Food

Lal Qila Restaurant Manchester Review


Lal Qila Restaurant
Deansgate, Manchester

www.imlibylalqila.com

Reviewed by Paul Harvey

On Tuesday 4 November, 2013, I visited the Lal Qila restaurant with my wife Louise and our seven year old daughter Scarlett. It is situated in the heart of Manchester on Deansgate, near to the Hilton Hotel.

Our table was booked for 5:30pm and on our arrival we were met by one of the two waiters. He was very polite and friendly. We were given a choice of tables and opted to sit by the window looking out onto Deansgate (watching all the people stuck in the rush hour traffic!). The restaurant is very chic, modern and very roomy (without tables crammed in for maximum occupancy). The decor, furniture and lighting also make it quite cosy and calming. It has three main seating areas: one as you walk into the entrance by the bar, another ‘The Gallery’ being a raised area at the rear and a large seating area upstairs which can be used for private parties and such like. The atmosphere is made even better by the ‘Modern Indo-ambient’ music, which makes a pleasant change from the usual style of music which seems to be played in most Indian restaurants.

After a short time a gentleman called Saleem, came to our table ready to take our order. He was a very nice guy, friendly and informative. We were asking him about different items on the menu and he recommended the Grand Mix Starter for Louise and me as we couldn’t decide which to have. Scarlett asked for Chicken Tikka pieces for her starter and a Chicken Korma for her main meal. For our main courses, Louise ordered a Special Seafood Mixed Grill, Balti sauce with Special Rice and I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (which I asked if they could make more spicy) with Pilau rice. We then received a tray of poppadum’s with accompaniments. The poppadum’s were very fresh and tasty, with a varied choice of five different accompaniments. For drinks I had a pint of Kingfisher lager, Lou had a glass of white wine and Scarlett had a glass of coke, which were all to the highest standard.

Our starters arrived just in time as we were finishing the poppadum’s. Scarlett’s chicken tikka pieces were cooked to perfection and she loved them, eating the lot! Our Grand Mix Starter came on a sizzling platter with onions and consisted of 2 pieces of chicken, 2 pieces of lamb, 2 chops and a large seek kebab. All the meat was sizzling away when it arrived, very tender, succulent and tasted fantastic. I normally avoid lamb at Indian restaurants, due to gristle and being chewy, but this lamb was perfect and tender. The chops were amazing and we didn’t leave a morsel of meat on those bones!

Once we had finished the starters, Saleem came over to speak to us, wishing Louise a happy birthday (which was the day after, but this was her birthday meal due to work commitments). He asked if we would like to see some magic, and produced a pack of cards. He began to shuffle them whilst talking to us, and I’ve never seen anything like it. His speed of hands was unbelievable and he had Scarlett sat there with her mouth open in amazement! He did a few tricks and kept us entertained for a short while, and then our main courses arrived.

Scarlett loved her chicken korma, and she ate the lot which considering she had already had poppadum’s and a big starter, was a sign of how much she enjoyed it. My chicken tikka massala was very tasty and delicious. It had a fine spicy twist as I had requested, containing just enough jalapenos so it wasn’t too hot. Louise’s seafood mixed grill arrived on the sizzling plate and she said it smelt gorgeous and looked amazing. Louise was very reluctant to order fish as she has always thought that any fish other than prawns shouldn’t be served with curry. She was extremely happy to be proved so wrong! There was a varied selection of fish, including crab, prawns, cod, etc. and she loved the lot. Her Balti sauce had a nice spicy kick with a few jalapenos in the mix and it tasted great alongside the fish.

A short time after we had finished our main course the music suddenly stopped and the “Happy Birthday” song began to play. One of the waiters appeared with a strawberry cheesecake on a plate with a large sparkler type firework sat in it. It was rather impressive and brought a big smile to Louise’s face! All the staff came around the table to present it and then everybody in the restaurant gave a round of applause. The cheesecake was very tasty, creamy and there was enough for Louise and I to share. Scarlett had a novelty “Hello Kitty” dessert with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate egg containing a little toy, which she loved and successfully put together.

Overall the staff at Lal Qila were fantastic with all their customers, being so polite, friendly and welcoming. We cannot fault any of the service, food or drinks throughout our night. The prices are all very reasonable and are not hiked up like many city centre restaurants. We will definitely visit Lal Qila again and have already recommended it to friends and family.

Rating: 5/5

For more information or to book a table visit www.imlibylalqila.com.

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