|
The Balooshai is on the Northern edge of
Huddersfield town centre, about 200 yards from the railway station. It
is situated under the railway viaduct built into one of the many arches
that now serve as shops and restaurants. It is not in the busiest end of
town, but is certain to attract plenty of passing trade due to the close
proximity of a Tesco’s store.
Parking the car outside the restaurant on a quiet Tuesday evening proved
slightly problematical; there is on street available, but even at 7pm
this was already taken. However, there is a public car park within
100yds.
On entering the restaurant we were greeted by a cheerful waiter who
allowed us to select our table and seated us immediately. First
impressions were a bit mixed; the décor is very basic and the fact that
it is quite small means that the tables are very close together. If you
are going for a private, intimate dinner – this is not the venue! Some
of the tables are very small with barely enough room for the cutlery and
napkins, so be wary of ordering too many dishes in any one course, as
they probably wouldn’t fit on the table! Whilst anyone in a wheelchair
could get access to the restaurant, they would be restricted in where
they sat, and we would recommend that they ring and book a table
beforehand. A wheelchair user may also have a slight problem with the
toilets which, whilst clean and functional for the able bodied, may
prove a little testing due to their size.
We arrived at 7pm and the place was already half full, probably with
folk eating straight from work. The place was full within the hour. The
atmosphere when full was buoyant, without being overpowering.
Our attentive waiter quickly took our drinks order, delivered the
pickles and popadoms, and left us with a menu. As you would expect,
there is the usual extensive drinks list, including many different
wines. However, there is only bottled and canned beer – no draught
available. The menu is quite varied, with most of the usual favourites
and the added attraction of a few oriental style dishes along with
plenty of vegetarian options. You can select from the a la carte menu,
or if you are visiting on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday – you
can order a main course and starter from the ‘Brownie Menu’ for a Tenner
each.
Having placed our order, we sat back to soak up the atmosphere and watch
the meal being prepared. Yes, that’s right, you can actually watch the
chefs preparing your dinner as the kitchen area takes up a good third of
the restaurant, which is visible from many of the tables. It was very
interesting to see the naan breads being rolled out and put in the
Tandoori oven, the meats being skewed, seared and the sauces added.
There was also a steady flow of people calling in to pick up take-away
meals, though this didn’t seem to affect the service in the restaurant.
Ah yes – the food. This what we came for and we were not disappointed!
We ordered the ‘House Mix’ starter for two, which consisted of Chicken
Tikka, chicken Satay, vegetable pakoras, cheese fritter and fried fish.
The starter came on a sizzling platter with fried onions thrown in for
good measure. Order this if you are hungry as it is a fair sized dish –
even for two.
Two main courses arrived after an acceptable interval. Chicken Dopiaza -
very flavoursome with plenty of sauce, though there was not as much
capsicum as perhaps there should have been; Lamb Khara Masala - lovely
tender pieces of meat in a rich spicy madras strength sauce. These were
accompanied by Pilau rice, mushroom Bhaji and one of the best plain
naans we have ever eaten. The portions were large and very tasty and,
importantly, they were hot (in temperature). The only things missing
were the regulation warming trays to keep the food warm - so slow eaters
be warned.
The bill came to £31.90 for the food and a further £8.40 for 4 small
beers. Not the cheapest in town, but value for money bearing in mind the
size of the portions.
All in all, a very pleasant experience which we will certainly repeat.
Does Balooshai means anything? Even if it does, we think it should be
redefined to mean ‘a little Asian culinary gem’.
To see
this restaurant on Virtual Huddersfield click here >
Balooshai
Back
to Restaurant Reviews
|
