This restaurant is situated in the commercial centre of Stavanger in Norway.
The décor is what we would term traditional but without the usual music.
My meal consisted of chicken Jalfazi – a number of differences were apparent from the uk right from the beginning – rice came automatically and the dish was offered medium , spiced or hot.
The food itself was excellent – the Jalfazi itseif had both green and red peppers in it – something I consider a must for this dish. Also present were carefully cut strands of ginger and the chicken itself had been skewered and marinated separately.
The sauce was heat with taste without a hint of floating gee – something I hate.
All in all an excellent restaurant. One word of warning Norway is not cheap, a main course, rice,naan and two drinks cost £40.00.
This licensed restaurant is always popular and as ever was packed to capacity on Friday night so always best to book.
A recent return vist saw me order the deliciously crispy Onion Bahjees, a personal favourite of mine, followed by the simply so -over -the – top- its brilliant Korai Chicken Tikka Masalla – a dish containing not only Chicken Tikka (natch) but also keema mince. Whats not to like…?
The staff are polite and always at hand, and once you have finished your meal a complimentary small drink is often served to enhance the experience of dining here.
I can whole heartedly recommend a visit to East One.
50, High St, Kinver, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY7 6HE
Tel: 01384 877448
This one time I was in Kinver, and having been to the fantastic Shimla, and the now defunct (and not particularily missed) ‘Sizzler Spice’, fancied trying the other Indian restaurant in Kinver village.
So we grabbed a take-away menu and headed off to the Bathams pub across the road to study it hard.
The menu is fantastic and tempts you with a myriad of delights…
To be honest though, the menu is actually better than the food that you get served as it was pretty run of the mill stuff at the end of the day…I nearly didn’t write this reveiw because it was a bit unmemoriable.
I do recall there being tons of salad when you order a starter, but you didn’t get a big portion of the starter itself. Very odd tasting mint raita too….
My wife had a Badam Pasanda which she has enjoyed elsewhere, but not so much here…I can’t even recall what I had (I wasn’t drunk!)
Try it if you like but I do think that Shimla has Kinver all sewn up for now -there is a new restaurant opening soon though in the village.
92, Church Avenue, Clent, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9PL
Tel: 01562 882456
Clent is a small rural villiage nestling away in the hills of the same name, to the south west of the Birmingham/Black Country conurbation. Years ago, factory workers from the industrialised towns used the Clent Hills as a weekend escape from their hammer-and -nails working life. The Clent Hills are still a great place for rest, recuperation and activity to this day.
So it is a little strange to find a Bangladeshi Tandoori restaurant at the foot of the Clent Hills, and is something of a secret that I have been dying to discover and sample for quite a while.
When you enter the main waiting area/lobby it could be mistaken for any other Indian Restaurant in the vacinity, but it is only until you are seated does it become evident that it deserves the name ‘Jaipur Cottage’ as it could pass for a tea-room, with its wood beams and horse-brasses, or indeed, a country villiage cottage, which, I suppose it is.
So onto the food. Its OK. As good as you would get anywhere, no better, no worse. I tried the non-vegetarian Thali which was a sampler mix of three dishes available- the Lamb Pasanda Nawabi -very mild and creamy, the Chicken Tikka Masalla (Strangely sour, but not unpleasant) and the Prawn Bhuna , medium, quite tomato based, nice enough, but the same as available in any other curry house in the West Midlands.
I guess the main comment from the rest of our party with their chosen dishes was…’meh, its just ok…’
I did find my starters at little bit lacking in content, two very small peices of Tikka, an average sized Shish and a larger than normal quantity of salad, so take from that what you will.
Prices are a bit high, at £7-8 for a main course, and it is licensed, offering both Cobra and Kingfisher as the Indian style lagers to compliment your meal and cool your Biriany down a bit…
Would I make a return trip? Well, yes, if I was in Clent, but I think the fact that I was eating in a Jaipur Clent ‘Cottage’, horse brasses or no, is not enough of a gimmick or a reason to go out of my way in future when there is so much elsewhere.
I happened upon this restaurant during a business trip, and decided to give it a try, on a miserable 2008 summer week-day.
The starter consisted of Chicken Tikka and this arrived in record time, all the pieces were the same size so this suggests a microwave job rather than something cooked fresh in a tandoor-not good.
For the main course I elected to try some thing different , ‘Ko e ayed’, and this was exactly how it was spelled on my receipt.
The dish was advertised in the menu as a lamb based dish with brown onion, in reality I got what I hate the most – a few pieces of lamb floating round in a sea of gee. When this happens the taste is nearly always the same – unpleasant, and this occasion was no different.
