mallroad — Restaurant in Castle Point

Took a chance on Mall Road, as wanted to find somewhere a bit different, to go out with my wife. Settled on Mall road as it is within walking distance, and the blurb on their website was interesting - a good amount about the chef, and dishes that are a little bit removed from the familiar Indian dishes - although there is enough content that is recognisable to keep most people happy. The venue itself, from the outside looks fairly standard, and the inside decor is really quite subtle. There is enough room between table, and there are not too many tables. The decor could be a bit retro, I suppose, but it's neat, clean and tidy, with some lovely little touches such as the cutlery and plates. We tried the Molly woo woo cocktail, and the Indian Mule - never seen either of them on a menu, so decided to order. Well rewarded, as both were excellent. Served with fresh fruit garnish, mixed really well, tasted superb, and presented to a high standard. They were both really good. The food was equally delicious. Lamb samosa for starters, which was really freshly cooked, great presentation again, with a wonderful level of spice. Mains was a mix of Railway Lamb stew, with keema rice, and Kadai Chicken with steamed rice. Both main dishes were very tasty. The Railway Lamb had lots of sauce, and whilst it was definitely a curry, I can see why it's called a stew. Large cubes of slow cooked lamb in a mild sauce, really quite savoury. The chicken kadai was a drier sauce, thick, with really good flavour. Good sized pieces of chicken, cooked so you could taste the peppers and chillies. Both dishes really quite unusual, but well worth seeking out. We also ordered Bombay potatoes and a garlic naan. The potatoes were new potatoes, with a delicate spiced dry sauce, and the garlic naan were so fresh, I swear I could taste the flour - really was one of the freshest and tastiest mains dishes I have had for a long time. Just about managed to find room for the chocolates samosa, which I was a bit worried about, but it turned out to be a filo pastry triangle filled with choc chips and fruit, with a scoop of ice cream. Very tasty and again, totally different. Portion size initially seemed a little small, but seeing as I was struggling to finish my mains this smaller portion was perfect. We got to the venue at 18:00hrs on a Friday, and within an hour there were only 5 spare tables. Service was good - a young crew, one lad was on his second shift, but done terrifically well, supported by the other team members. No issues, with supporting a local business like this, which offers high quality food in a relaxed semi intimate venue. Prices were probably about average or lower, we had 2 cocktails, 2 drinks, 2 starters, 4 mains, 2 sides, and 2 desserts for £100. That includes 10% service charge, which overall, I was ok with, as compared to other local places, I would have spent more for similar quantity dishes - however, the speciality of Mall Road, is it's unique dishes, so if you fancy a regular Indian Curry, you can still get one here, but if you want to stretch your palette, and be a little more adventurous, I would certainly...

So, where do I start.... Firstly, I would take the reviews re Lidl's, small portions etc with a pinch of salt, I have never been to a fine dining restaurant that piles your plate high. If you are expecting a normal curry house experience, then this may not be the place for you. If you are expecting authentic Indian food that you may find in a 5* hotel in Dehli, then try Mall Road. The food is fantastic and a real culinary experience. I had the squid to start (something I would never have in a regular curry house) and it was outstanding, imagine thinly sliced squid rings presented in a delicate tempura batter and then experience the flavours of bombay mix tingling in your mouth. Mains were again superb, wife's Chicken Saag (happily changed from lamb on the menu) apparently was the best she has ever experienced. I had the Railway Curry which was lovely, the lamb melted in the mouth and the delicate flavours were stunning. At the end the chef owner Raju came out, introduced himself and asked how everything was, I thought that was a lovely touch. Finally, the people who are moaning about the price, this is not a regular curry house and yes, I did get a free beer with my curry, visit on a Wednesday night for their offers. I do have one criticism though, the menu is difficult to read, something that I am sure will change in the future when I...

First time there as we were looking for a new experience of Indian cuisine checked the net and we decided to go there although it's a bit far from where we are ... however arrived to there found us a table set down and started to order drinks followed by starter and the main course....got the drinks five minutes later the main arrived I asked where the starter got told you never asked for one ......then the waiter took the food back another ten minutes my partner starter arrived onions bahaji .. really disappointed as it didn't look or taste like one was just some onion made flat and very thin and fried very oily she did not eat it..... asked where is my starter was again told you didn't order any called the waiter who took the order ten minutes later I got my kebab ...was ok .... fifteen minutes later was told the main is ready brought 2 warm plats set there until they got cooled and then the mains arrived 10 minutes later....my was the special of the day ...ok but nothing to shout about very very lemony portion was good rice was good my partner chicken 🐔 madras unfortunately not as nice as other places .... paid the bill ... and left ...not going...