When a dish on a menu has the words ‘must try dish’ in capital letters written next to it, you’re unsure whether to trust what is written, or take the advice and run with it.
My travel blogging friend and I came across this on Namaste Delhi’s Aberdeen Restaurant Week (ARW) menu and were immediately intrigued.
Do we order it? Or is it a trap? Only time would tell if our decision was correct or not.
We were both visiting to sample the menu for the event which is taking place until Thursday (March 17) and I was keen to try a variety of things out.
Megan (my friend) and I have a shared love of food. And we have an even greater love of sharing our food when we are out together.
I knew when I saw the £25 menu, which lets you pick two courses and either a naan or portion of rice, that she was the woman to assist me in uncovering what the Bridge Street venue has on offer.
For those who have never been, the restaurant is quite remarkable. Its shopfront is lit with fairy lights, but the columns inside and the walls which feature stonework in shades of grey and white are very appealing to the eye. There’s also the odd splash of colour added with tapestry, candles and ornaments around the venue.
The ARW menu is bursting with plenty to choose from. There’s four starter options, 11 mains, four rice and four naan, plus four desserts.
We arrived around 6pm at the contemporary Indian tapas restaurant on Thursday night and were seated against the wall on the right, my back to the grand piano which is in action most Friday and Saturday nights.
The food
I ordered a Diet Coke while my friend had a soda water and lime.
We were treated to some poppadoms and chutney, of which there was three flavours – one sweet, one similar to chimichanga and the third a tomato-based one. All of them were enjoyable, but it was the sweeter one which I adored while Megan fixated over the chimichanga-style one.
We ordered the samosa chaat and were recommended the Delhi chilli chicken by our waiter for our starters. She made the most enthusiastic face when doing so, so we knew it had to be good.
What I will say is when visiting, go hungry.
The portion sizes were quite big – I certainly wasn’t complaining – but a little goes a long way here.
The samosa, which was stuffed with potato and spices, sat on top of masala chickpeas of which there must have been a full tin of. It was drizzled with yoghurt on top and crisp tikha gathiya which are crunchy fried strands of gram flour dough.
It had so many savoury flavours going on, with the masala flavour really dominant.
The chicken was my favourite though. Lightly battered and fried, it was smothered in a chilli and soy sauce which gave it this sweet vs sour feel. Peppers and red onion has also been fried and tossed in the sauce and their succulent finish complemented the crispier, juicy chicken.
Both dishes were also topped with a good handful of chopped coriander.
We were already feeling full and hadn’t even managed to finish our starters, leaving what little room we had left for what was to come.
The Delhi Murg Makhani – the dish with the ‘must try’ side note – was marinated chargrilled chicken cooked in a traditional tomato and cream gravy and we also opted for the railway lamb curry which, according to the menu, was served on the Indian railway during the colonial era. It boasted coconut flavoured lamb with potatoes.
Peshwari naan was a must and our waiter recommended the Mutter Pulao rice which had plenty peas.
The stand out curry was by far the chicken one. The flavours were phenomenal and we couldn’t resist continuing to go back to it again and again.
While the lamb was beautifully cooked, this curry was much milder, and featured flavours of turmeric, ginger and tamarind.
The filling of the naan and the glaze on top glistened in the light. It was cut into quarters and wasn’t too thick. Light and full of flavour, it and the rice soaked up all of the sauce on our plates.
We couldn’t stomach it all and ended up with a container each of leftovers for lunch the next day.
The verdict
Stuffed to the brim, we were treated to a complementary chocolate on our departure, which disappeared on my 40 minute walk home.
The dessert menu featured a traditional sticky toffee pudding, which I was surprised to see on an Indian venue’s menu, however there were other dishes including ice cream, Gulab Jamun (a milk-powder dessert made with rose water, lemon juice and baking soda or flour) and Kulfi which is traditional Indian ice cream.
Both my dining partner and I were very impressed with the portion sizes so if you’re looking for value for money, Namaste Delhi is your place to go.
Information
Address: Ground Floor, 64 Bridge Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6JN
T: 01224 379920
Aberdeen Restaurant Week deal: Two courses with rice or naan included, £25 per person.
In addition, the venue is offering cocktail classes (£50 for two people) and cookery classes (£75 for two) during the event.