Shish Mahal - Leyton

5:54pm Wednesday 14th November 2007

THE gentrification of the nation's Indian restaurants comes as a mixed blessing. We might have the new brand of gourmet eateries which push the boundaries of cuisine, but what about the quaint homeliness of the traditional British curryhouse?

The Shish Mahal belongs to the latter group.

It is the archetypal tandoori restaurant with its bow-tie attired waiters, Carlsberg on tap and ubiquitous paper napkins. It is small, cramped and everything quintessentially downmarket in decor that I love.

Yet, much as I would like to wax lyrical about the worn red-patterned carpet, little serving trollies and mirrored-mosaic ceiling, this is not going to be a glowing review. Because the food just was not very good.

The lack of chilli pickle to accompany poppadoms was a travesty of the highest order in my mind and the remaining trio of mango chutney, spiced onions and raita were uninspiring.

The Prawn Puree at £2.95 was a bargain but was lacking spice and devoid of heat. However, the Shish Mahal Kebab at £2.60 impressed more with its crimson minced-lamb patty covered by tender omelette.

For main course I chose the chef's recommended Bengal Fish Jhol at £6.95 which again failed to impress.

The Indian freshwater delicacy cooked in a clay oven was deliciously tender, but the mild-garlic sauce lacked any complexity beyond a faint whiff of cardamom and was forgotten before it even got started.

The Chicken Jalfrezi (£5.85) was reasonable, and beyond the peppers and onion had enough zing to excite the tastebuds if not have them rioting. But there should be the aroma of freshly roasted cumin seeds filing the air from a sizzling tray and this was a lacklustre effort.

The Aloo Gobi (£2.10) was put together without any care, the cauliflower watery and the potato looked tired as they sat limply in the tray.

Overall the Shish Mahal is a dated restaurant which serves modest portions of rather pedestrian curries at rock-bottom prices.

I certainly would not travel far to sample what it has to offer, but, if you are hungry nearby and fancy a few beers in unassuming surrounding, then you could do worse. At least you will have plenty of change for the bus ride home.

SHISH MAHAL,
815 High Road,
Leyton
E10
020 8556 6717

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