THE WHITBY INDIAN TANDOORI, WHITBY QUAYS, STATION SQUARE

As far as I could see this is the only Indian restaurant in Whitby. Situated in the entrance to Whitby station this restaurant seats about 50 in a long and crowded room. A combination of the curtaining and being housed in the station means that there is little natural light, but the interior is cosily lit and decorated with plenty of (artificial) greenery. On enquiring to reserve a table I was told they don’t take bookings, which is honest and sensible - much better than most high street curry houses where I have reserved a table only to find the reservation makes not the slightest difference on arrival!

Saturday night on a bank holiday weekend is busy, but a regular turnover meant a wait of only 15 minutes which was better than anticipated. Six waiters were rushing about trying to cope with the orders, although not always successfully. For example, when the starters arrived to a group of eight at the next table they complained loudly that they had not yet had their popadoms! Another waiter brought the missing popadoms some five minutes later, when most had virtually finished their starters. More moans and the popadoms returned to the kitchen untouched! However, apart from the fact we had to remind the waiter three times for a jug of water we were served efficiently enough.

A comprehensive menu of all the standard dishes. Onion Bhajias were very solid but acceptable, and the accompanying salad was fresh. Prawn Pathia starter was prawns in a rather insipid watery sauce (which lacked the normal hotness and sweetness associated with pathia) and was served on a Puri. I am sure it would be Prawn Puri on most menus! I enquired the difference between Chicken Andala ("cooked with lentils and lemon juice with traditional herbs and spices" - £8.95) and Chicken Dhansak ("sweet and sour and cooked with lentils" - £5.30). The waiter’s reply was that Andala was "cooked with lentils, same as Dhansak, but not so hot. A special dish". Given this unilluminating description and the price difference I had Dhansak. This turned out to be a fairly standard offering - quite tasty and reasonably hot but not as hot as served in many restaurants. I was pleased I didn’t go for the Andala! The Chicken Tikka Masala was perfectly acceptable but the sauce was thinner and less creamy than average. Vegetable Bhaji was similarly standard stuff, as was the rice. Peshwari Nan lacked filling - just a smear of coconut paste.

Portions adequate and rice above average amount. Marginally above average prices for a high street curry house, but having the monopoly in a holiday town it is perhaps not surprising. All in all a fairly average formula curry meal.

Malcolm Wilkins - April 1999