A Return Visit To The Curry Lounge In Somercotes
Published On Tuesday 6 Sep 2022 by Sticky Beak
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I’m an absolute bugger for taking venues that are literally up the road from me for granted, and I’m ashamed to say that The Curry Lounge in Somercotes have fallen prey to my lackadaisicality (yes, I did just make that word up, but I like it so it’s staying!). Despite visiting there pretty regularly for meals with family, the girls, and for takeaways I haven’t actually done a review for donkeys’ as we say around these parts. So I shall rectify that sad situation, right now...
His Nibs and I had been doing a spot of decorating at the nest (we seem to be in a never-ending cycle of decorating between our gaff and Mummy Birds’ pad, but it needs doing so we keep cracking on) and really couldn’t be faffed to do a meal from scratch. In a moment of genius, The Man got on the blower and snagged a table at The Curry Lounge; cue a rapid change of clothes, some power walking and a visit to the Co-Op for ‘liquids’ – the Curry Lounge isn’t licensed so you BYOA.
We’d rocked up about 15 minutes ahead of time but it wasn’t a problem and we were taken over to a table at the far side of the restaurant; I grabbed the plush, comfy banquette side, leaving His Nibs the free-standing chair, which are still comfortable, just not as much as my seating! One of the team swiftly brought over the menus then went away before returning with a beer glass and a bottle opener ; now that’s service. I never tire of the rich purple colour scheme and I would still walk away with the gorgeous lighting - if only they’d let me!
On Wednesday and Sunday there is a bobby-dazzler of an offer on: 4 course meal for £15.95 per person where you choose a starter from a selection, any curry from the popular or classic menu choices, Chips, Naan or Rice, and Tea, Coffee or Ice Cream to conclude. Now don’t panic, you get a Poppadom and pickle tray to kick you off, courtesy of the Curry Lounge team; I mean, you can’t go to a curry house and not have Poppadoms ‘n’ pickles – it’s the law!
I had Chicken Tikka to start, then Lamb Bhuna (just call me Smithy!); The Man opted for Mixed Kebab and Garlic Chilli Chicken, then we shared Garlic Rice and a Cheese and Chilli Naan. The pieces of Chicken Breast in my starter were lovely and juicy, their natural sweetness partnered beautifully by the spices coating their outer. I always save the minted yoghurt from the pickle tray to pour over the Tikka and the accompanying side salad, much to the amusement of His Maj! Feeling cheeky, I pinched a bit of the Onion Bhaji on The Mans’ plate – snooze, you lose, buddy! – and it was superbly crunchy outside, with no hint of oiliness to it at all. Meanwhile, he busied himself with demolishing the spicy hints of the Sheek Kebab and the pieces of Lamb and Chicken Tikka; this is a good sized starter with a nice variety of elements for those who can’t quite decide what they’re in the mood for.
The Curry Lounge team are all very friendly, and a couple of them stopped for a chat as they checked we were enjoying our food. The trolley never stopped, ferrying hot plates and dishes to eager recipients, and whoever was serving flashed smiles over at us as they passed by. It didn’t take us overly long to finish our starters and the plates and cutlery were smoothly removed, then fresh cutlery laid down in readiness for our main courses. One of the team popped down warmed plates moments before his colleague came over with the trolley that was laden with our morsels; I do like the fact that you have warm plates, it keeps your food nice and toasty for longer. Both bowls housing the curries were full to the brim and we could see plentiful chunks of meat in our respective choices.
A large, fluffy Naan overhung its serving platter and His Nibs tore it open, causing steam to issue forth from the middle, carrying tendrils of nose-twitching aromas upon it. I halved the Garlic Rice and served up The Mans’ portion, before emptying the remainder of the dish onto my own plate. Amongst the fluffy, pale rice grains were slices of golden toned Garlic and they were beautifully rounded on the palate; clearly Chef had cooked them carefully to avoid making them bitter and over-cooked.
Nine times out of ten I go for a Lamb curry at The Curry Lounge in Somercotes and this is because the meat is always sweet and tender with a great depth of flavour to it. I often err on the side of caution with Lamb when going to new venues, but I never have any quibble here. On this occasion, I’m pleased to report that my Lamb was every bit as delicious as on previous visits and the Bhuna sauce was nice and thick with a wonderful level of spice to it. You can clearly see the Tomato and Onion in the Bhuna and they give a fab substance to the dish alongside the plentiful meat component. This is a hearty dish, and I made good use of the Naan bread to scoop up all the scrummy curry sauce.
In comparison to my Bhuna, The Man Bird’s curry had an earthier, sharper tone to it – as well as a definite ramping up of spicy heat! His Nibs commented on the amount of Chicken in his dish as well as the moistness of it, partnered wonderfully well by the punchy Garlic and Green Chillies that gave this dish its oomph. You got the heat at the back of your throat and top of the nose, but despite its ardour it didn’t make the tongue or lips tingle. Like me, The Man Bird used the pillowy soft Naan to scrape up the sauce left on the side of his bowl and between us we had a pair of squeaky clean plates that were soon cleared away.
Our tummies were round and plump, full of yummy curries, rice and Naan so we skipped the temptation of Ice Cream, opting for a couple of black coffees, instead, to finish our meals. Hot Wings happily awarded again to this fabulous Somercotes curry house.
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