Star of India, Northampton
Wednesday, 6 September 2000
restaurant factfile   also reviewed 18 March 2007

We'd tried to book a table at the Star of India but every time we called we got an answer machine. As it was Wednesday, not traditionally a popular curry night, we decided to turn up on spec. As we drove past, we noticed the restaurant looked extremely full. Luckily, there was a table free as someone hadn't turned up so we were squeezed in. When we say squeezed, we are not exaggerating. This is not the smallest restaurant we've ever been to but it must be in the running for the most cramped. Altogether, there were 62 seats mostly at tables for four. There was a biggish group of 10 in so a couple of tables had been pushed together but even then, there was only about a foot between our table and the one adjacent. The décor was mainly smart with the exception of the cardboard sheet next to our table which was bluetacked to some railings just inside the door - presumably to reduce draughts. This worked fine but periodically required refixing.

For starters, we ordered onion bhajis and sheek kebabs. These arrived 45 minutes after we'd ordered. The sheek kebabs were not bad but could have been spicier. They arrived on a sizzler with lots of lightly fried onions. The bhajis were small balls and there were three in a portion. They were quite dark in colour but had a light texture with a crunchy exterior. There was no choice of condiments, just mint yoghurt.

The main dishes arrived quite soon after we'd finished our starters. The Garlic Murgh was
surprisingly quite garlicky. The chicken was well cooked and the sauce was tasty. Unfortunately, the taste was still evident throughout the following day! The Balti Chicken Shobzi comprised of a largish portion of big-but-tender chunks of chicken with a huge array of vegetables in a medium hot sauce. The Punjabi Special Balti had a slightly runny sauce which wasn't overly spicy. The lamb was excellent but there wasn't much of it. However, there were plenty of prawns and chicken pieces. As usual, the nans were a mixed bag. One keema nan had loads of stuffing whilst the other was almost empty. Both were a bit thick and doughy and one was burnt. The burnt bits had been removed from the plain nan so it ended up rather holey.

The Star of India is obviously quite popular - it always seems full when we pass - which must be down to the standard of the food. The waiters are also friendly and efficient although the long initial wait was not very encouraging. The menu is quite extensive but the chicken section is a bit sparse. The prices vary wildly and its difficult to tell why. Generally, everything is on the expensive side (the list price of the garlic nan was £150 - probably a mistake but we didn't want to risk it!). The beers are particularly pricey - especially the Cobra at £3.95 a bottle - a surprise not mentioned until you receive the bill. There was a mistake on the bill but this was soon rectified without complaint. We'll definitely be paying a future visit.

The Scores

Which gives an overall rating of 4 bhajis.