Pre dinner drinks at the Colonial Bar.  Shock at plans to scrap line outs in Rugby Union! Perversion of the institution that is! Meanwhile, a conversion away, Paprika awaited our arrival.  

PLACE on first floor of 50’s prefab, straddling an underpass, from the outside has all the romance of motor way service caf.  Up the stairs mister and a cool interior greets, waiters in black, chocolate brown high backed leather seats. 

SERVICE excellent, most courteous, though we were only guests.

As for the FOOD, there was plenty, served in deep square ceramics.  Resolved to eat myself fitter.  Pilau rice for everyone, naans too.  Meaty fare inclusive of excellent blood orange Gujerati Lamb, tangy, spicy with potato and green chilli, hot Jalfrezi, gorgeous coconut overtones in a Lamb Bhuna.  Vegetables excited the taste buds too, Bombay Aloo, perfect Saag bhajee, a controlled explosion of ginger, garlic and mustard, a light Okra dish and an earthy chick pea curry.

Beforehand we enjoyed pleasant meat samosa, a chewy gooey onion bhajee with weirdly textured chicken tikka, kinda pulpy.  White wine, fine, medium dry sherry, Harvey’s Bristol cream (!) - I was well satisfied, past fussing, indeed it rounded off rather good meal. 

Coming full circle, in SUMMARY on first impressions, Paprika delivers good, clean* contemporary Indian restaurant cuisine.

…ON RETURNING… (04/07)

On Easter Saturday with mates down from London. In at 7, thin with fat wallets out at 9 fat with no wallet, later discovered in never before explored bowels of coat.  Having friends in the art insurance business has its perks, i.e. they can afford 2 whole restaurant meals (PRICES just above curry house norm).

Of course they couldn’t eat that amount of food on their own especially as Paprika portions are big, gravy a plenty plus house wine fills large glasses to the brim.  After Poppadoms, Tandoori Mixed Kebab included a remarkably spicy sheek, adipose, juicy and delicious, melt in mouth lamb tikka and stringy chicken tikka. 

A Passover feast had to involve Lamb, so I chose Lamb Tikka Dhansak (£7.50) – excellent meat, big chunks that fell obligingly apart at merest suggestion of a blade, blood orange lentil sauce smooth as satin, more sweet than sour with heady taste of coriander. Vegetables (£3.25) included Saag Aloo, moist, mixed veg, mostly cauli/aloo but with a pleasant mush of peas, tomato and onion, not forgetting another good bindi bhajee.  In five words - Bright colourful people, generous grub (though food dye is applied so the phrase is reversible).