First Impressions :
It was around 9:45 on a Sunday evening when Underdog and myself finally arrived at Mango Indian. The slightly later arrival had been because of inaccurate information from Google. My first choice of restaurant for the evening had been a place called Simply Indian. After walking for over 10 minutes, the conclusion was met that this restaurant didn't exist anymore! Our late arrival meant that the service was impeccable, mainly because they wanted to kick us out by 11!
The decor is very modern and I particularly enjoyed the huge glass windows that gave the room a spacious feel. Throughout your meal you can enjoy the sounds of horrible late 90's pop/cod Indian house Muzak! Beware, if you are a fan of Chopin, you might be offended by the Frankenstein techno version of one of his Nocturnes I heard blaring out!!!
Starters:
The Papadums arrive and are cut into bite size portions, perfect for sharing! An amazing selection of sauces and dips accompany these. The Bhajis are definitely above average! cooked well, but need some spice to put them in the Miles Smiles category. For lovers of Grant Green maybe...
Mains:
The theme of the restaurant is sharing; the perfectly cut Naan and plentiful portions of rice are a testament to this.
If you make a mess at any time during the meal then don't worry, this establishment has the world's largest and heaviest Napkins! This napkin would easily cope with the aftermath of one of Caligula's Roman orgies!
I would definitely recommend the Chicken Xacuti here. Tender meat, and strong earthy flavors. The Lamb Lall Mass is a dish I'm not familiar with. The lamb itself was first rate. The sauce it was cooked in however really didn't compliment the Meat. The Chicken had just the right amount of spice but again, although I love Grant Green we were in that territory once more with the spice level of the Lamb!
It's worth making a note here, that the Cobra beer was served In a special commemorative glass. My glass depicted the Citroen 2CV car chase from the James Bond movie, for your eyes only! The glass also had an inscription from film composer Bill Conti on the side. The waiter informed me he wasn't a fan of James Bond but much preferred the fast and the furious franchise....
Nothing to note about the hand dryers here other than they work! Chocolate mints were offered but no hot towels.
The Verdict :
A moderately expensive restaurant with good service and quality food. It lacks that X factor to make it special however.
Likely to dine here:
Tom Cruise and Bananarama.