A boozy shopping trip turned into dinner for three at the Bengal Tiger towards the end of March. I had Indian food on the brain and as soon as somebody suggested dinner, I was the first to put forward an Indian as an option! Thankfully it was 2 against 1 and we were soon walking (or weaving) our way to Bengal Tiger, an establishment not far from St Paul's.
The waiters were very solicitous and took no time in sitting us down at a nice table which wasn't too noisy and allowed us to talk without having to lean in to hear what the other was saying. Menus and poppadoms quickly followed and we all decided to have the set menu as it seemed a reasonable price and, even better, allowed plenty of choice. I always find with a set menu that I'll either like the starter or the main, never both, and therefore I was overjoyed to find that all three of us liked everything on the set.
Our platter of starters came first with Onion Bhajee, Paneer Tikka and Chicken Tikka. As we had a vegetarian amongst us, we gave her first dibs on the veggie offerings and stuck in to all of it. It was truly delicious and I particularly liked the delicate currying of the Bhajee. All too often it's just deep fried with too much curry and it tastes like fried curry powder. Yuck! However, these starters were great and my favourite was probably the Paneer Tikka, something I would never usually pick.
For main, two of us had a chicken tikka masala and the other had a vegetarian curry. I never have vegetarian dishes but hers was brilliant; I suppose I forget that in India, a vegetarian curry can quite often be more the norm than a meat curry. It was all truly delicious and although I found my chicken tikka a bit bland & the curry sauce more fruity than creamy, it was still tasty and I enjoyed it enough not to make a fuss. The bombay aloo was my favourite part and was incredible; the potato was really soft and the flavours were blended just enough to make it spicy but not 'hot'.
We didn't have pudding - far too full! - and the bill was reasonable; about £20 each if memory serves me correctly. This isn't a Brick Lane cheap eat but the food is far superior to Brick Lane (watch out for my next review!) and the service/clientele was also much better. I enjoyed it immensely and would go back if I wanted a curry near the office.
Vitals
Bengal Tiger
62 - 66 Carter Lane London, EC4V 5EA
Tel: 0207 248 6361
Website: http://www.bengaltiger.org.uk/
Nearest tube: St Paul's / Bank
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