OM RECOMMENDS: The Hook & Line, Royal William Yard
26th July 2022
Signs Express Plymouth
26th July 2022
Bengal Flavour, situated within the historic Barbican serves an array of aromatic curries, nan breads, samosas and papadum chutney trays. The OM team were delighted to be invited to a meal at Bengal Flavour last month to taste the menu, meet the staff and give our honest review.
The 18th century building is located on Buckwell Street and is one of Plymouth’s most historic buildings. The street is named after the old medieval Buck Well which is situated within the restaurant opposite the bar. There have even been rumours, sightings and noises of the ghost who lives in the building.
Just a stones throw away from the cobbled streets of the Barbican and the Hoe, Bengal Flavour is in a superb location.
The restaurant was lovely and quiet when we arrived due to the time of day which enabled us to take our time, get to know the staff and fully enjoy the food. We were greeted and shown to our seats by Mr Ali, owner of both Bengal Flavour and the award-winning Shapla Balti Cuisine in Plympton. Having not long ago experienced a delightful meal at Shapla Balti Cuisine, we were very excited to see what Bengal Flavour had to offer.
As soon as we arrived, a drinks menu was brought out followed by a waiter who was ready to take our order. Myles, the Managing Director and Edward, the Sales Manager ordered a Cobra beer and I chose (a large glass) of the house white wine which was crisp and cold. Emma, the Accounts Manager shared some water with the rest of us.
The main menu was brought out along with a tray of chutneys, yoghurts and onion salad next to a heap of papadums to tuck into. Now you can either dip the papadums into each tray one at a time, or you can pile all of the sauces onto the papadum and eat them all together. You can guess how we liked to do it!
We all got a little distracted by the chutney tray and forgot to look at the menu. Eventually, we decided to share a starter which consisted of chicken and lamb tikka on a bed of salad with vegetable samosas. Emma and Edward shared the samosas whilst Myles and I tried the tikka. The flavours from the tikka were sublime, a slight hint of spice but not too overpowering. The samosas were crispy and packed full of curried vegetables.
After ordering our mains, it was soon brought out on a cart and then placed in front of us. We had ordered a lot of food which filled the table with vibrant colours and a beautiful smell.
Emma is vegan so she wanted to try the Vegetable Dansak with Vegetable rice. She found the curry to be sweet and full of flavour which complimented the rice perfectly. Edward ordered the Bengal Special Vegetable which had a variety of vegetables coated in a rich tomato and garlic curried sauce. Myles opted for a Chicken Bhuna which was served beautifully with ginger and red onion slices on top for extra colour and flavour. He chose Fried Rice to go alongside the curry and he told me it tasted fresh, aromatic with just the right amount of spice. I was less adventurous and opted for the classic Chicken Korma with Pilau Rice but I was not disappointed. The creamy coconut curry complimented the Pilau Rice perfectly. The chicken was tender and the sauce was sweet and I chose to accompany this dish with a garlic nan bread.
Myles chose the Mos Mos Nan which consisted of mincemeat inside and topped with garlic and Edward had the cheese nan.
After all of this food, we had full bellies and some leftovers that we took home with us, ready to dig into the next day.
Our experience at Bengal Flavour was absolutely brilliant. We couldn’t thank the waiters enough for being so attentive and lovely to talk to. The food was truly sublime and we had no issues with any of the dishes. You can tell as soon as you walk into Bengal Flavour that they care about your experience and also the food that they are cooking you. It’s all fresh and cooked to order which plays a huge part in the enjoyment of the meal. We hope to be returning very soon.
