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Shillong, which opened in 2009, enters a crowded market. Does Chester really need another curry house? We already have a dozen plus many take-aways (including the excellent Bindi’s but half a mile along Boughton road). To succeed, especially in this slightly out-of-town location, Shillong was going to have to pull something special. Hence we approached our visit with a mixture of trepidation and expectation.
On arrival we were quickly and politely greeted and shown to a table near the window (and it’s been said restaurants give you bigger portions if you sit by the window, so there were no objections to this position!). The decor was fresh and clean, the lighting neither too bright nor dark, and the music quiet. Only two or three other tables were taken but, being quite late on a Thursday night, this was probably to be expected. Having seen numerous flyers and local press ads, we knew there was a 3-courses-for-£10 deal, and so expected to be offered a set menu. But we had a nice surprise - we could select any starter and any main from the comprehensive à-la-carte - just not anything with king prawn!
Having ordered up, our pre-starter of the de-rigeur poppadoms with three chutneys/sauces arrived promptly. They were crisp, warm and good quality. Starters-proper followed - onion bhajees lovely and crunchy and not greasy, samosas well filled and tasty. For our mains we’d gone for a vegetable bhuna and a Raj Special curry. Both arrived piping hot, served by what we assumed to be the chef himself, a nice touch! Again, both were delicious. The bhuna was delicately spiced and almost sweet, with the vegetables therein firm and fresh. The Raj was simply superb - plenty of lean meat (a choice of chicken or lamb was offered, this being the latter) and a sauce of just the right thickness and zing. Rice and nan accompaniments, also included, were light and perfectly cooked. It all went down well with some cold Kingfisher. And having eaten twice at the Chester Tandoori recently, this reviewer had no hesitation in declaring it the best curry he’d had in a long time.
Total bill came to £28 with drinks. Note also the full menu is available take-away.
The only real criticism would be that there was no draft beer (although they very reasonably charged draft-like prices for a pint which was obviously two 330ml bottles of Kingfisher in a pint glass). The head waiter did tell us they were in the process of getting said brand installed on-tap.
With an experienced chef evidently at the helm, Shillong really have succeeded in upping the ante for superior Indian food in Chester where others e.g. Sher Khan have so dismally failed.
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