Rose Murree, Edgbaston

You may have to pay a little extra, but it will be worth your while at this Indian treasure,

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Located in a Grade II listed Georgian building, Rose Murree is not your typical setting for an Indian restaurant.

But then Rose Murree is not your typical curry house.

Just a few minutes' drive from Bearwood town centre the striking building on the Hagley Road in Edgbaston is within easy driving or even walking distance for residents in Sandwell.

Despite driving down the main artery on a frequent basis, I must admit with my eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead, I hadn't even realised the restaurant existed until recently on the recommendation of a colleague who had been before.

But as soon as you park up in the dedicated car park behind the restaurant with its lawned area and stepping stones up to the front door, you feel a million miles away from the bustling traffic outside.

The inspiration behind the restaurant, according to its own website, is a town called Murree, at the base of the Himalayas.

The hill station apparently provided a welcome retreat from the hot plains of the Punjab and it is this retreat it seems bosses at Rose Murree have attempted to recreate for their own customers.

And they don't do a bad job at making you feel welcome at all.

Inside the decor is smart and tasteful, while candles and dimmed lights provide an intimate atmosphere for diners.

The restaurant specialises in Indian and Kashmiri cuisine and straight away scored brownie points from my vegetarian companion for its own specific vegetarian menu which included dishes such as Paneer Butter Masala - cubes of Indian cottage cheese simmered in a butter masala gravy - and Jeera Gobhi Aloo, cauliflower and baby potatoes with curry leaves and cumin seeds and fresh coriander.

At the top end of the price scale are the restaurant's signature dishes, which include a Rose Murree Biriyani for £13.95 which has chicken, lamb, keema and prawns and the King Prawn Delight - jumbo tiger prawns cooked in a rich sauce with mixed peppers, onions and tomatoes, priced £16.95.

Delayed by traffic on our visit, on an early Friday evening before a trip to the theatre, we advised our waiter of our time pressure and straight away our drinks and order of crispy poppadoms and sweet chutneys and mint sauce arrived at the table.

To start with, I decided to go for one of the vegetarian options and had the Chana Chat, a tasty dish of chickpeas with diced tomato, potatoes and a tangy massala sauce, which arrived in a fetching modern white bowl and was just £3.25 while my companion had Palak Onion Pakora, a delicious crisp onion bhaji-type dish with spinach and potatoes and a tangy mint sauce for £3.95.

A fan of creamy buttery curry dishes, I opted for the Murgh Shahi Makhani, a tender grilled chicken breast in a deliciously and slightly sweet sauce — not dissimilar to a korma, but much richer and tastier and a reasonable £9.45, which was wolfed down with a plain naan bread, £1.95.

Meanwhile, my companion gave a hearty thumbs up to the tasty Palak Paneer, cottage cheese in a thick spinach sauce, which came with large generous chunks of cheese for £7.95.

It may be slightly more expensive than an average balti or traditional curry house, but the Rose Murree prides itself on giving its guests an experience.

From beginning to end our meal was lovely, and the friendly staff were not intrusively attentive, but got our food to us in plenty of time and were on hand if we needed to order more drinks or accompaniments.

It certainly sets itself apart from its counterparts and is definitely a 'destination' Indian restaurant and perfect for a special occasion. Well worth a visit.

ADDRESS

Rose Murree, 94-96 Hagley Road, Edgbaston,Birmingham B16 8LU

Phone: 0121 4564500

Web: www.rosemurree.co.uk