Way back in the dim and distant past I was a devoted customer at the Eastern Tandoori in South William Street, Dublin. It was the very early 1980s and in the days when I had an expense account that included lunch every day (God bless Digital ). This meant that I had an Eastern Tandoori lunch at least once a week, and while there were other Indian restaurants to choose from, this was the best.
In the 1990s Eastern Tandoori spread its wings to places like Cork, Limerick, and Galway. Many of the Indian restaurant owners around the country started out their careers working in one of these restaurants. This is also true of the one in Galway which was opened in about 1997 and later, in 2007, it expanded to Loughrea. It has been a while since I visited the Loughrea restaurant, but the recent launch of a really great value menu meant that it required a night out. The new menu is available from Monday to Thursday inclusive, costs €14.95, and includes a choice of the most popular starters, plus a Dhaka puree which is a delicious Indian deep fried pancake. You also get a choice of nearly 30 main courses plus a choice of rice and tea or coffee. If you take a glance at the main menu you will see that most main courses are around €14, then add rice, add a starter €6.50, and tea or coffee, then you can see this is a great deal, one of the few benefits of the recession! There is also an all-you-can-eat Sunday buffet lunch from 1pm to 4pm which costs €11.95 per adult or €6.95 per child.
The dishes I would recommend include the chicken malai starter; it is mild and creamy with a slight coconut taste. I mopped up all the sauce with the puree (pancake ) and the chicken was a generous portion, cut in big tender chunks. I enquired as to where the meats and poultry are sourced and was told that the meat is all Irish and comes from the hal al facility in Claremorris, while the poultry comes from various local suppliers such as Corrib Chickens.
Another delicious dish, and for me the best, was the prawn biryani. It was full of fresh flavours. If you like a mild dish try any biryani. The prawns were unusually tender and it was served with a side dish of vegetable curry. There are some dishes which I had not seen before, such as chicken or lamb naveratan and chicken or lamb khazana. We sampled the chicken khazana, and if you can get over the intense red colour then the taste is excellent. It is a bit like chicken tikka masala, but with a bit of extra spice in it. Over the years I have lost the desire for red hot spicy Indian dishes but I am assured that you can have most dishes at whatever fieriness you desire. I like to have a naan bread with my Indian, in this case I was recommended to try another new dish, Afghani naan, it is for all the world like a pizza base with a sprinkling of peppers, garlic, onion, and cheese. It is delicious and a ‘must order’ on your next visit, the kids will love it.
The restaurant has a great location at the West Bridge in Loughrea. It is on the first floor of a new building overlooking the main street, there is a lift if you are a bit gyppy on the legs, and there is free parking at the front door. There is a recent addition of a semi private dining room for parties of up to 20 people and the staff are very engaging and willing to make suggestions. Telephone (091 ) 842335.
Some dates for your diary
• Wine tastings at Lohan’s in Salthill, every Wednesday in March at 8.30pm. Tickets are €10 each and must be booked in advance. Call (091 ) 522696, or check [email protected]. There is a different presenter each week and the one I recommend is on March 31, “weird and wacky wines” presented by a really great fun and knowledgeable person, the wacky Charles Searson.
• The School of Sustainability in Lecarrow, Athenry, has launched its 2010 calendar with a beginners’ gardening day, back yard farming day, and intermediate gardeners’ day.
I attended the beginners’ gardening day last year and can highly recommend it; the next one is Saturday March 27 and costs €75. See www.the-school-of-sustainability.com for details.
As always I welcome your comments and suggestions, please continue to email me on [email protected]
