Lavang Indian Gastronomy (Ash Vale) - (Near , South East)

2 /5 Matt: Second time we have ordered a takeaway from here. Sadly, this time I was disappointed at the portion size of the Hara Jhol Lavang Special. Then only to discover it was stone cold. Rather disappointing overall this time.

4 /5 Richard Wilson: I liked this restaurant mostly for its service and atmosphere, which were both very good. The food, however, was a little disappointing overall. The papadoms were crisp, but the relishes were rather bland. The lamb chops starter was nicely cooked with a decent flavour. The soft shell crab was dry and tasteless, coated in breadcrumbs and also overcooked. However, the biggest let down, food-wise, was the lamb shashlik. It would have been nice sizzling, and consisted mostly of onion and tomato, while the lamb was rather dry and an odd shape. That said, the prawn puree, naan bread, tarka dahl and aubergine side dishes were all cooked very well. One could definitely enjoy a nice meal here, but choosing the best dishes would be a bit hit or miss.

5 /5 Samantha Parker: Absolutely brilliant! It was my first time trying this restaurant on the recommendation of my friend who has been a few times before. The food was gorgeous and the staff were lovely. We didn’t feel rushed and felt like we could have a good catch up. I will definitely be back! Thank you

5 /5 Adriana Gielbert: It has been a while since weve had a curry this good. I often have a prawn puree starter as it is quite a good way to determine overall quality of a restaurant, and the one I had at LaVang (King Prawn Pathia Puree) was superb: the prawns were delicious, the sauce made with fresh ingredients, not runny but not with added thickeners either, lovely heat and somewhat coconutty without being overly sweet. And served in just the right amount. The fried fluffy bread was beautiful and folded on the plate so youre not tempted to assemble it all into a wrap. As mains I had the Alleppey Monk Fish. Again, simply everything was right about this dish: the texture, the balance in flavours between the sauce ingredients, the heat. Sides of LaVang rice and garlic naan were to a high standard while sufficiently simple to support the main dishes. My husband had the prawn puree starter as well (he keeps telling me that he wished he could eat this every day for lunch and dinner) and the Laal Maas which was superb. I had a small taste of this and agreed: the lamb was full of flavour, sauce was great and the heat was right. We also ordered a side of Tarka Dal which had lovely flavours and again, was not spoilt by thickeners that dont belong. Finally, staffing and service: all good and prompt, given it was a fairly busy night (Im so pleased that things are improving on this front!). I had an informative chat with the owner (who was as active and busy helping and serving as his staff) about the philosophy behind their dishes, and how they take great care to have all flavours perfectly balanced, so theres no need and in fact it is not recommended to adapt the heat. And he was absolutely right as it was all spot-on. Looking forward to the next occasion that will give us an opportunity for dining there!

5 /5 richard amero: We had a really enjoyable traditional British Indian Restaurant meal here. The staff were fantastic, friendly and efficient. The lighting is warm and inviting. Its easy to see why curries taste better in the restaurant then from a takeaway service at home. Ambience is everything and LaVang has plenty of it. We kicked off with popadoms and the accompanying relishes. One of them was like a mixture of sweet chili, onion and spices. Its piquant taste proved popular and one of our guests, Steve Fridge ( Fridgy) said it "was amazing", and ordered more of it. We all enjoyed our starters of tandoori chicken, chicken Tikka and Gulati kebab (minced lamb with a melted cheese centre). I was a bit upset that they didnt offer bhindi bhaji ( okra) on the menu. However, my gripe didnt last long because our well presented mains soon arrived along with Bombay aloo and perfectly tandoored breads. The Naans was so light and airy that Im surprised they didnt need tethering to the plate to stop them floating off! The chicken Tikka jalfrez had a good kick of green chilii and the lamb dhansaks hot, sweet and sour tastes were very well balanced. Great night, memorable meal and highly recommended.