Their food seriously packs a punch...
Recently opened in the old Post Office on Beeston high street, Lagan offers a tapas-style starter selection which provides much more than just samosas and onion bhajis. You can select three dishes for £14.95, or £12.95 if they’re vegetarian.
We opted for the pan puri; a crispy, open-topped shell of pastry filled with potato, chickpeas, spices and tamarind that sits atop a shot glass of water flavoured with green chilli and coriander. Pour the liquid into the case and eat whole so the flavours can explode in your mouth. The prawn lollipops came as two prawns skewered head to toe, yin and yang style, in a crispy batter and with a sweet chilli sauce. The standout dish was the paneer ka sholay, which came marinated in mildly spiced yoghurt, lightly charred but soft and juicy in the middle.
To sample all the different flavours, we ordered a vegetarian thali (£14.95) and a Lagan Feast (£15.95). Our thali included a spinach and potato curry, lentil dhal, mixed vegetable curry, raita, nan, rice and a sweet gulab jamun; a doughnut-like ball, soaked in sweet syrupy rose water and cardamom. It was all exceptional, and would traditionally be replenished with no limit until your guests were satisfied; shame really, as we could have sat there for hours.
Mixed grills have their place but it’s all a bit “lads-lads-lads” for me. The Lagan Feast is a more refined version with a selection of salmon tikka, chicken tikka, lamb chops and sea bass. This assortment is light and, unlike a mixed grill, they’re finished in the tandoor, meaning it’s lightly charred and succulent instead of indiscriminately blackened.
The service is excellent and included the occasional philosophical anecdote. Beeston’s a quick tram ride away for one of the best Indian restaurants in the city.
6A Chilwell Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1AA. 0115 967 7288
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