From 3rd December Denley’s Indian Restaurant in Topsham is launching a brand new Christmas menu, offering some unusual and very tempting seasonal dishes…

What’s On The Menu?

When we popped by to find out more about the new Menu, we got to sample and hear about some seriously delicious dishes that fans of Indian food will no doubt be keen to try firsthand:

Samooka: A stater of succulent little scallops baked with ground mustard, coriander, and turmeric, tossed with mushrooms, onions and peppers.

Spice Monk Mela: A starter containing chunks of monkfish marinated with fresh garlic, crushed coriander seeds, mint, turmeric, and olive oil. Cooked to perfection in the tandoor.

Harin Jury Fry: An absolutely delicious main course containing stir-fried venison with aznan, ginger roots, oyster sauce, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and nigella seeds; cooked with onions, peppers and mushrooms. This was our standout dish of the evening.

Tiger Chicken (or lamb): A creamy curry, cooked with garam masala, onion, garlic, ginger, cashew nuts, and mango chutney. This dish is medium – sweet, meaning there’s just enough of a spicy kick for those who prefer their curries on the milder side.

Of course, there are all the other sundries available as well; including Afgan rice, lemon & cashew rice, onion bhaji, saag panir, nan breads, and bombay potatoes, to name but a few.

This is all finished off with a portion of Gulab Jumun: Indian donuts immersed in sugar syrup, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or there’s the option to have a Millionaires Cheesecake or Black Forest Gateau, if you’re a little less adventurous.

Should you book a table this Christmas season?

We’re confident that anyone with an appreciation of Indian food is going to enjoy these dishes.  The menu is incredibly good value and you definitely won’t be leaving hungry. Something about Denley’s Essence of India feels a touch more authentic than many other Indian restaurants in Devon. There are very little heavy cream-based dishes that you normally find in Indian restaurants and we personally found that the meats were beautifully cooked and fall-apart-tender. We particularly enjoyed trying the Harin Jury Fry (venison stir fry) with its vibrant, almost East Asian flavours. This dish was inspired by food from the Kashmir region and you really could tell that it was different from the other plates of food that we enjoyed.  It’s rare that you can walk into an Indian restaurant in the West Country and actually taste the regional differences in the dishes on offer – and what a refreshing change that is to the standard menu of kormas and jalfrezis!

While Indian cuisine isn’t likely to be the first thing you think of at Christmas, we really like the idea of bucking tradition and trying something new. If you do too, you won’t be disappointed by the high-quality food and great service at Denley’s Essence of India.

Book your table: www.denleysessenceofindia.co.uk/contact/reservation; 01392 875675

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