Wednesday 9th October 2013
Last month’s visit to such a posh Indian restaurant was a shock to the system for a number of the club, so we got back to more familiar territory with The Darjeeling in Bromley.
Indian restaurateurs have been trying to make a go of it on this site for years. It was formally ‘Café East’ and more recently the short-lived ‘Bromley Masala’. So I was interested to see if this new incarnation has what it takes to become a permanent fixture on the Bromley curry scene.
First impressions were good. It is all very smart and new but it has cool atmospheric lighting, cosy tables and carpet, which I always think helps create a warm atmosphere. It looked like it could be our sort of place.
First impressions were good. It is all very smart and new but it has cool atmospheric lighting, cosy tables and carpet, which I always think helps create a warm atmosphere. It looked like it could be our sort of place.
We started, as always, with popadams which were accompanied by a good choice of chutneys. Unfortunately, the popadams themselves seemed as though they were left over from the lunchtime service and were quite stale.
For simplicity, their banquet menu is set out in four sections. You pick one each from the list of starters, main courses, rice or breads and side dishes. There were a number of appealing and unusual options and I went for The Darjeeling Special. Chicken and lamb tikka in a thick sauce. A unique and tasty curry for the real carnivores.
As is tradition, curry connoisseur, ‘The Cove’ ordered his famous chicken madras and chips, while Murali ordered King Prawn madras. Unfortunately, a mix-up resulted in The Cove pouring Murali’s prawn dish all over his pomme frites. Disaster. The pair claim the confusion was down to the waiter but we may have to give him the benefit of the doubt. What we can say is that both curry clubbers received their replacement dishes in record time, so no real harm was done. In fact, another of our party (Nobby), seized the opportunity for free food and heaped a load of the unwanted prawn madras and chips onto his already heaving plate of curry. This is the sort of class that makes the CCB what it is.
Despite being a brand new, stylish looking restaurant, The Darjeeling is very much of the old-school, which is no bad thing. Even with a few minor criticisms, reports from everyone were favourable.
This Swill be Tasty: Nobby's Mix'n'Match Curry
MENU
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The Darjeeling
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MAIN:
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The Darjeeling Special was an interesting ‘meat-feast’. Madras & tikka masala were popular.
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16/20
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STARTERS/
SIDES: |
Pretty average. The Tarka Dall was enjoyable. Popadams were stale.
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5/10
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VARIETY:
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Banquet menu but plenty of choice on there and some quite unusual Bangladeshi dishes.
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9/10
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HEAT:
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Most people seemed happy enough but despite my request to be bumped up to ‘vindaloo heat’, it didn’t hit the mark for me.
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2/5
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DRINKS:
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The usual Cobra/Kingfishers
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3/5
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VENUE
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ATMOS:
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An improvement on previous restaurants on this site. Nice lighting, smart yet warm. An unusual choice of ‘60s and Indie music which was fine by me!
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15/20
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SERVICE:
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Friendly enough but it has to be said, very slow at times.
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4/10
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VALUE:
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Their banquet menu was fantastic value, less than £20 per-head with everyone having a couple of drinks.
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10/10
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LOCATION:
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Main road, not far from town centre & some local pubs. Plus car park at rear and bus stop outside. Can’t ask for more really.
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5/5
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BONUS:
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No complimentary drinks but an extra mark for the easy-to-read, individually broken down bill.
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1/5
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FINAL SCORE
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70%
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Booking Name: Daffyd Beast-Jones
Pubs: The Brick Layers Arms is practically next door and recommended
Pubs: The Brick Layers Arms is practically next door and recommended
Highlight: Nobby's Multi-Curry Combo
Lowlight: The service was slow all night.
Verdict: This restaurant isn’t likely to scoop many awards but when you’re looking for good value and a down-to-earth earth Ruby Murray, you are in safe hands here.
The Darjeeling
123 - 125 Masons Hill
Bromley
BR2 9HT
http://www.darjeelingbromley.co.uk/
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