Unit 4 Tallaght Retail Park, Tallaght, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Tel:
01 451 4771
This establishment was visited twice in one week during a recent business trip.
On the first occasion the dish of choice was a standard chicken tikka masala, this was excellent in texture with the correct amount of spice and sauce base.
The strands of ginger required to make this dish complete were present a must from a personal point of view.
On the second visit the dish consisted of a chicken tikka starter cooked yellow and not spiced with horrible food colouring , why do so many restaurants do this?
The main course was chicken jalfrezi another standard, this was not up to the standard of the first main course the sauce did not ring quite correct.
To sum up a friendly well run restaurant offering value for money.
This restaurant with regard to atmosphere and decor suggests a high class establishment.
My starter consisted of spicedMackerel . This was adequate but in my view somewhatlow on the advertised spice.
Main course was Chicken Jalfrezi with a garlic Naan bread , the chicken was excellent
and the sauce well spiced and tasty without the burn factor you sometimes get.
The only thing lacking was enough green pepper in the sauce, it was ok but themeal seemed to consist of chicken and sauce with not much else.
The naan was excellent, of fluffy texture and full of garlic.
Overall a satisfying meal with none of the floating gee I so hate in Indian restaurants.
Prices on average Euro 4 -6 for starters and Euro 16- 18 for mains. Expensive byUK standards outside ofLondon but normal for Dublin.
“Don’t be in a hurry, if you come to Harrys” is what I have been advised my lead-off to this review should be by my Cousin, who suggested we try this contemporary restaurant yesterday evening.
The food is superb, and as the restaurant and staff are apparently ex ‘Laxys Of Lye’, this is of no wonder. I chose a Tikka Dansak as below.
Its well presented and cannot be faulted at all for quality. Delicious main courses are completed by nan breads, which come sweet and fluffy.
It was a busy evening straight after Christmas , and on entering I noticed the restaurant was at least three-quaters full. There was a party of at least twenty by the door who were being looked after by the staff and all the time people were calling for take-aways.
Now all this would be fine if seated customers were served within a reasonable time, but these places must decide who they are catering for, because a wait of an hour for a customer to be – not served – but just for their order to be taken, while take -away customers come and go, is dreadful, to be honest.
I truly believe that if you want a take-away, you should go to a take-away and not buy one from a sit-down restaurant. Restaurants , I think should serve seated customers in PREFERENCE to take-away cusomers, or not offer this service at all from the restaurant, because no-one really wants to wait over an hour for food.
We had to chase the restaurant staff just to get them to take our order, so this is something this restaurant need to take on board.
However once we got through this stage, it was served by polite and understanding staff, so its not all bad news.
Its not licenced so bring your own, but bring a lot of it because you could be in it for the long haul.
2f, High St, Wollaston, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 4NH
Tel: 01384 375919
My wife has been given a good report regarding Karma. This was after all the old ‘Neel Akash’ renamed and rebranded for the 21st century.
They mean business too, because the decor has been upgraded significantly with the revamp, as has the presentation of the food.
Its all flower shaped radish and fluted carrot garnishes on the sides of plates these days.
The prices have been upgraded somewhat too though, so your paying for the ‘experience’.
The food though, I can report, is delicious. I chose a Chef Special which was a Keema Mince and Chicken Tikka Bhuna with rice included, and I complimented with a Tandoori Roti. My wife chose Tikka masala which was dressed with boiled egg.
Unfortunately the whole evening was marred somewhat by the strange feeling of being unwanted in the restaurant. We hadn’t booked as such and this is fair enough, but it was 6:30 or so when we arrived and the restaurant, apart from one other party, was empty.
We were told to wait a while while we were found a table and this was no problem as one was found for us in the empty restaurant within 5 minutes.
I think, as it was Friday, a busy night was expected , but I couldn’t help get the feeling they wanted us fed, watered and paid up as quickly as possible to get another cover on our table.
We had nearly finished drinking up when we were asked to vacate the table and finish our drinks in the lounge. It had began filling up a little, so maybe I can understand, but there was nowhere to sit in the lounge area, so we ended up standing around , finishing drinks and then well, we left vowing never to return…….
I really do think that Karma staff should have a rethink in regards to the whole customer experience, as , as great as the food may be, and as nice as they have redecorated, there are a many restaurants in the area just as great where I will feel more welcome in future I’m sure.
37 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8AA Tel:01892 511119
This was not the first time I have visited this establishment, if I am working in the area it is always a good bet.
