No sooner had The Man Bird and I got home from holiday than we were hopping in the jalopy and heading over to Findern to visit Lagan Indian Tapas restaurant! Previously, we had had the privilege of dining in its sister site in Nottingham City Centre, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so we had high hopes for this venue. Grabbing one of the many parking spots, we headed inside, eager to see what this team offers.
Located right on the bankside of the Trent and Mersey Canal, Lagan Indian Tapas certainly boasts some incredible views, and the outside vibe is relax-central. As well as thatched, Tiki-style parasols over tables, there are several different, colourful ones over other the plentiful seating and if you need cover (well, we are in England, so the weather, y’know?!) there is an area for large groups and/or communal seating.
Additionally, Lagan Indian Tapas has a pair of rather swanky Cabanas that are available to hire for evenings: one seats approximately 8 people, the other has capacity for about 20 folks – perfect for parties or celebrations. Multiple strings of fairy lights are situated centrally in this outdoor courtyard, providing chilled ambience on balmy summer evenings.
The aforementioned weather was being less than stellar – clearly, June had not got the memo that she’s meant to be flaming! On that note, His Nibs and I headed inside to dine, and the interior is no less impressive and welcoming than its alfresco cousin. A friendly greeting was offered immediately, and we were escorted over to our table in one of several dining areas; I always love it when there are nooks-and-crannies, rather than one open space, as I think it makes for a more cosy, intimate feel. Pale, grey stone floor tiles complement the dark stone-effect tables very nicely, and at one end there is a striking dark green banquette seat that is below a mirror- and faux foliage- festooned wall. The area adjacent to where we were seated had more arrangements of the foliage decorating its ceiling, interspersed with amber-toned lights. Needless to say, we both found it to be a lovely venue, and soon settled back to see what dishes were on offer.
His Nibs does love Cobra lager, and especially when it’s on draught, as it is at Lagan Indian Tapas, so he ordered a pint (£5.50). I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol, so I ordered a large 750ml bottle of Harrogate sparkling water (£3.95) to accompany my meal. Our lovely server soon got us sorted with the Poppadom and Pickle Set (£3.95), which turned out to be a sizeable black bowl filled with triangular pieces of super-crunchy Poppadom and a trio of Chutneys: Mint, Tomato, and Mango. Lagan offers any 3 Tapas for £17.95, so we decided to have a trio of tempting morsels for starters, but then my beady eye spotted possibly one of my favourite snacky-snacks: Chaat (£6.95), available as either Samosa or Papdi variants. Personally, I love the Papdi/Papri style of this popular Indian street-food dish; I think it’s the broken-up pieces of crispy fried dough wafers (Papri) that are my favourite element of the dish, smothered as they are in a variety of tangy, spicy Chutneys and cooling yoghurt. Add in Chickpeas and crunchy Pomegranate seeds and you can see why this is so beloved. So, for starters, we had the Chaat, and then Gobi Manchurian, Chicken Tacos, and Fish Amritsari from the Tapas section.
Waiting for our starters to come out, we just kicked back and nattered away, watching narrowboats go past on the canal from our table. We weren’t waiting long before a large bowl of Papdi Chaat was set down before us, swiftly followed by the Tapas which were all served in colourful, rectangular vessels. With no hesitation whatsoever, I began to spoon out the Chaat, and that first mouthful was glorious! My palate buzzed happily with soft and crunchy textures and sweet, sour, tangy and spicy flavours. Street food is often over-looked, but some of the most dazzling dishes are of this genre, and Lagan certainly do a marvellous interpretation.
It's always a struggle to get His Nibs to eat vegetables (though credit where it’s due, he’s certainly getting much better) so I sneakily ordered the Gobi Manchurian, a dish where Cauliflower florets are coated in a batter and fried until crispy and then coated in a sweet, tangy, spicy sauce of Soy, Chilli, Ginger and Garlic. At Lagan Indian Tapas in Findern, the veg retains a great crunch to it, staying nice and firm to the bite so it pairs fantastically with the crisp batter, and its naturally mild taste allows the thick, spicy sauce to ping against it. The Man loved this, so I wasn’t about to burst his bubble and tell him he’d eaten Cauliflower!
