The Voujon Balti Hut, 4 Burley Corner, High Street

This restaurant claims to be the first in Oakham, opening in 1995. It is upstairs, which I usually find something of a deterrent as often the stairs are grubby and off-putting, and I also prefer to be able to see into a restaurant firstly to get a feel for it. However, although the stairs were predictably grubby there was a board downstairs with the menu, a complimentary write-up from a reporter from the local paper (although such articles are always complimentary, aren't they?) and some photographs of the inside. It looked OK, the menu was comprehensive, but the clincher was that there were some take-away menus which, I discovered, contained some gift vouchers giving money off for pre-booked tables. For a table for 2, there was a voucher worth £10 (£25 for a table for four and £50 for a table of twelve), which was a good incentive. Good enough for me anyway, as there appeared little to choose between this and the other alternative, so I rang to book a table.

The restaurant is fairly modern in decor and comfortably seats 64. One wall is almost totally mirrored, which makes it look much roomier, and along one side are large windows that give an expansive view of the street below and from where you could watch the passing nightlife, if there was any to watch. Surprisingly the restaurant was relatively quiet for a Saturday night (booking was certainly not necessary), and virtually all customers were seated by the window (not only from what I would imagine to be personal choice, but ideal from management's point of view as it gives the impression to those outside that it is more crowded than it is). Luckily for us a table by the window had recently been vacated and we were ushered to it. There is also a large bar area, but that was empty.

The menu was very extensive, and included all the usual suspects. After standard poppadoms and pickles we started with the usual Onion Bhajias and Chicken Chat. The Bhajias (three round ones) were fairly indifferent, as although they looked good and had a crisp outside, the inside (which interestingly contained lentils) was soft, and there was not much spicing to them. The Chicken Chat was rolled in a puri to look like a large sausage roll. As such it was filling (too much for me - I prefer chat without the puri that is often served by restaurant. I suppose I could have asked for it without the puri, but in the interests of research I had it as it came) and I left most of the puri. The chat was OK, but unremarkable and a bit lifeless, again lacking any definitive tang or fresh spicy taste.

For my main dish I had Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi (Voujon Style) from their 'specialities' list. Again it was OK,  with the chicken being slices rather than the more usual chunks (perhaps that is what was meant by Voujon Style, as there was nothing else that made it stand out as different). It was tasty, cooked in plenty of onions and capsicums, but the green chillies had only been sliced and thrown in fresh rather than cooked into it (one of my frequent complaints about Jalfrezi). There was also plenty of it. The main course of Garlic Sabzi was nice, with slices of garlic adorning the top to ensure that it tasted true to its title, although the Aloo Gobi - nicely cooked so that the vegetables were al dente and not mushy - also tasted quite garlicky. As of course, did the Tarka Dall, which was quite thick but had a good flavour.

The Peshwari Nan was disappointing, as it was again a bit lifeless and only a little coconut an no sultanas (hardly meeting the description of stuffed with almonds and sultanas), but the rice was up to normal standard.

Service was efficient and attentive, and the manager friendly. Portions were good (especially the Jalfrezi) and we couldn't eat it all, but there was no problem when I asked to take the remains with me. Prices were higher than standard high street curryhouses (although I have no knowledge of any comparators in Rutland), but, of course, our ten pounds discount balanced that out.

Surprisingly it didn't do much trade, as there was only us and one other couple there at 9.30, which is not good for a Bank Holiday Saturday evening, and overall I found it a bit disappointing in parts, although generally speaking OK for fairly average formula curry.

Malcolm Wilkins - May 2007