Penn Tandoori,Wolverhampton
The Friday night curry has become something of a tradition in recent years. While a fiery Indian meal is still seen as an excellent way of rounding off a convivial Saturday night down the pub, a takeaway or early evening meal is increasingly a regular weekly event.
Restaurateurs have tailored their dishes to cater for the milder tastes of young children, who will often try tandoori chicken masala or something similar out of a jar at home.
But it was still a surprise to discover just how many people now indulge in an early evening Indian meal at the end of a long week.
Our visit to the Penn Tandoori came as a result of both parents being unable to face an evening in the kitchen. Fortunately our daughter, aged 10, has been brought up to be fairly adventurous when it comes to culinary matters.
It was quiet when we first walked in shortly after 6pm on a Friday, but within half an hour the place was nearly full.
It would seem we were not the only ones prepared to fork out for a restaurant meal rather than face cooking. There were also several people passing through to pick up takeaways and the Penn Tandoori clearly has a large number of regular customers.
The menu is extensive, and includes a number of set meals, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, ranging from £12.95 per person to £59.95 for four.
We skipped a starter, aware of the dangers of getting over-stuffed, and snacked on some popadoms with onion relish while we waited for our main course.
Bhuna Gosht (£6.40) turned out to be a very tasty dish of tender lamb flavoured with fenugreek in a rich sauce. My wife was very impressed by the flavours of her Chicken Dhansak (£6.20) with lentils and pineapple, while my daughter rapidly got stuck in to her Chicken Tikka Curry (£6.95), a mild and creamy dish with tender barbecued chicken pieces.
The pilau rice (£2.95) was good, as was the keema nan (£2.65). Service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive.
The meal came to a fairly reasonable £35, although the total went up to £44 thanks to a couple of rounds of drinks.
It's not something most of us could afford to do every night of the week, but once every couple of weeks it's a nice way of giving the head cook and bottle-washer a night off.
Review by Simon Penfold
ADDRESS:
Penn Tandoori, 272 Penn Road, Wolverhampton
Tel: 01902 333319
