Jalori, Woburn Sands
Friday, 16 March 2001
restaurant factfile

The Jalori is one of a pair of upmarket restaurants on the High Street in Woburn Sands. We'd booked a table for 11 at 8:30 and even though we arrived slightly late and a party member short (another mix-up on the part of IanD - the guy should learn how to count!), we were made to feel most welcome. The interior is clean and bright and most tables were occupied on this Friday evening. We ordered popadoms (1 each) as soon as we were seated but they took an age to arrive. Pops are usually served to be eaten whilst you make a choice from the menu but on this occasion we'd finished them and almost licked the pickle tray clean a good ten minutes before our main meal order was taken.

There were three onion bhajis per portion which despite the slightly soggy/stodgy texture didn't taste too bad. The sheek kebabs arrived ready plated - at these prices, they ought to splash out on a sizzler! They were quite spicy and had an excellent crumbly texture - shame about the lack of fried onions. The mushroom bhajis were cooked just right - nice and firm in a lightly spiced sauce. The accompanying mint sauce was the mintiest we'd ever had.

Unusually, the chicken in the Jalfrezi was in strips which resulted in an excellently textured dish. The well spiced sauce contained plenty of chillies thoroughly deserving the 2 chilli (out of 3) rating on the menu. After years of Kormas and Passandas, ChrisB decided to up the ante by opting for the British National Dish of Chicken Tikka Massala (although bandwagon politicians hadn't proclaimed it as such at the time). He was well rewarded with some very tender chicken in an outstanding sauce - the nation was done proud. The Chicken Tikka Bhuna was 'the perfect bhuna' - say no more, squire (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean? - who said Python only appears in the guest book?). Always willing to try something new, IanD opted for the Green Chutney Chicken which was again excellent. We've rarely come across such a consistent clutch of nans - all varieties were perfect or very nearly so (the keema was a little understuffed). The plain boiled rice was hot, fluffy and obviously freshly prepared.

The Jalori is an excellent restaurant. The prices may be a little high but for a change, this is reflected in the quality of the food. The service started off a little on the slow side but improved as the meal progressed. The waiters were attentive and always close by, sometimes a little too close as one of them questioned us on a conversation we'd been having about a rival (and inferior but overrated) restaurant! There was a mistake on the bill - we'd been charged for 2 popadoms each (£10 in total plus £5 for the pickle tray - no wonder most restaurants are keen to push them!) but we didn't notice until we'd left . The Jalori lists as some of its biggest fans Cleo Laine, Johnny Dankworth and Bob Holness. To that list can be added all of the reviewers from onionbhaji.co.uk.

The Scores

Which gives an overall rating of 4 bhajis.