Lal Qila. Like a pleasant fungus (if there can be such a thing), it's spreading all over the north…read morewest and spawning spores Southport as well as the very city that gave us The Beatles, Ken Dodd and a water body full of jellyfish. I kid you not, every time I peer into the Mersey I see one of those see-through little deadly blighters bobbing around. Anyway, thankfully Lal Qila's seafood is one of its strong points and it hasn't attempted to do what would-be serial killer Patrick Bateman did and incorporate jellyfish into a sophisticated menu. Although that's not to say it ain't inventive. Like its Mancunian siblings, Liverpool's Lal Qila is a modern take on the curry phenomenon and has an army of polite staff at the helm waiting to attend to your every need, as well as a chef with a flair for invention and over 29 years experience. Not bad credentials, eh. This one started life in 1984 when I was a dimpled little one year old, and has grown and moved onto Eastbank Street four years ago. Its reputation for fabulous service precedes it, but what of the food? Firstly the ambient lighting, sophisticated demeanour and relaxing music seduces you, then you're treated to some really delicious curry. You've got to remember that real Indian food is supposed to be healthy, wholesome and fresh, not a greasy calorie-laden indulgence, and this restaurant takes that as given. It's all very authentic and you'll find your favourite Indian dishes here plus many more that you might not have thought of. Veggies are well catered for and all the meals are freshly prepared, so nothing will taste like it's been stewing in its own juices for about five hours. Top notch Ruby Murray.

After a run of fairly adequate, but indigestion-inducing indian takeaways from our usual place, we…read morethought we'd try Lal Quila. We had heard good things about the restaurant, and were pleasantly surprised to find that they did free home deliveries from their online menu.The food was delicious, the meat tender and the spices delicate. I WILL be ordering from them again- strongly recommended.

This is a restaurant that I regularly frequent. The decor may need a little refurbishing, but the…read morefood is great! The prices are very reasonable, and I've been satisfied by most of the dishes I've tried. I especially like the passanda (sweet and mild) and the pashwari nan (also sweet... see a pattern here?). The people there are very nice to us. Maybe it's because we're regulars, but they always make us feel welcome and cared after. Belash does take-away as well for slightly less than dining in. We often opt for this; we go in, order the food, and have a few drinks by their bar while the food is being made and chat with the people around us or with those who work there. Would highly recommend this place.

Nice food but the place is a bit grotty. Clean though.read more

I visited this restaurant with my mum, step dad and my boyfriend- all avid curry fans!!! This place…read morewas abysmal!!! we ordered starters to be followed by a selection of mains. The starters were bought to us in good time and were quite nice and flavoursome which was promising... Our starters cleared away we now wait 45 mins!(only one other table in the restaurant aswell, this should have started the warning bells!) for our mains 3 curry dishes- (a balti, a karahi and a achari all different tasting curries) They finally arrive, each curry looking rather dry, no sauce and tasting exactly the same! My boyfriend by now had lost all patience and called the waiter over to explain the problem- we waited that long and received food that just wasn't up to standard, the waiter was not very helpful at all, he just couldn't grasp the concept that all of the dishes tasted the same and were not very nice either- 5 mins of bickering and we were still no further so we decided to pay and leave still extremely hungry and left feeling very disappointed. Will never be returning here EVER!!!

And so we move on to another of Formby's much loved restaurants, the Balti House. One of the…read morethings I love the most about the Balti House is how it's situated inside a small white bungalow, as if a family actually used to live there then decided to open up a restaurant instead and serve a whole load of middle-class Liverpudlian outcasts. Once inside, you are warmly greeted by the helpful staff who clearly know their kormas from their jalfrezis. The food itself is lovely, proving excellent value for money and washed down well by a few pints. We usually stumble here at the end of a 'quiet' night in the pub and find ourselves ordering the really spicy curries, despite the protestations from the staff that it might not be such a good idea (let's just say we always end up regretting it in the morning). Despite this, I would say that the Balti House is easily one of the best restaurants in Formby, offering great food at good prices. This combined with a lovely atmosphere and helpful staff serves to create a charming dining experience.

I'm not a huge fan of Indian food in the first place and I've had quite enough bad curry in…read moreManchester to put me off for life. It was only recently then that I went to Hilal - for a long time Formby's only Indian restaurant, sited inside a small bungalow on the edge of the village. It took a good few strong drinks at a friend's leaving party for me to actual venture inside. I was, I must say, pleasantly surprised. Firstly; the staff were friendly, helpful and even concerned (a friend ordered the extra strength mixed meat dish which he was advised was incredibly hot. When he said that he could handle spicy food, the waiter looked genuinely worried for the lad - a worry that turned out to be founded as he drank off several pints of iced water before he could properly talk afterwards). Secondly I very much enjoyed the dish I picked, a sweet prawn dhansak with delicately flavoured rice, which was a world away from the claggy, creamy versions I had eaten on Manchester's Curry Mile. Hilal has certainly curried favour with me. Sorry.

