The
Journal Review
July 2004, Food review reprinted courtesy of
The Journal Magazine, CIN
Spoilt
for choice at the Mango Tree
Helen Oakley discovers an Indian restaurant with a menu
full of surprises
When
an out-of-town restaurant is buzzing on a damp mid-week
evening, the food promises to be something special.
So it was at Mango Tree, on Chester Road, Stonnall,
an Indian restaurant full of surprises.
Its
workaday setting on the busy trunk road is the first
anomaly - once you step inside you find a smart, contemporary
dining room in cool neutrals. Above are large semi-transparent
globe lampshades, below is fresh crisp white linen tableware
and sparkling glasses in three sizes, the smallest of
them a vibrant blue. There's a warm welcome, and we
are ushered to our table and offered aperitifs.
The menu is the next surprise - more like a large book
than a menu card, it offers a whole list of options
you simply don't find in the standard Indian restaurant.
So - a dilemma - we had expected to plump for our usual
favourites, but were spoilt for choice, and had to ask
for more time to make a decision, which proved no problem
for our pleasant waiter who was happy to explain any
menu queries.
We pored over succulent-sounding fish choices from southern
India, tandoori options from lamb to swordfish; masala
dosa specials, which are different fillings in a rice
flour pancake, biryani dishes and plentiful vegetarian
choices.
The staff are happy to adapt any dish to your own preference.
For starters, I plumped for Murgh Tikka - chicken breast
marinated in red chilli paste, ginger, garlic, yoghurt
and spices. This had just the right amount of kick and
was complemented by mint chutney and a really fresh,
crunchy side salad, deliciously dressed.
My companion, Andy, tucked into his Gilafi Kebab - minced
lamb rolled in peppers, onions, fresh coriander and
spices and declared it 'very tasty, fresh, natural and
not over spiced'.
After a short interval (we were asked how long a break
we would like), our main courses arrived amid a fragrant
haze, a moment to savour.
I had chosen Lucknowi rogan josh, a tender lamb curry
in a rich tomato and onion sauce, which proved succulent
and spicy. Though I thought it slightly over-salted,
this didn't detract from the flavour. Fragrant saffron
rice and a side order of chickpeas were tasty accompaniments
and a fluffy keema nan was light and delicious with
a generous lamb filling.
Andy, a devotee of chicken tikka masala, tried Mango
Tree's own version of the classic dish, chicken tikka
kulchan, and said it was in a different class to any
previous version he had eaten. It was fresh-tasting,
not over spiced, tender without having too much sauce
and very tasty.
Portions at Mango Tree are not overwhelming and allowed
us space for a dessert. I can never resist mango, and
the mango sorbet sounded the perfect end to a rich meal.
While Andy, feeling adventurous, experimented with ras
mala, a milk-based dessert with pistachio nuts. The
former was totally heavenly; the latter proved, for
Andy at least, an acquired taste. Two scoops of what
seemed to be finely moulded pudding rice were swimming
in milk. I took a taste and agreed it was unusual, but
liked the texture, so we swapped desserts. As for the
mango sorbet, Andy agreed it was very fruity and refreshing.
We rounded off with after-dinner
mints.
Our only slight gripe was the automatic addition of
ten per cent service charge to the bill; though it's
true the small print on the bottom of the menu warned
us that there would be a 'discretionary' service charge.
We would have been more than happy to have tipped to
the same amount voluntarily.
A personal, friendly farewell from the staff was a nice
gesture to end a very enjoyable evening.
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