I'd read somewhere that Bhang was offering curries like the ones in UK and that was enough for me to want to make a trip there pronto.
And I took Stef and Viv there along with me. First impressions were that the conversion of the warehouse was done really attractively. The upstairs dining room was prettily presented under sparkling candlelight. It was a bit dark to read the menu but the ambience was certainly romantic. The menu is varied with delicious sounding items but none of them with the UK Indian roots I was expecting.... |
- Spinach and Paneer Samosas w/ tamarind and date chutney
- Crispy Spinach Chaat - Battered spinach leaves w/ tamarind yoghurt
The crispy battered spinach leaves were a hit and delicious. We found the pastry on the samosas a bit thick and brittle and flavour somewhat muted.
- Bathak Peri Peri - Goan spiced roast duck
- Gobhi Korma - Charcoal roast cauliflower w/ almonds, raisins, honey and yoghurt
- Balichao Do Porco - Goan slow cooked pork w/ shrimp sauce and tamarind
- Kolhapuri Tambda Rassa - Rich red lamb neck curry from Maharashtra
I thought the curries looked quite vibrant and attractive although the small tin pot of pork curry was more canteen food presentation than restaurant.
Surprisingly it was the cauliflower that seemed to work the best and that was because the sauce was thicker. And that was really our main concern about the food. We found the curries to be less Bhang and more a whimper...a bit weak and watery really. The duck curry had some mashed vegetables so that with the sauce thickened it up a bit but if you just had the sauce it was too watery.
The pork curry tasted like a Chinese pork stew - not bad but not really the spicy, Indian cuisine we had in mind.
We had hoped for some spicy whallop but really found it much more muted than we'd hoped. It wasn't distasteful but just lacked richness and depth so I'm still searching for somewhere to match that UK curry benchmark.