This takeaway opened in 1998 as the Riverview Tandoori, but in my opinion it wasn't very good. This view was probably shared by others as it didn't last for long, re-opening  in September 2002 under different management as the Curry Inn. Although this was slightly better than it predecessor, I reported it at the time as it being 'a basic, bog standard formula curry, lacking flavour but marginally better than the previous incarnation'.

Again it didn't last too long, changing once more in about May 2005 to its current form. It is not linked to any other restaurant in the vicinity, although has links to one in East London (unfortunately, not the Lahore Kebab House, although the friend of the front man works there as a chef, so I suppose there is some loose link!). It is a comfortable take-away, with a few tables. They tell me they did consider having some tables, but decided against it, but it does provide a spacious waiting area. It also has some comfortable chairs, plus a good, clean toilet, which is a pleasant and unusual amenity in a take-away.

I am pleased to say that the food is an improvement on both predecessors. On my first visit I reported that the Tandoori Chicken was a good and the Chicken Tikka Dhansak  and Vegetable Bhaji were both good formula curries, if slightly oily. My only complaint then was that the Tarka Dall was too thick, being a bit like thick custard, and lacking in flavour, but thought that overall it was a competent formula curry. (It's worth mentioning that a few months after they opened they ran an excellent value promotional offer of 25% off prices for deliveries, but a massive 50% off if it was collected. To try out a variety of their dishes I ordered  £50 worth of curries, and collected it. Sure enough it was only half the menu price, and the portions were the same as normal. It was all good standard stuff except the Tarka Dall, which was again thick and cloying, and it all represented excellent value.

In October 2009 I received an e-mail from the manager who had read my report, suggesting that as it was four years since I had visited I ought to update my report as he felt sure I would be impressed by the food and would improve on the report (although it was quite a good report, even if it didn't place the food in the top notch category, so it would really have to have lifted itself to get much of an improvement). It was thoughtful of him to contact me, so I thought the least I could do was to give it another try (in cognito, of course, as I didn't want any special efforts made to provide anything other than their standard food).

For comparison purposes I chose similar dishes as before. Curiously, the two that were the same  (Tandoori Chicken and Tarka Dall) were virtually the opposite of my previous experience, in that the Tandoori Chicken was a great disappointment, while the Tarka Dall had improved enormously to a good consistency and flavour. The Tandoori Chicken (the only dish that I felt was not up to the previous standard) was not well marinated and too moist, appearing as though the marinade had simply been generously smeared on the cooked chicken. If the damp marinade was wiped off the outside, then it left pure white and fairly tasteless chicken. Even with the marinade it lacked the depth of tandoori flavour most examples of this dish impart*. However, having got that one adverse comment out of the way, the remainder of the food was fine. The Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi had plenty of chicken (again fairly moist!) in a pleasant sauce with the necessary chillies and underlying hotness, while the Mixed Vegetable Dhansak (main dish) was nicely spiced, not too hot but  with a very pleasant slightly sweet flavour. To my surprise the Tarka Dall, which I was dubious about, was also very good as unlike the previous occasion the texture was thinner and it was well flavoured. Perhaps the manager had made efforts to improve the Dall when he had read the report. If so, then he has been successful, although unfortunately on this occasion the Tandoori Chicken let it down. Who knows why - perhaps it had not marinated as long as it should; perhaps the tandoor had broken and it was cooked in a standard oven; or perhaps (as I suspect) it hadn't been left to marinate nor been cooked for long enough. But who knows - it could have been for a number of reasons. However, the rest of the food was fine, although all in all I would not go higher than I did before, which is to confirm that it all in all it is a very competent formula curry. 

Malcolm Wilkins - October 2009

* NB The manager contacted me a week or so after the report to say that they had recently had a fault in their tandoori oven, where only one side of the burner had been working, but it is now fixed. It was clear that my take-away fell within this period and the faulty oven likely to be the cause of my disappointing tandoori chicken. Hopefully, now that the oven is fixed the tandooi food is back to what it was before.