The cooking is a combination of traditional and a more modern western take, do not expect normal Indian restaurant decor the take is on the modern side without the music !
My dish consisted of Spicy Chicken Chettina from the modern side of the menu with a side order of spicy potato. The chicken came with a sauce that was lightly spiced with hints of ginger and not swimming in gee, always a plus in my book. The spicy potato’s were cooked correctly and spiced with a tikka based sauce -OK but I have seen better takes on this dish.
But to be fair everything tasted excellent. Prices for mains varied between approximately £6.00 and £12.00 the none traditional dishes been the more expensive. Drinks as with a lot of restaurants were somewhat expensive – £3.95 for a 660ml bottle of cobra.
174 High Street ,Lye, DY9 8LN Telephone: 01384 89 11 11
In the old days a Balti house used to be like a transport cafe. Glass topped tables, the menu underneath, rubbish wooden chairs and always cheap and cheerful.
These days, when there is so much choice, especially in the Balti capital of the Black Country – Lye – you need something little more to stand out from the old style of restaurant.
Enter ‘Bengal Fusion’.
Not a glass topped table in site, it has posh wooden floors and TV monitors on the wall showing modern ‘Bollywood’ style movies.
This restaurant was recommended to me and we all paid a visit on a busy Saturday night. Unfortunately we changed our booking at the last minute to accomodate a late arrival and the restaurant didn’t change the booking, however they did not give our seats away and with a minimum of fuss we were well looked after.
The food we received at this establishment was simply superb. One of our party had Lamb Chops as a starter. They were huge and looked fantastic. The picture here does not do them justice.
My Chicken Tikka Tawa was something else. Delivered on a flat metal ‘Tawa’ plate, it looked absolutely brilliant and tasted fantastic.
Naan breads and side dishes were also very well prepared with a great deal of effort to make everything look and taste ’special’.
Pricewise it is competitive without being overly expensive at all.
I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. It is one of a new breed of restaurant to hit Lye and the ‘old guard’ would be best advised to have a re-think, as the bar has been raised significantly by Bengal Fusion!
346-348, Kirkstall Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS4 2DS
Tel: 0113 230 4161
Reviewed by ‘Curry King’
Whatever the choice from the menu this place is an absolute joy to visit.
How many restaurants do you see almost full early on a week day night. The choice of cuisine is both traditional and inventive paying close attention to detail and presentation. The staff and manager are also helpful and friendly.
Meal consisted if Chicken Jalfrezi. This arrived fifteen minutes after ordering – even in an almost empty restaurant this is somewhat quick. The meal probably consisted of a base sauce with add ons to create the dish. The meal itself was neither good or bad , just what can be expected in fifteen minutes.
149, High St, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1DHTel:01732 770616
Review by ‘Curry King’
This restaurant is a modern take on the cuisine of the sub continent. Do not expect to hear traditional music or see the Taj Mahal on the wall.
The menu is split into two, half what you would expect to see and the other called evolved, which offers things like red snapper and sea bass.
On the first visit I went traditional with southern Indian garlic chilli chicken, this was excellently presented and nicely spiced without the sea of gee I so detest.
On the second occasion I selected sea bass with roasted spices and a dip of mango, this was not particularly spicy and more westernised than I expected but still an interesting alternative to the normal fare.
Food is reasonably priced but drinks are a tad on the expensive side.
122, High St, Kinver, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY7 6HL Tel: 01384 877744
Reviewed by: Andy
On a sunny early spring evening I got the taste for something spicy. Yes. A Curry.
So, with a burning need to add a new review to Yellowfingers my wife and I headed off to neighbouring Kinver of all places. A long way from the Brummy “Balti Belt”.
We’ve been in ‘Sizzler Spice’ before (review coming soon) but I had heard one good report of Shimla, and decided to give it a go……
Is it any good? Thats what you want to know right? Yes its good. Monday to Thursday you get the following for currently £7.50 a head: A starter of your choice (not King Prawn or Lobster), a main course, a Naan bread of any type….plus rice…….plus a side dish……still with me?……..plus coffee. For £7.50. There is no such thing as “too much”
Quality? Very good. Well cooked, tasty, and up there with the best. My Chicken Sashlick Bhuna was just fine.
The Menu? Extensive. The service? Excellent, polite, and we did not have to wait long for our food to arrive.
However…..there is a ‘but’ coming….
I can understand people needing to smoke. Its an addiction. But (there you go) there are times and places. I thought this was banned in restaurants now? If not, it should be. If you need a fag, go outside.
Oh, and the decor is currently being changed so, for the time being don’t expect any wallpaper to look at, but don’t let it put you off going either.
