Restaurant
Review
Cinnamon
Gold
10th
March 2012
A contemporary Pan Asian restaurant, conveniently
positioned at Beeches walk in Sutton Coldfield.
Last Saturday evening John and I, carrying our bottle
of reserva rioja entered Cinnamon Gold restaurant. It was around 7.45
and there was a number of diners including families, friends and
couples. There was a nice atmosphere and the interior was pleasant,
the walls are painted warm red and have a collection of canvasses
showing aspects of Indian heritage hanging upon them. In the
background one could hear authentic music playing. The kitchen, clean
and well organized is on full view from the dining room.
The
Dining Experience
The waiter greeted us and
showed us to a table towards the rear of the restaurant, we were
offered menus and then he opened our wine. For those of us who are
penny wise, this unlicensed restaurant allows you to bring along your
own alcoholic beverages, although I do offer a full range of soft
drinks should you wish to purchase.
Fresh, crisp poppadoms and
condiments, including a mildly spiced mint sauce and smooth mango
chutney, were brought swiftly to the table whilst we browsed the
menu.
I was impressed with the
menu there was a good selection of different chicken, meat, fish and
vegetarian dishes. All the usual favourites are available alongside a
list of specialty dishes and chef's recommendations it was to these
that I was drawn. The menu is fairly priced, starters range from
£2.95 to £5.95 and main dishes £6.50 to £12.95.
The
Verdict
Tandoori
kebab platter, barbecued
in a clay oven over charcoal this dish was both well flavoured and
moist. It was well presented and a good portion comprising of
chicken, lamb, fish and a sheek kebab.
Afghani
Malai tikka,
this dish was a delight. Once again the chicken was moist with a
delicate flavour of black cumin and cardamon with a hint of fresh
ginger. The cheese was a lovely addition and the mildly spiced sliced
onion with coriander was an ideal garnish. I was particularly pleased
to see no artificial food colouring, which enhanced the purity of the
dish.
I agree with the chef this is
a dish you must try!
Both John and I decided to
choose our main dish from the chef's choice, we were not
disappointed.
Anisa special chicken
curry, this dish is unique to
the Bengal Lancer. The sauce was an interesting and tasty combination
of hot, sweet, sour and spicy. It was very enjoyable and really
tickled the taste buds with an explosion of flavours! With so many
levels of taste it is not surprising this dish is a firm favourite
with regular customers.
Murgh sagrana, once
again this curry is unique to Bengal Lancer where it is traditionally
prepared as a dish at wedding feasts it is also the chef's specialty.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mild
flavour of this curry, the blend of spice gave it a gentle heat
whilst still delivering on flavour. This is a very rich dish and so
therefore I did not manage to eat all the sauce. But definitely an
ideal curry to serve at a special occasion – a real crowd pleaser.
One
particular dish Palak Makhani really
stood out for me, we ordered this as a side with a tandoori roti and
special fried rice. This combination I have not tried before but will
definitely have again. It comprises of cottage cheese cubes in a
special mild Mughali sauce, it really was quite lovely. The cheese
remained firm and was wonderfully flavoured in this creamy almond
sauce.
To cleanse the palette we
enjoyed a typical Indian mango ice cream.
In
summary
Cinnamon Gold is a pleasant Indian restaurant
offering a good selection of Pan Asian dishes. It is affordable and
well positioned with the added benefit of being able to take along
your own alcoholic beverages. A great venue for an informal evening
with family and friends that wont break the bank.
Penny Zako
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