Basic Balti/Indian restaurant of the typical Bangladeshi kind. Small, clean, well lit, old-school decor - thankfully not flock - more orange, blue and big curtains. Extensive, well-described menu and a seperate vegetarian menu with Quorn for those who like their texture. Ambience; half full at 8.30pm on a Saturday with a mix of ages. If you like your waiters-in-training (no tasting the bottle here), and a shouty style of management, make yourself at home. Poppadoms and condiments; fresh and chilled with the yogurt dip having an unexpected spicy kick (which I enjoyed), and an industrial strength mango(?) sauce that is so thick and sweet it has bubbles in it. Starters: Onion bahjees - round, plentiful, moist yet greasy, though edible. Lamb tikka - excellent; fresh, tender and delicately spiced. Main courses: Southern Indian Chicken - at half strength - very tasty, well cooked with a great blend of spices and garlic as promised. Vegetable Tikka Mossola - tasty, but full of red dye, almost glowing (watch your shirt). Chicken Passanda - tasty but again reliant on the dye. Rices as expected. Vegetable Naan; tasty, but glowing with green dye. Palik Paneer; oddly using grated english cheese, creating a greasy concoction. Mushroom bahjee was the star - wholesome, balanced with a thick, juicy sauce. Service was utilitarian with no check on the meal satisfaction or any sense of attentiveness. Hot after-meal napkins were just dumped on the table, and no attempt was made to clean or replace the tablecloth, or offer desserts or coffees. As we were in town for a few days we didn't have a chance to compare with the local competition; The Passage to India, so didn't know if this was a local thing, or just bad service. No doubt the Balti Nailsworth is a popular choice and probably does particularily well on their takeaway business. However some simple lessons found widely in the indian restaurant community would serve the Balti Nailsworth experience well. read more
