Dinner At Shalimar Indian Restaurant In Darley Dale
Published On Saturday 22 Aug 2015 by Sticky Beak
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As a flock we love going out to celebrate occasions together, and so this week saw us congregate at Shalimar Restaurant for my Mummy Birds birthday. There is plenty of parking at the front of the restaurant and as we pulled up at 6.30p.m there were already plenty of cars there. The first things you notice as you go inside are the very plush sofas in the takeaway waiting area, and the large bar. The main restaurant is very nicely decorated with several ornate chandeliers providing ample lighting and the swag curtains are also very atmospheric. All the staff wear co-ordinating black and burgundy uniforms that compliment the furnishings and look very smart. The tables are pristinely laid out, and Mummy Bird and I were admiring the fresh floral arrangements on the bar.
We were seated at our tables and handed menus to look at, and our drinks orders were taken. We ordered Poppadoms and the pickle tray to get us started as we decided on our other courses; the Poppadoms were lovely and fresh and not greasy at all and we tucked in eagerly. For our starters we ordered the Tandoori King Prawn, Prawn Puri, Garlic Mushroom Puri, Mixed Grill Tikka and the Shashlick Tikka. All the dishes were beautifully presented with side salad garnishes and we were all amazed at the amount of meat in them (mushrooms in the case of the Mushroom Puri). The group consensus was that they were extremely tasty, nice and hot, and very generous portion size wise. We were all really looking forward to seeing and tasting our main courses given the standard of the starters.
As you know dear reader, my Daddy Bird loves the flavours and spices in Indian cuisine but does struggle with “heat” and the tingle you get on your tongue and lips from anything too spicy so the staff at Shalimar then did something we haven’t experienced so far; they brought out two little bowls of sauces that the Mackhan Chicken could be made with. The first sauce was a more robust tomatoey tasting morsel that myself and Mummy really liked, the second was a creamier, sweeter sauce that my Daddy Bird, Chickadee and The Boy Wonder favoured. In the end my Daddy had the Chicken Mackhan with the creamier sauce and my Mummy had Chicken Mackhan with the more tomato based version. I opted for Chicken Achari Mazi (a medium curry), His Nibs had Handi Gosht from the Chefs selection and our Chick had the King Prawn delight. We also ordered Pilau rice, Vegetable Pilau Rice, Lemon and Cashew rice, Plain Naan bread and a Keema Naan to accompany the curries.
Our starter plates were cleared away and fresh, hot plates placed before us in readiness for our main dishes. Without exception the curries were all magnificent; they were all jam packed with chunks of meat and my little Chick was astounded by the sheer size and volume of the King Prawns in her dish. The Chicken and Lamb were very tender, and we all sampled bits of each other’s choices and said that we could’ve eaten any of them quite happily. The rice dishes were light and fluffy, not greasy and claggy in the slightest and the breads were equally good. Our tummies were full to bursting at this point but the Man and I ordered dessert (purely to be thorough in our review you understand).
In the brief interlude between clearing our plates and bringing out the puddings one of the staff came to our table and did a little card trick with our Chick which we thought was a really nice gesture. It will come as no surprise to hear that the Man ordered Tarta Fantastica as that is his favourite dessert after a curry, but I went for something called the Emperors Choice (Chocolate and Mint Ice Creams with a White Chocolate) and I have to say it was very pleasant. To finish the meal off we ordered 4 coffees and a Hot Chocolate. As the coffees were brought out there was another surprise from the Shalimar team - a Chocolate Birthday Cake with a sparkler on top was placed in front of my Mummy Bird, much to our delight. Then a birthday card was given to her and when she opened it there was a £10 voucher to spend next time she visited Shalimar. It was a really touching gesture, and the other birthday party in the restaurant also had their occasion marked in this manner.
Throughout the evening there was a steady stream of diners arriving and at no point were there less than 20 people eating. It was nice to see family groups with children of all ages eating together, as well as couples. The phone was also busy with telephone orders, so I think that it is a popular choice for locals wanting to savour good food in the comfort of their own homes. All the staff were very polite and attentive, with check backs at each of our courses to ensure we were happy with our meals. The pricing is very reasonable too; for all our food and each adult had at least 2 alcoholic drinks the bill came to £150 for the 5 of us, so hardly an excessive bank busting bill.
If you haven’t been to Shalimar before, I can’t recommend it highly enough to you dear reader. I would advise that you make a reservation though, especially at weekends, given that it was so busy on a midweek night. It certainly won’t be long before we venture back. Hot Wings ahoy to team Shalimar, and thank you for making my Mummy’s birthday meal such a happy event.
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