Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Restaurant review: Fabulous Indian feast at Echt Tandoori in Aberdeenshire

Indian cuisine at its finest at Echt Tandoori.
Indian cuisine at its finest at Echt Tandoori.

How do you like your curry – super mild or tongue-scorchingly hot?

South Asian cuisine is full of flavoursome options for plain-Janes or spice connoisseurs and one of the best at showcasing this in the north-east is Echt Tandoori.

A local mainstay in the village of Echt near Westhill, this award-winning restaurant is renowned for its food and trademark friendly service.

Indian restaurant Echt Tandoori, Echt, Aberdeenshire.
Echt Tandoori, Echt, Aberdeenshire.

Flavours from various regions of India, as well as countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, make up its plentiful selection of menu offerings.

Takeaway offerings are also available here. But to enjoy the full experience, you have to eat out at the restaurant.

So, that’s exactly what a friend and I did as we delved into Echt Tandoori and put our spice levels to the test.

The Venue

Visiting on a Wednesday evening, the restaurant was half-full with couples and groups of varying ages.

The large exterior of the restaurant contrasts with the cosy feel inside which is decked with modern decor.

The modern decor in Echt Tandoori, featuring a blue, black and gold colour scheme
Inside Echt Tandoori.

Being a bit of a music snob, the selection of songs made for a very calming experience – although a few traditional Indian tracks would’ve made things a touch more authentic.

After being shown to our table, we both ordered our beers (alcohol free for me as designated driver) and were kindly offered poppadoms and a trio of dips to nibble at whilst we browsed the menu.

A gold-rimmed, round mirror in Echt Tandoori reflecting the rest of the restaurant
Decor at Echt Tandoori.

The Food

For those unfamiliar with South Asian cuisine, glancing at Echt Tandoori’s menu may feel a little daunting at first.

There are a large range of options to choose from, but accompanying dish descriptions and advice from our servers helped us both to pick the options for us.

An Indian lager tap at Echt Tandoori
Indian lager at Echt Tandoori.

For starters, we shared a mixed platter which came out on a smoky, sizzling skillet.

This showcased the restaurant’s array of tandoori offerings featuring two pieces each of Sheek kebab, chicken kebab, lamb tikka, chicken tikka and tandoori king prawn along with some caramelised onions.

Our accompanying plates came with pomegranate and a dazzlingly good mint and coriander sauce, which I was later given a small container of to take home after singing its praises to the waiter – top marks for complimentary service!

Echt balti special curry at Echt Tandoori.
Echt balti special curry.

The lamb tikka was a particular favourite from the starter. Its tender texture soaked up all of its flavoursome marinade and was full of depth.

The tandoori king prawns were also very plump, juicy and larger than I’d ever had at a restaurant before.

Lapping all this up with the remainder of our poppadoms and dips (the lime pickle was particularly great), we awaited the arrival of our mains.

A selection of meals and sides at Echt Tandoori including Khazana chicken, Echt balti special, garlic naan, pilau rice and chips.
Our main meals and sides: Khazana chicken, Echt balti special, garlic naan, pilau rice and chips.

I opted for the Echt Balti special curry, featuring chicken, lamb and prawn, green peppers, a secret blend of herbs and spices and topped with an elegant flower crafted out of carrot.

This was classed as a medium heat curry on the menu and it was just right for me.

The Echt balti special was exceptional.
The Echt balti special was exceptional.

Every mouthful was a delight. Hints of coriander peppered the creamy sauce, each meat offering presented new flavours and there were enough leftovers to take home and enjoy the next day.

My friend opted for the chicken Khazana, which was described on the menu as “a hot dish for the connoisseur of fine Indian cuisine.”

The Khazana chicken packed a smoky and spicy punch.
The Khazana chicken packed a smoky and spicy punch.

After a few mouthfuls, it’s fair to say they were sweating a little bit!

This packed more of a punch on the heat scale, brimming with smoky flavours and heat at madras strength while the presentation was excellent once again.

The impressive presentation of the curry
Top marks for curry presentation.

Our range of sides also lived up to the mark: The garlic naan was light and not too stodgy, our pilau rice was vibrant in colour and beautifully fluffy while the chips were far from bog-standard in both their taste and presentation.

After feeling contently full, we opted to leave out dessert. But its menu did not disappoint with a great range of sorbets, ice creams and fruity Indian desserts all available.

The Verdict

If you’re looking for great South Asian cuisine and even better hospitality, there’s no doubt you should visit Echt Tandoori.

The waiters went the extra mile. Complimentary fruit, chocolates and even double shots of tequila for my friend (cons of being the designated driver for me) rounded off the night in a celebratory spirit.

Being outside of Aberdeen city, the prices were also on the cheaper side than city centre alternatives and we were more than happy to leave a generous tip on top of our bill of £57.85.

To sum up, you’ll be far from disappointed with a visit to Echt Tandoori.

Echt Tandoori exterior.
Echt Tandoori exterior.

Information

Address: Echt Tandoori, Main Street, Echt, Westhill, AB32 6UL

Website: www.echttandoori.co.uk

Contact: 01330 860601

Cost: £57.85

Conversation