I bloody love a good Indian, but when it comes to getting one in Formby, the Balti House in the…read morevillage generally gets my vote. However, Shanti gives it a good run for its money. I've been on a couple of occasions for a proper meal and my experiences there with their food have always been very good. It can be quite expensive but with all the additions you end up making to your original choice, it's to be expected a lot of the time. However, if you do have concerns about price, I strongly recommended visiting Shanti of a Sunday afternoon during which they have an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet for just ten pounds. That's right, TEN pounds. And unlike those crappy Chinese all-you-can-eats, where they just seem to make everything a bit crap because you're not buying the meal outright on its own, the dishes on offer at Shanti are made with as much care and are of the same standard as those served during a normal meal. I'm a bigger fan of Indian food than Chinese food anyway, so this represents great value for money and gives an interesting alternative to the traditional roast dinner or carvery that you might usually go for.

The food itself was rather tasty and i enjoyed it. But it was upstaged completely by the rudeness…read moreof who appeared to be the owner to customers and too members of his own staff

take away only. good value. good food. really nice people.read more

'Passage To India'. It all sounds very exotic, doesn't it? Not quite so in reality though, I'm…read moreafraid. The 'passage' in question is in fact a small passageway down the side of a Bargain Booze that leads through to their restaurant. From the outside, Passage To India doesn't really look that glamorous at all either, with the brown brick building it's situated in making it look more like a mill than an Indian restaurant. Thankfully, the restaurant setting inside is much more cosy and comfortable, with the waiting-on-staff there ensuring your every need is seen to whilst you are in their company. The menu features all the finest dishes that you'd expect from an Indian restaurant as well as including some more extravagant choices for the adventurous amongst you, all available at a decent although not too cheap price. Passage to India it might not quite be, but passage to a full and satisfied stomach? I think so.

Passage to India is our favourite Indian Restaurant in Ormskirk. My husband and I are both…read morevegetarian and they have a lot of vegetarian options available. My husband can't resist the Vegetable Thali which consists of at least seven to eight small dishes on a platter and I always choose the Vegetable Exocitica which is a mild curry they are both equally delicious. No room for desserts as the meals are quite adequate. The staff always give you a warm welcome and you do not have to book.

3 of us dined here on Sunday night. We had Poppadoms with chutneys to start, mixed kebabs, chicken…read moretikka & Chicken pakora as starters, which were beautiful and very tasty. We had chicken korma & tikka massala and 'Aji Baji' special which was lovely & plentiful. For this, including rice each, 2 large naan breads to share (9inch each so too much for 1) & 2 rounds of drinks came to a £77.00. The service was very good and the waiter asked if we would like a 10 minute break before our main course was served which was much appreciated. I think the biggest let down was definitely the decor and toilets. The website is very impressive, but upon entering, not at all what we were expecting. The lovely conservatory was not open, (looked like it was used for parties only) the purple doors were a bit garish and the 'bamboo' theme a bit tacky. I remember the toilets from my visits to it's predecessor - the rose and crown pub and that was nearly 15 years ago. At the prices they are charging, it would be nice for them to at least give the main dining area and toilets an overhaul to make the dining experience even better

friendly courteous and witty service, amazing food that you know has been cooked freshly and with…read morepassion.

Lal Qila is a very pleasant Indian restaurant (as you may have guessed) that offers its customers…read morethe usual range of spicy, tasty Indian cuisine at pretty reasonable prices. From the outside, Lal Qila looks anything but the 5 star restaurant it claims to be, but the interior of the restaurant is a bit better as it is quite comfortable and classy without being too extravagantly decorated. The menu there features all the usual range of Indian dishes that are all very well-cooked as well as being excellently presented and tasty. Interestingly, Lal Qila also has an Indian tapas menu on offer which includes a buy three get one free deal, representing excellent value for money as well as giving an interesting twist on the usual way you'd get your curry fix. The staff there are friendly and attentive, ensuring your dining experience is an enjoyable one and its reasonable prices mean Lal Qila is a great place to go if you fancy an Indian. They also have a takeaway menu too if you fancy slobbing out in front of the TV instead.

Established in 1984 and moved to Eastbank Street in 2006, Lal Qila, is a contemporary indian…read morerestaurant, with 5 stars and owned by Tony and Sharon Miah. From the outside, the restaurant looks very attractive and inviting. Inside the decor is pretty plan and basic wooden tables are set out. So I wouldn't say it's glamorous inside, especially when they call it 5 star. But this doesn't matter all that much, because the glamour and effort has gone into the food, and I think this is also where you will find the 5 stars. On Mondays a three-course meal for two plus wine costs £29.95. There is a daily early evening special between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, when it's £10.95 for three courses, and on Sundays it's £9.95 for three courses all evening. So relatively good prices.