A pair of fully stuffed, corn Taco shells were housed neatly in a proper holder, garnished with herbs and a wheel of fresh Lime. The pieces of Chicken were tender and juicy, ramped up with Desi spices for a multi-layered flavour experience; cooling shreds of Lettuce and Yoghurt tempered the fiery elements of the dish nicely.
Fish Amritsari manages to combine the delicate flavour of succulent white fish with bold spices such as Garlic, Garam Masala and Chilli, bring in a zhuzh of citrus to lift things in the palate, and then provide contrast between the soft flesh of the fish and a thin, crisp, chickpea flour batter outer. Honestly, this dish really does provide a lot of bang-for-your-buck in terms of taste and texture, and we were both totally enamoured with it.
So, having polished off our starters, it was time for the team to clear away our plates and bowls, and replenish napkins and cutlery in readiness for ‘round two’, so to speak. I chose the Malabar King Prawns (£17.95) for my main course, whilst The Man fancied the sound of the Murgh (chicken) Mewar, named in homage to Suraj’s former business in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Mewar Haveli. This was our first taste of a truly fine-dining Indian restaurant, and one that will stay in our memories forever…and I’m happy to say that, though more relaxed in the style of service, the standard of cuisine is the same at Lagan Indian Tapas in Findern.
Lots of fragrant King Prawns were evident in the bowl, bathed in the most wonderfully aromatic sauce of Coconut, Tomato, and Onion that had the distinct note of Mustard Seed within it. Gorgeously balanced in the mouth, the unctuous sauce teased my taste buds, delighting them with multiple layers of flavour. This was a tantalisingly rich curry, and the full depth of its spice slowly crept up on my palate, culminating in a gentle tingle with the final mouthful. One thing I loved about the consistency of the sauce was that it really clung to the grains of Pilau rice and the Roti Naan we’d also ordered.
The Man’s Murgh Mewar was an absolute master class in elegance and refinement, pairing tender strips of Chicken breast meat with Baby Sweetcorn, crunchy Cashew nuts, and finely sliced Onions in a piquantly spiced Tamarind sauce. Brighter and bouncier on the palate than my curry, this was beyond sublime; there was still a definite fire to this curry, but not quite so ardent as mine. As with my King Prawns, there was no shortage of chicken to be eaten – safe to say that Chef is a feeder! Also safe to say that Chef is a bit of a genius when it comes to spices; complex and nuanced, these spices had been blended by an expert hand to produce a curry that had flavour by the bucketload.
Pilau rice (£3.95) was given the ‘glow-up’ treatment, the spice pods and seeds evident within the grains and, wow, was this humble staple elevated to something way beyond ordinary! Both of us were jolly happy that the portion size was generous, too, as it came in very handy for mopping up any rogue curry sauce still in the bowl. Talking of mopping up those last scraps, the [ready-quartered] Roti/Chapati (£3.50) was also a handy (and tasty) accessory. Roti is a simple, whole-wheat bread that is cooked on a griddle, which is what gives it those fabulous charred bubbles that lend a smoky hint to its taste. Usually, we’ll go for a variant of Naan, but didn’t fancy this richer, thicker, tandoor-cooked bread on this occasion.
Throughout our time at Lagan Indian Taps in Findern, the service had been top-notch and we’d wanted for nothing. There are those that assume we get ‘better’ service because venues know who we are – gosh, that sounds pretentious, doesn’t it??! I don’t mean it in the snotty “don’t you know WHO we are?” way, I mean it in the ‘the team have seen it on the booking system’ way. Anyhow, back to the point: the team had no clue who we were, and had treat us the same as every other customer dining in that day, so I am more than happy to praise the team and their efforts. The restaurant was kept spotlessly clean at all times, and a smile or bit of chit-chat was given at every interaction.
Hot Wings happily given to this Findern restaurant! Family-friendly throughout, Lagan also welcomes dogs in both the outside area and in a separate section within the restaurant. Lagan Indian Tapas is open Mon-Sat Noon-10.30pm, and Sunday Noon-9pm, and to book a table either call 01283 701333 or visit www.laganindiantapas.co.uk and hit the ‘book now’ button.
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