Bangla Lounge, Halesowen

As a stranger in Halesowen, I was keen to explore the town that recently became my home and find some nice spots to dine in,

Having lived in Yorkshire for the last few years, I've visited dozens of Indian restaurants that purport to be among the best in the country.

So when I spotted the Bangla Lounge with its bright red and white signage, I wondered if it could make the grade.

Although it looks fairly unassuming from the outside, it clearly has a good following locally and for a Saturday night, looked to be having a very successful evening indeed.

The interior was cosy and modern, with beige, brown and burgundy decor, and the place had a buzzing atmosphere, as packed tables of friends chatted over poppadoms and pickles, which we were pleased to find were brought along to our table moments after sitting down.

I was actually a little surprised to find such as happening hub given the slightly drab-looking exterior.

The menu was varied but personally my boyfriend Mark and I are both fans of the old favourites and like to keep it simple. The restaurant menu isn't available online but there is a large choice in food and a well stocked bar to top it off, all of which is reasonably priced.

The restaurant, which has a sister site in Harborne, Birmingham, also runs regular week night promotions such as two courses for £7.95.

We ordered a bottle of the Kanu South African Chenin Blanc wine which was brought out quickly in a bucket of iced water and enjoyed a few bites of poppadom before placing our orders.

To start with, the samosa chaat - which is basically vegetable samosas with chickpeas, served with a yoghurt dip - was a real winner. It was full of flavour, tasted fresh and was slightly hot. There were, however, quite a lot of chickpeas to eat and I had to admit defeat and leave a few on the plate.

The chicken pakora that Mark ordered was similarly enjoyed.

Portions at Bangla Lounge are very generous and you certainly get your money's worth on the main meals.

A friend of mine tells me she is a regular gorger - sorry, diner - at the Bangla Lounge in Harborne and more often than not is so full on snacks and starters that, by the time the main arrives she can barely manage a mouthful. What's that old saying about having eyes bigger than your stomach . . .

Anyway, that's in Harborne and we were in Halesowen where I had ordered chicken dopiaza, served with vegetable pilau rice, and it was full of flavour.

Mark ordered chicken tikka masala which was one of the chef's recommendations and while the sauce can vary from restaurant to restaurant, the one constant you would expect in this dish is chicken.

Here, however, the meat seemed to be at the bottom of their list of priorities as there was hardly any.

But I'm reliably informed that the creamy sauce, so full of flavour, more than made up for this oversight.

There was hardly any wait for dessert. The chocolatey, hazelnut ice-cream was delicious and proved to be a suitable ending to a very satisfying meal.

The service was quick throughout the evening and the waiters were polite and eager to please.

Our bill came to just over £45 which seemed very reasonable.

Bangla Lounge really packs a punch with its flavours and is definitely worth a visit but my quest for that really top class curry continues. I'll keep you posted.

ADDRESS

Bangla Lounge, 67-69 High Street, Halesowen B63 3BQ