Never judge a book by its cover, or an Indian restaurant by its facade.
The Bengal Lancer is a little gem of a restaurant; a cultural oasis amongst the Withernsea wilderness.
The drab, tired exterior and bland simple furnishings do nothing to enthuse and warm you to the restaurant. However, the Bengal Lancer is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The Maitre D' and second waiter are very welcoming, friendly, pleasant and attentive to your requests. The food is excellent amongst the best I have tasted; including all the Bradford and Manchester curry houses that I have tried.
We started with a couple of fresh poppadoms each, followed by onion bhaji and mixed kebab starters. The service was good, the plates were nice and warm and a dish/plate warmer was placed in the centre of the table. Both starters arrived sizzling on a metal platter and were served at the table excellent. Both starters were of good quality and the restaurant was now beginning to sit favourably with us and transform our original impression. A large pickle (3 dishes) tray and mint yoghurt sauce was presented with the poppadoms and starters this was complimentary and was warmly welcomed fantastic!
We didn't have long to wait for our main course Chicken Korma, Garlic Chili Chicken Korai, Pilau Rice and 2 Tandoori Roti's. The Roti's were sublime, probably the best that I have ever sampled. My friend commented that her Korma WAS the best that she has ever had and that the rice was also nicely cooked. My Garlic Chili Chicken arrived steaming hot in its Korai dish and had an exquisite aroma. I waited a couple of minutes for it to cool, before diving in with my Roti curry heaven! The dish was intricately spiced with fresh green chilies and was top class. The chef is worth his weight in gold.
As others have mentioned, they do not have an alcohol license. They do however sell a wide range of soft drinks and bottled water. They were quite willing and happy for us to have a jug of ordinary water and didn't charge for this. They are also more than happy for you to bring your own wine/beer/lager to accompany your meal.
The Bengal Lancer is a great Indian restaurant and I would strongly suggest that you try it, should you happen to be in the area.
We are back off there on Friday, in order to try a couple more of their dishes. I am sure that we will not be disappointed. read more