I've been a fan of the Banyan Tree's approach to Indian cuisine for a couple of years, after eating at their other restaurant in Werrington so when they opened a city centre restaurant much closer to home I was pleased to say the least.
The Westgate restaurant is unique for Indian restaurants in Peterborough city centre, for starters it's tastefully decorated! There's no vision-blurring gaudy colours, just a smart, clean decor. Sitting downstairs on the sofas you could be mistaken for thinking you're in a trendy London bar, with not only a cocktail menu but also Mongoose lager on tap (the BEST lager for pairing with a curry!). It's also great to see that much of the original bar woodwork (I believe the building is listed, formerly the Royal Hotel but more recently was host to a bar/nightclub).
I love my curries spicy and often get strange looks in other restaurants when asking for the heat levels to be dialled up a notch, but the waiter at the Banyan Tree was very accommodating and went as far as suggesting a different dish entirely. Unfortunately I can't remember what it was called, but it was served with some kind of roti on top it certainly got some glances from diners on other tables! I just hope I can find it on the menu again next time.
The food at the Banyan Tree is slightly more expensive than some of the other restaurants in Peterborough, but then the quality is far, far higher.
For me, the unique selling point of the Banyan Tree (both Werrington and now Westgate) has been the menu. Gone are the tired, boring korma, bhuna, balti, dopiaza, madras, jalfrezi, vindaloo that every other restaurant in Peterborough seems to class as a special. It's possible that because the Banyan Tree is Indian-owned (many other restaurants in Peterborough are Bangladeshi-owned) they are keen to promote their own style of Indian cuisine.
I've travelled to India and the food at the Banyan Tree is easily as good as anything I had out there, without the hassle of a nine-hour flight.
The best Indian restaurant in Peterborough. read more