Tiffins, Lye

Birmingham lays claim to being the curry capital of the Midlands thanks to its famous Balti Triangle. But just a few miles up the road, the Black Country town of lye is trying to muscle in on the action with its own mix of restaurants for the discerning curry connoisseur,

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Numerous restaurants line the streets of Lye giving their own take on Britain's favourite dish. The small town near Stourbridge maybe isn't as well-known as its Brummie neighbour on the culinary map.

But its varied range of eateries offers a superb fusion between Black Country hospitality and Asian cuisine.

The bustling High Street is often the first stop for those eager for a curry with a number of restaurants tightly packed down the narrow road.

But tucked away almost out of sight is Tiffins balti tandoori restaurant which opened in 2004.

While many more modern Balti restaurants try to hit you with all the sights and sounds of the culture, Tiffins shakes you warmly by the hand. Literally in fact as the waiter welcomed our party like an old friend.

The restaurant is divided into sections rather unlike many open plan pubs nowadays. For a midweek, post-New Year, Tiffins was quite full.

There were tables with groups of friends chatting away, one couple deep in conversation in the corner, others coming and going picking up their takeaway orders.

Barely had our party of four sat down when we were presented with the traditional poppadums and dips.

While in some balti houses I've visited they would be a contemporary appetiser, little did I know that here, we had to pay for them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd have probably ordered them anyway but it would have been nice to know instead of them being added to the bill without us being alerted to it.

The menu offers a host of favourite dishes such as baltis, tandoori, masalas and biryanis with the chance to have them cooked to your own taste.

I picked a sheek kebab (£2.25) as a starter. Normally I'd have expected it to be slightly more spicy but it was still soft and fresh tasting with a small amount of salad with it to add to contrast the taste. My companions picked the garlic king prawn (£3.95), garlic mushroom (£2.25) and an onion bhajee (£2.20) all delivered promptly.

While many traditional dishes make up the menu, I decided on trying one of Tiffin's specialities. The sizzling chicken tikka thawaa lived up to its name arriving at the table in a plume of smoke with an aroma which makes you want to devour it immediately.

The tandoori chicken pieces were brilliantly cooked, tender with just the right amount of spice. There was a delicious sauce with onions and peppers adding to the mix. It was dish that I'd not tried before but I'd definitely revisit if it was going to be that good again. Speciality dishes always provide the chef with the chance to show their skills and I was blown away by the dish.

My companions picked out three variations on the balti dish cooked to differing levels of spiciness with one mixed balti to chicken and mushroom, all priced between £5.25-£5.50.

Side orders of rice were cheaply priced at £1.95 with regular naan bread at £1.60.

Overall Tiffins is a top notch experience which the Black Country town would be right to shout about.

Its warm welcome and excellent food have certainly earned them another new customer.

ADDRESS

Tiffins, 42 Dudley Road, Lye, Stourbridge, DY9 8EA

Tel: 01384 893 338

Web: www.baltitiffins.com