The Balti House, in Nottingham's town centre, is a restaurant that thrives on doing things a little bit differently. While serving up all the classic sauces, it specialises in lighter summer dishes from India and Bangladesh — all lightly spiced meats and flavourful salads. Also, its location near Nottingham's Trent Bridge Cricket Ground has the restaurant proudly hosting the Bangladeshi cricket team, who frequent them while on tour.
With a minimum of stodge and a maximum of authenticity in its flavours, it's no wonder The Balti House's menu suits the cricketers. The aromatic methi chicken is cooked using fenugreek, the warming prawn pathia is cloaked in a capsicum and tomato sauce, and all of the tandoori dishes are barbecued in a traditional clay oven.
Vegetable patro plays a starring role on the varied vegetarian menu: The Balti House is said to be the only place in the UK to cook this well-spiced dish in a traditional iron pot. The menu also ticks off paneer tandoori masala, which sees Indian paneer cheese roasted and then cooked in a mild masala sauce, and channa makhani, in which chick peas are tossed in butter and fruits. There's also a whole host of vegetable sides, from cheesy naan breads and Bombay potatoes to aubergine bhajis and mushroom rice.
Diners will discover The Balti House in Nottingham's Hockley area, a trendy neighbourhood that's home to eclectic shops and top quality restaurants. Some of Hockley's residents have been eating at The Balti House for more than 30 years — and it's well worth new diners following in their footsteps.