We visited new Bengal Brasserie in Leeds after chain opens sixth Yorkshire restaurant
Bengal Brasserie has opened yet another restaurant in Leeds - making it the Yorkshire chain’s sixth venue and its fifth in the city.
I’ve got fond memories of going to the chain's restaurants over the years and coming away from the restaurants, not only enjoying the food, but also the warm and hospitable service of the waiting staff.
The new restaurant opened in Stainbeck Road, Moortown, opposite the ESSO garage, last December. We ventured there just as the snow began to fall in January, not fully realising the week of chaos that was about to ensue.
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While the restaurant provided respite from the wintry weather, the venue seemed a bit small and poky with lots of tables crammed into the space. One table is located directly beside the door, giving diners an icy chill whenever the door opens.
The young group of waiting staff were very friendly and happy to have a good chat about the food and all things Bengal Brasserie. We began our meal by devouring poppadoms and pickle tray - the £6.15 price tag came as a slight shock afterwards, however. I can’t help feeling that pricing should have been made clear to us.
For starters, I had the tandoori lamb chop and my dinner guest had the salmon tikka. These dishes came to our table sizzling on a hot plate which always gives me a smile.
Each of the chops were bitesize and tender with a hint of spice. They made for some really delicate morsels and whetted my appetite for the next course.
The salmon tikka was succulent with a strong flavour, coming with an array of vegetables.
For our main course, we ordered king prawn jalfrezi and the Malia kofta. The jalfrezi curry dish came absolutely loaded with prawns, it was a really generous dish and very spicy.
The curry came mixed with a lot of vegetables, so it was a well-rounded dish, brimming with aromatic flavour.
The Malia Kofta, is described as a dish of fried balls of potato and paneer in a gravy made with sweet onions and tomatoes. The sauce was very sweet and very rich with tomato, it reminded me of a sweet tomato soup. The balls of potato were very delicate and had a melt-in-the-mouth quality.
The waiter sorted us out with a great vegetable side dish as well which possibly may have been off-menu. Our pilau rice dishes, we ordered mushroom and vegetable, came generously portioned. The garlic and coriander naan was also highly delectable.
Bengal Brasserie has this tradition of offering you a drink on the house as you’re paying for your bill which is always a nice touch - and goes down a treat.
The bill
Pickle tray - £6.15
Salmon tikka - £6.95
Tandoori lamb chops - £6.95
King Prawn Jalfrezi - £14.95
Malai Kofta - £10.95
Vegetable side dish - £4.95
Vegetable pilau - £3.50
Mushroom pilau - £3.75
Garlic and coriander naan - £3.75
Total: £61.90
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