So here it finally is, my first restaurant review. The Bengal Lounge, located in Wrecclesham just outside Farnham, Surrey (approx. 35 miles Southwest of London) is my favorite 'Indian' restaurant in the area (if you wonder why I put Indian in inverted commas, just focus very hard on the name of the restaurant and try to figure it out. Hint: the clue is in the first word). Together with a good friend who shares a common interest in good food I have sampled quite a number of curry houses in the wider Farnham / Guildford / Farnborough area (I was indeed introduced to almost all of these by said friend), but this one does offer the best food, especially when it comes to vegetable dishes. Check out the menu on their website (follow the link above) to get a feel for what's on offer at what price - this isn't the cheapest in town, but it is worth every penny! I would strongly recommend the Bengal Chattpoti (spicy chick peas, potatoes and half a hard-boiled egg - the best starter on the menu IMHO) or the Maas Biran (Bangladeshi fish with caramelized onions) as a starter and my favorite main dish is the Chicken Tikka Rezella, tender pieces of chicken in a thick lamb mince sauce with fresh green chillies - I'm salivating as I am writing this... The best part though are the veggie dishes: Bada Gobi, stir-fried cabbage with fresh green chillies, is divine, the Sag Bhaji (spinach) is beautifully dry (as opposed to swimming in oil as so often in other curry houses) and yet full of flavor and the Shatkora Dall, lentils with the shatkora fruit, a bangladeshi bitter lemon, is an acquired taste but I absolutely love it!
The service is friendly, the ambience pleasant and we have never been served a bad dish, despite our rather experimental ordering (I wouldn't dare ordering Honey King Prawn or a Bengal Fish Curry in most other curry houses I have been to! The prawns by the way were surprisingly tasty, but with the tangy taste of Tanzanian honey, which is not everybody's cup of tea...)
Ah yes, and here's another exception: this is the only curry house where I have a pudding almost every single time I go: Zorda Shemai - a home-made dessert made from vermicelli, milk, dried fruit and spices. I know, it sounds lame, but it's great - not too sweet, not too filling, very nice!!!
9/10 - I would drive 50 miles return, once per week to dine there!
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