Shimla Pinks on London Road in Leicester is part of a small Midlands chain of Indian restaurants. I’ve driven past this large restaurant many times but never thought to go in. We usually like to eat in family run, local Indian restaurants and I always thought this place was a big chain and assumed the food wasn’t too good.
Well, turns out I was wrong! Thanks to a chance groupon purchase, we found ourselves eating there a few months ago with my dad and step mum and it was just so good, we had to go back! Although the restaurant itself is quite large and not really decorated to my taste, we were pleased to see a large open kitchen filled with chefs looking very smart in their chefs whites and hats.
To start, I opted for their Gilafi Seekh Kebab and the hubby and my dad went for sizzling Chicken Shashlik both of came out as a huge portions. The meat was delicately spiced and tender – a world away from the shrivellled up seekh kebab starters you often get in Indian restuarants. I was particularly pleased to see the chicken tikka and seekh kebabs being threaded onto long metal skewers and cooked in traditional pits built into the kitchen. My step mummy went for something a little different – Spiced Potatoes and Garlic Mushrooms. not a standard Indian restaurant starter and really yummy.
For our mains, all of our curries were delicious with tender meat and flavourful sauces. The two stand out dishes were my Dads Garlic Chilli Chicken and my Goan Fish Curry. However the absolute stars of the whole meal were the naan breads. We had a selection – Keema, Kulcha (onions and peppercorns) and Garlic & Coriander. The bread was light and fluffy and we all agreed, the best naans we’ve ever had! The keema naan was fantastic too with a decent amount of filling.
I would definitely recommend Shimla Pinks to anyone looking for a nice curry in Leicester. It may not be the local intimate dining experience you get at other restaurants in the city but the food is authentic and absolutely delicious. We’ll be going back soon.
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