegetable Bhajee once again provided a very nice, freshness of flavour with the vegetables not overcooked and just right. Nan bread excellent, and a good size. We had actually ordered a Peshwari Nan, but the plain version was very good so we stuck with that. However, they did not charge for it despite my protestations that they should, which I though extremely decent of them.

The portions were very good all round, and the prices very reasonable, particularly for the centre of Bath. The service was also good - probably aided by the fact we were the only ones there on a dull Tuesday evening in March - but nevertheless the waiter very chatty and friendly.

Well, I know the Rajpoot next door would probably offer a more comfortable ambience - table cloths, soft furnishings, smart decor etc - and maybe the menu and food might be more innovative, but at about twice the price. The Pria therefore offers a very good alternative, as overall we had a very enjoyable meal at a lower cost than I was anticipating.

Malcolm Wilkins - March 2005