Last Friday, my boyfriend and I went to eat at Tandoori Nights in Amesbury. I was a little apprehensive (I’m not a big fan of Indian food), but I’d heard so much about the place that I thought I’d give it a try. Due to the temperature, I wasn’t even that hungry (and I had a bar of chocolate back at home), so I knew I wouldn’t be going to bed hungry, even if I hated the food.

The restaurant has a small frontage and the entrance struck me as a little pokey. It really felt as if we were going to a takeaway place as opposed to a sit-down meal. 

It shows how wrong first impressions can be. When you enter the restaurant, there’s a decent sized bar with a sitting area and, what the restaurant lacks in width, it makes up for in depth. We were greeted by really friendly staff in amazing uniforms (Indian military) with the company logo sewn on (which should have looked tacky, but actually didn’t) and offered a table set for four so that we could have more space.

The menu was a pleasant surprise- it’s the only Indian restaurant I have visited where ostrich and venison are on the menu, and not just as a “daily special”. Finally an Indian where it’s not just the predictable curries!

As we were perusing the menu, we were brought some popadoms and a variety of dips. As some of you will know, I am not a fan of coriander. This meant that I avoided two of the dips. I did, however, try the mango chutney (average as far as chutnies go) and a mint dip (which was yellow, so I’m guessing that it may have had some saffron in there). 

Despite having such an menu from which to choose, I was predictable and ordered the chicken korma (they had two variations and I opted for the creamier, more coconut based version) and sag rice (tri-coloured rice with spinach). My boyfriend ordered ostrich tikka masala and naan bread. We also ordered two Kingfisher beers. I don’t care if it looked unladylike, beer is better with a curry than wine. 

From my very first mouthful, I regretted the fact that my appetite was so small. The food was really good. Really good. I never thought I would say this, but Tandoori Nights reminded me of my all time favourite Indian restaurant (The Panahar, Esher, Surrey). High quality meat, full of flavour, very fresh and incredibly tasty, without being overly fragranced. Dan was looking at my korma, and no matter what he says, he had food envy. I tried a piece of his ostrich and really enjoyed that. The masala sauce was slightly too perfumed for me, but I could have eaten it and enjoyed it. I probably would have liked his more had I not tried mine first.

Despite my best efforts, I could only eat about a half of my curry. The portions were very generous and next time I think I’ll ask to have the rest as a takeaway. Dan demolished his, but even he couldn’t finish mine. 

After the main course, we were both struggling to move, so a pudding was out of the question. I did, however, spot kulfi on the menu, so I shall definitely be placing an order on my next visit!

Overall, I really liked the restaurant and I’ll make a trip there when I’m in the area again. I quite liked their canvases on the wall (pink and purple hued nature scenes), Dan would have liked it to have stayed true to an Indian theme. I was just pleased that, rather like their menu, their décor was unexpected too. 

#food #curry #indian #restaurant #friday #amesbury