I finally succumbed to the elegant frontage and the belief of the fine dining and opulent experience that awaited inside. Saturday night and it was on the off chance, we hadn't booked and I wasn't expecting to get a table but no problem.
First impressions are very plush and not what I was expecting. White & crimson walls, timber tables & chairs, timber floor with a few nice adornments but to me it felt more like contemporary cafe than restaurant. Overall a cold atmosphere not helped by all the doors being held open, it wasn't that warm on the night. There was a mix of people dining incl a family and their spoilt 8 year old daughter. The ambiance just wasn't there. The greeting and service was adequate, efficient but nothing special.
The menu arrived and it offers just enough. You know it is going to be more expensive than average but there is a confidence it will be worth it.
The poppadoms, two dips and onion salad were very good, surprisingly the slightly unusual mango chutney was the pick of the three.
The sheek kebab & palak pakora arrived after a little wait, both generous portions. The former with fried onions, carrot, both with a nice side salad. Both lacked depth of flavour and both were on the hot side.
There were no complaints with the depth of flavour of the main courses but similar to the starters the generous portions were both unfortunately on the hot side. This wasn't a problem for me but it spoilt the "medium" sag dish for my wife. The rice and onion kulcha were very good but the "fries" were a greasy imitation of a well known fast food outlet.
We didn't find room for a desert but for those who do traditional Indian sweets are available.
The drinks were not unreasonably priced although there isn't much of a choice of wine by the glass and the Carling had a strange after taste.
The bill arrived and at £43 for two was less than I was expecting.
To sum up, there were more negatives than positives, I am guessing that there are some very nice dishes on the menu yet to be discovered but based on my experience I have had better for less and left feeling underwhelmed. 4 stars only because I can't give 3.5
Booking not required on a Saturday night is perhaps saying something. read more