Review: The Balti Garden, Castle Bromwich

Now this place was neither particularly good, nor was it particularly bad, it was just mediocre. I visited with pretty high expectations, having had it highly recommended by several local people, and I think this might be partially the reason why I found it somewhat lacking. Had I gone in just on a whim, not expecting good things, I think I would have had a better experience.

I went in with several people from the local area and we where literally the only customers in the place which, as it turned out, was probably a bit of a sign. Unfortunately the quietness meant that the waiter was super attentive, something which I found to be quite annoying. I do not need someone leaning over me so they can fill my glass with water from the carafe in the centre of the table, nor do I need them to rearrange the cutlery that I've just moved out of the way so I can have more space. Despite being slightly space invadery the service was good, the order was taken quickly and efficiently (even though one of our group ordered something that wasn't on the menu). The staff were friendly and polite and the food was cooked and delivered to the table quickly, as ordered, piping hot and all at the same time.

So far so good, unfortunately this is were it derailed ever so slightly. The food, whilst obviously freshly cooked, wasn't of the best quality. This isn't always an issue with Indian food, cheap meats and vegetables that have been well seasoned and cooked correctly will often make some of the best curries. Unfortunately this wasn't the case, I had a tandoori lamb biryani and it left a lot to be desired. The meat wasn't particularly well seasoned, it was cut into tiny pieces, meaning it had cooked too fast, and was somewhat chewy. The sauce and the rice weren't very flavourful and both seemed to be quite greasy.

Baring in mind this place was highly recommended, I left feeling a little let down and somewhat disappointed. I genuinely wanted it to be better, the restaurant itself was clean and seemed well looked after, the staff were attentive and friendly, it was the food itself that let it all down.