Will comments:

Ambience: ***** 5
Food:***** 5 (nothing drowned in sauce, skilful stuff)
Drink: ***** 5 (decent house wine  cobra etc...)
Service:***** 5

The place looked like it might once have sold antique furniture family heirlooms from the various aristos living around Alresford from the outside.  Inside it had a warm and cosy feel.  Staff lined up to greet us.

The cooking really was flavoursome.

Pilau rice was wonderfully aromatic.  The prawns in the Prawn Korai tasted sea-fresh! So often they lose their taste in among the medium spices.  The Methu Ghost was a delight as was the Chicken Special, succulent barbecued meat finished with a creamy sauce... Saag Aloo with good size chunks of potato and frankly the Cauliflower bhaji was just the best I've ever tasted.  Good breads too, plain, garlic and peshwari naans.

The house wine slipped down easily and the staff were genial and efficient in the true Raj style!

(Curry Club meeting)

…ON RETURNING to Shapla…

I lunched with my brother on the way to Winchester a few weeks later.  Had very well spiced Momo (minced lamb wrapped in wonton style pastry), brother had Mixed kebab, great tasting, natural looking chicken/lamb tikka.  Mains included Prawn Patia spiked with chilli, excellent but too much for Tom who kept heading to the loo to cool off (?) and a Balti Dhansak, rich, lemony and earthy.  Veg included a light, crisp Bindi Bhaji.  Among the very best in the county.

(January 2007)