Agra Palace, Nuneaton

 

 

Agra Palace

12 Abbey Green
Nuneaton
Warwickshire
CV11 5DR

Tel: 02476 350515
www.agrapalace.com

This was a restaurant worth visiting, in fact it took me one hour and twenty minutes by train to make the journey from London to Nuneaton, a journey courtesy of my first ever train journey courtesy of Virgin Trains, a simply wonderful journey in a magnificent train from London Euston. This was a journey that passed far too quickly, this was also a first journey on an ultra modern Virgin train which really put customers first. With a veritable menu of facilities, newspapers, meals, drinks and headphones with a selection of channels, plugs for both mobiles and laptops the passenger lacked for little in this smooth and modern service, one I am going to use again on a much longer journey, not merely to get me to a restaurant on time!

My link with the Agra Palace began some time ago when visiting my daughter in Nuneaton, her husband Jamie and I visited for a couple of Kingfishers beers and liked the place so much we organised a takeaway meal at the same time. I spoke with the owner at the time and suggested that I would like to return, and at the same time try a larger sample of the food on offer.

It was a busy and buzzing reception area where Jamie and I sat savouring a couple of large Kingfishers, delightfully strong lagers, beautifully chilled, a marvellous match to much of the hot and tasty food on offer in the better Bangladeshi restaurants across the length and breadth of the country. Here was I sipping a refreshing lager, ninety minutes after leaving the sweltering heat of London behind, savouring the delights of a fresh and attractive restaurant on the edge of Nuneaton, studying the range of food on offer and wondering what to choose, always a difficulty with so many tempting dishes on offer.

We needed at least one more beer to inspire our selection procedure, suggesting a possible delay to Sue and Emma, sat hungrily two miles out of town. In common with others arriving at the same time we took our time along with our drinks, the outside temperature suggesting that many would enjoy their takeaway food in the open in the garden, an ideal opportunity for alfresco dining during the summer, denied us so often in this country.

In restaurants such as The Agra Palace it is not simply about the food and the quality of the service, two essential ingredients in any recipe for success. Even with their take away food it is also about presentation, with ornate fresh salads to accompany the starters, the bright colours of the leaves, the freshness of the lemons for the Chicken Tikka starters, the richness of the sliced tomatoes to garnish other openers, the very essence of customer care and greatly appreciated by all who, in increasing numbers, make a journey to the loraAgra Palace.

Our starters reflected flavour, colour and style in the form of a Tandoori Medley, a creative selection of Chicken Tikka, Lamb Tikka, Sheekh Kebab and Spicy Chicken Wings, tasty, colourful, exciting and served with salads and style, a combination seldom seen in the takeaway collections in many establishments.

Our main courses, all clearly packaged and, more importantly for an evening like this, family dining at home, reflected style, sophistication and no small amount of culinary skill. We had asked for a cross section of dishes reflecting a combination of our particular interests together with a selection of the chef’s specialities. This provided us with an immense amount of joy, discovery and conversation as we each tried the selection of dishes so neatly laid out in front of us.

Lamb Hyderabadi was one of my favourites, a delicious selection of carefully selected lamb pieces, cooked with chopped onions, mustard seeds cooked with whole red chillies in a slightly hot sauce and garnished with fried onions and a red pepper julienne and a touch of garlic, absolute heaven, and one I shall certainly have again. We also greatly enjoyed the Murgh Mancurian, a chicken speciality with red pepper julienne ably supporting the tender chicken strips cooked to perfection with onions, fresh coriander and a selection of mixed spices in a Massalla sauce. We also enjoyed the delights of a Lamb Rezalla, cooked with mushrooms and sliced potatoes with onions, garlic and ginger, together with mixed spices cooked in a medium creamy sauce.

Our main dishes were more than ably supported by a selection of vegetable side dishes, cooked with the freshness retained, the vibrant colours of the spinach and the aubergines, the tangy taste of the potatoes, even fresh green beans with coconut were on our table. These vegetables, in terms of the finished product set before us, could rightly take their place on a polished table in Mayfair, Knightsbridge or Westminster, such was the quality of the vegetables in the first place, and secondly to manner of their cooking, retaining all that is good about this natural products, fresh, in season and cooked to support the bigger players on the menu, and that they certainly did.

It would be wrong, as with a soccer team manager singling out individual players for praise when the game is really a team effort. This first visit to the Agra Palace to try a selection of food cooked and prepared for dining at home was a sheer joy, and justifiable so when Jamal Ullah, our charming host and owner of this culinary gem in Nuneaton, listened to us, our likes, interests and favourites and, together with the exquisite skills of his chef and the team, created a masterpiece of dishes which combined to provide us with a memorable meal. We as a family are fans of Indian food, and have enjoyed the opportunity of dining at many of the greatest names in this sector over many years. Few if any have matched the ability to piece together a collection of dishes cooked with such style, sophistication and vision within half an hour of a maiden visit, this is a shining gem within the restaurant industry, polished by a professional owner with that magical ability with his customers, new and old, the ability to listen.

For that reason, and for the skills within the kitchen, I am looking forward to making a return journey, if only to thank Jamal and his team, but in all honesty to try even more of their marvellous dishes in this contemporary and enjoyable Nuneaton restaurant.

A rapidly rising star within the industry and well worth the awards that will continue to come their way, The Agra Palace is certainly worthy of the highest honours.

Alan McColm