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The Mogul, Bagshot
This is my second visit to The Mogul; I popped in two years ago to eat because it is in a very handy location on the busy A30 near to Bagshot, close to the M4, M3 and a short drive from shopping at the nearby Meadows as well as Ascot Racecourse.
What a transformation! The aged, weary and tired looking restaurant has been transformed into a colourful, vibrant and attractive interior with space, style and magnificent food.
I visited on a warm Saturday evening at the end of Ascot week, a good time to judge the success of the restaurant. A fleet of taxis arrived as I was enjoying my Lamb Tikka starter and savouring the atmosphere, the group of twelve diners reflecting the rigours of a day at the races, obviously winners as the popping of champagne corks echoed round the restaurant for some minutes after their arrival. Frisky fillies and their owners enjoying the proceeds of a hard days betting! The Mogul proved to be the very place to invest such winnings.
The spacious entrance area complete with newspapers and magazines is a welcome addition, as is the outside drinks area for summer evenings. The new L shaped dining room is fresh, clean and attractive with vibrant colours on both the walls and on the seats. There is also plenty of space for diners to enjoy themselves without the often cramped conditions you find in many Indian restaurants. Colour, space, attentive waiting staff and much, much more, including a chicken dish to die for.
Whenever I visit restaurants and enjoy a chicken dish, I test to see if I can use my fork to create mouthfuls, not my knife. The Mogul, with a stunning Chicken Tikka Morisa, a dish of chicken cooked in a clay oven, re-cooked with a blend of hot sauce and fresh garlic, green chillies and green peppers, presented me with a dish that was simply superb. More than that the chicken was able to be cut with the edge of my fork to be savoured with fluffy boiled rice and a Mushroom Bhaji, a combination I found pleasing to the eye, an purely sensational to the taste buds.
Indian restaurants throughout the country get a number of the key elements right, spacious surroundings, a wide ranging menu with a wine list to match, professional staff and well presented and tasty food at a price designed to encourage your rapid return, not dilute your savings. The Mogul is one of those especial places where I feel they have got it just about right, the combination of all the ingredients that make the real restaurant recipe for success. This is a venue certainly worth making an effort to visit.
You can call the Mogul on 01276 475114 or 472023.
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Alan McColm is QFOL's Restaurant Critic and Travel reviewer. Alan is working all over the country ... more
