Indian Alley Wakefield Restaurant and Bar
Reviews · · · ·Rating: 3
We ate dinner here in March 2023.
Saag kofta with plain naan and rice
Barni lamb with cheese naan and rice
Do you remember the first time you had durian? You didn’t know what you were getting into, smelled it, tried it, hated it, and never forgot. Tonight we had this experience, but this time with jaljeera. Jaljeera is a mix of spices that form the base of a very popular Indian summer drink featuring cumin, mint, coriander, lime, black pepper, tamarind, and the distinctly savoury asafetida, which is the dried sap of the ferula plant. It smells like old eggs, has a really unusual and somewhat unpleasant flavour, and it was just a bit too much for Business Andy, who had one sip and pushed it aside.
That said, we want to give them credit for making a signature cocktail range that was distinctly Indian. We’ve never been to an Indian restaurant that made such an effort, most don’t bother with a cocktail menu at all. The mango lassi daiquiri was very nice, if a little sweet.
The saag kofta was quite delicate and laidback in flavour, and its koftas were a bit underwhelming, but it was quite nice overall. The barni lamb was gingery, and the meat was reasonably good for a curry. The plain was overcrisp in places, and the cheese naan was far too greasy, but did contain nice cheese. This was a reasonable meal, but screw any Indian joint that makes you purchase rice as an additional extra. That should be standard with the meal. Don’t change us $5 for a bowl of rice.