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The Fringe...
...the Festival
Martin Rowson
News in Brief
Readers Letters
Park Life
News in Brief
Dissent
Tapas Time
Back to the Fringe
Straight to the Point
Royal Bengal
Handy Contacts
Summertime Blues
Summery Justice
Up the Junction
Books/Poetry
The Factory
Summer Allergies
Farmers Market
The Arts
Away Days
A Royal Visit
Coffee Corner
Surfing N16
Man in North Bank
XWord
View from the Lane
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restaurant review
The Royal Bengal
Jaqui Clayton-Church
I can’t be the only local to have nodded approvingly last autumn when a new
restaurant calling itself Blue Lobster was due to open in Church Street.A specialist fish
and shellfish eatery would make a welcome addition to the local resto repertoire, I said
enthusiastically to anyone who would listen. Unsubtle blue and orange sign
notwithstanding, the prospect was very pleasing – until the menu went on display.
Happily hoping to read of seared scallops and monkfish mornay, I was deeply disappointed
to be faced with onion bhaji, chicken tikka and lamb rogan josh. It wasn’t until
reaching the end of the menu that a host of unusual and enticing dishes were finally
revealed, many of them seafood. Sea Bass Biryani and Mussels Malabar sounded rather
special, and I determined to pay a visit. Then, suddenly, Blue Lobster was no more and the
Royal Bengal appeared.
It turns out that the identity crisis brought on by combining Bangladeshi cuisine, seafood
specialities and classic curry house favourites caused no little confusion amongst the
dining public. Now the resto has been renamed but has kept the original menu and, having
heard good reports, finally I set off there for lunch with my companion.
Not wishing to cast aspersions on the traditional choice of décor in Indian restaurants,
the first impression of the Royal Bengal’s interior is that it’s a winner in the
modern category: airy, spacious, white and light. After greetings and seatings, we ordered
fizzy water and Cobra beers. Our waiter enquired whether we would like the set lunch,
vegetarian or non-vegetarian thali (£4.95 and £5.95). A fellow diner was happily tucking
into one of these and it all looked most attractive, but we decided to choose from the
menu. This took some time as there seemed to be so many unusual combinations demanding our
attention. Eventually, companion settled on plain papadoms and lamb samosa, and I first
chose Maas Bora, Bangladeshi minced fish with fragrant herbs. Our waiter seemed
inexplicably hesitant. Wouldn’t I prefer the Dhaka Delight (grilled tiger prawns)?
Was I sure I wanted seafood? Eventually we both agreed that Prawn Puri was a good choice.
Main courses were yet more difficult. Should it be Bindiya Oyster (cooked with garlic and
spinach), Lamb Achar (with pickled citrus fruit) or Paneer Tikka Kastoori (chargrilled
cottage cheese marinated with yogurt and fenugreek)? Our waiter asked in all innocence if
we liked saucy food and, after our laughter had subsided, took the trouble to describe
various dishes in some detail. Thus we chose Tropical Chicken and Hash (duck) Jalbaza,
accompanied by Sag Bhaji and Lemon Rice.
My rectangular puri (puffed fried bread) came filled with prawns in a
piquant, creamy pineapple and tomato sauce and was delectable. Companion’s papadoms
and samosa were competently done. The mains were just delightful. Tender chicken had been
cooked in coconut cream butter with pineapple and mango; and duck in a rich Madras-style
sauce was both fiery and sublimely melt-in-the-mouth. Presentation was attractive,
although the starters were perhaps a little under-garnished and looked rather orphaned on
the pristine white plates. The spinach could have been served warmer too but the addition
of fried shallots, where you’d normally find onion, made a tasty combination.
There are no desserts or puds currently on offer but we were brought bitter chocolate
squares chilling in a dish of ice, and of course fragrant hot towels. The bill came to
£32 excluding service, which compares rather favourably with other neighbourhood
nosheries, and we certainly returned to the heat of the street feeling very well-fed and
watered. Although we didn’t choose wine, the list seemed reasonably priced from
£9.95 to just under £20. This restaurant deserves to succeed, because it offers some
deliciously different dishes in a fresh and pleasing setting. And the more who go, the
buzzier the atmosphere will be. You can feast on Cox’s Bazaar Crab in your own
kitchen, too, because The Royal will also home-deliver.
The Royal Bengal
47 Stoke Newington Church Street
Tel: 020 7249 7094
Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner
Mon-Fri Noon to 2.00pm and 6.00-11.30pm, Sat/Sun Noon-3pm and 6.00-midnight
