Bhangra Beat - South Woodford

4:36pm Wednesday 9th January 2008

I'VE passed the Bhangra Beat many times on my travels but only recently made it through the doors to sample the good food they are renowned for.

My partner and I went on a Thursday night thinking it would be fairly quiet but we found we were in the middle of a rather large birthday party for an Indian family.

A beaming waiter presented us with the menus and suggested one or two dishes that we may have liked to try.

There were many that looked tempting and it was a hard choice to make.

Among the starters were prawn on puri or Sabji Kofta - deep fried spicy vegetable balls. I also noticed Mirch Paneer - home made cheese with chilli and peppers.

I settled on a Sabzi Platter consisting of sabzi kofta, onion bhaji, vegetable samosa and paneer tikka while my partner ordered a King Prawn pepper fry - prawns sautéed in butter, with plenty of pepper and mustard seeds on a salad base.

Bhangra Beat is well known for its Balti selection. Of these there were many, including Balti Duck and Balti Chicken Delight - chicken fillets with orange and honey in a sweet and sour sauce.

We opted for a Lamb Tikka in a ginger and clove marinade, Cochin Chicken- fillets in a mix of tomato, mint and coriander, and a Began Bhaji - aubergine with pilau rice.

The wine list was varied and reasonably priced and we settled on a great tasting bottle of Nardone Baker 2004 Shiraz.

The starters were well presented and were delicious, particularly when accompanied by the popadum dips which we kept behind.

My main course of Cochin Chicken was wonderfully warming and spicy, with the coriander and mint flavours enhancing the overall enjoyment.

The lamb Tikka got the thumbs up as well for its tenderness and taste. Both dishes were well complimented with the steaming side dish of aubergine slices.

This restaurant has a pleasing, clean and contemporary décor with a dazzling array of pictures on the walls.

We found the staff extremely friendly and helpful, particularly in explaining any dish we were not familiar with.

It gets pretty packed out here apparently on a Saturday night when they have live acts performing.

I would certainly be tempted into a return visit and would recommend anyone who hasn't dined there before to do so. Our bill for the evening came to £48.

Bhangra Beat,
49 Chigwell Road,
South Woodford,
London
E18 1NG
Tel: 020 89898909

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