IF I ever had to choose a last meal in my life, curry would be a strong contender...that is how much I love Indian and Bangladeshi food.
Despite living fairly close to Burton Latimer, I had never before eaten at Shaad restaurant and – accompanied by my husband – I decided to drop in one Wednesday night.
The eatery has fairly simple and traditional decor, this is not a place for fancy indoor water features (as I saw at one curry place in Leicester). Yet a plain restaurant does not mean plain food.
There is a real welcome as soon as you walk into the restaurant and we were quickly ushered to a table by one enthusiastic young waiter.
The menu itself was ambitious, with a huge array of dishes available for each course. The waiter reminded us that it was banquet night, which we hadn’t realised. This means that, on Wednesdays, for £9.95 each, a diner can order a starter, main course, rice or naan, a side dish (to share) and coffee for this one price. Impressive.
Payat ordered a bottle of Budweiser (£2.50) and I ordered a Coca Cola (£1.60) as well as our “banquet” options. The Coke was quite flat when it arrived but the waiter soon changed it for me when I raised this.
We began our meal with two popadoms and a selection of chutneys, which were very tasty; I particularly liked the spicy lime pickle.
For starters, I chose aloo chaat, while Payat went for the traditional onion bhajis and we shared them together. The bhajis were very well cooked but I thought my chosen dish was much more interesting: spicy potatoes and onions wrapped in a chapati, with a side salad and squeeze of lemon. I could happily have eaten this as a main.
For the main meal, I ordered a vegetable Madras while Payat opted for his favourite butter chicken. We both had egg rice and also ordered a side of matteer paneer (chickpeas and cheese).
The food arrive promptly and it really was a feast. Payat enjoyed his butter chicken, which included a huge lump of melting butter on the top.
My Madras had a bit too many strands of onion in for my liking but was delicious, good quality and hot, without being eye wateringly overwhelming.
The side dish of matteer paneer was creamy, cheesy, warm and comforting.
I’m afraid to say there were quite a few leftovers, but I think to really appreciate the Shaad banquet experience a diner really needs not to have eaten all day. I will definitely visit Shaad again.
RATINGS AT A GLANCE
VALUE: Excellent
FOOD:Good quality and tasty
SERVICE:Friendly and efficient
DISABLED ACCESS: Yes
PARKING: Plenty nearby
COST OF OUR MEAL
FINAL TOTAL: £26.40
Total cost of meal for two people, including drinks and popadoms