People watching at The Golden Curry and its fancy new look.

I walked in to The Golden Curry on Mill Road the other month with a friend and was shocked to find it covered in sheets and a couple of very confused painters starring at me. Needless to say they were having some work done as I hadnt noticed that the sign had been taken down out the front too. I was slightly annoyed at the time, mainly at myself for being in my usual state of obliviousness and walking straight in to a closed restaurant. 

I was also excited though because I have always liked The Golden Curry yet have noticed over the years that it has started to look a little worse for wear, I couldnt wait to see what they were going to do with it. 

Tonight I finally got to see what they have envisioned.

They have gone for a modest look on the outside of the restaurant as seen above, with a brown coat of paint instead of the old traditional green (shown below). They havent had a chance to put up the sign yet, which could really pull the look together but currently I am not too keen on the outside. The restaurant is easier to miss and doesnt stand out like it did before. 

What do you think?

The place really pops when you walk in. We were warmly welcomed with their usual friendly staff, they were quick to show off their new fish tank in front of the entrance and tell us that the sign outside is coming soon. The place looks much cleaner and nicer on the inside,and the fish tank really pulls the look together. I can imagine when it gets a bit darker that it could look really add a good atmosphere to the place.

Even though the place looks much cleaner and more modern now its had a lick of paint and some new furniture, it still looked quite bare. There was hardly anything on the walls and like I said before, the main sign outside is missing. It must be a working progress. You would think that they would have got the place completely done up properly and then had a grand opening. Oh well! It looks better either way!

We were seated in one of my favourite spots in the restaurant, right in the corner, which looks out to the street. Mill Road is an interesting, vibrant and diverse area of the city and its really fun to sit there and people watch while eating a meal. I never realised how dangerous Mill Road actually was until I sat there today. I witnessed about 5 near accidents with cars and cyclists. It certainly was entertaining!

The first thing I noticed on the menu was how competitive the prices were. A chicken vindaloo was under £6. We were at India House the other day and the same dish was around £8. Thats quite a difference. They also had Cobra beer on tap for £3.95, that doesnt sound cheap (and it isnt) but in comparison to other Indians in the area that is quite reasonable.  

We ordered a couple of poppadoms before our meal and were given three sauces. Mango chutney, chopped beetroot and lime pickle. We didnt get the usual four sides you'd usually get in most places, with no yogurt or chopped onions, but the portions were incredibly generous. The mango chutney especially was enough for 10 poppadoms, sadly it was a little runny but still quite nice. The lime pickle was fantastic. 

The service was fast and friendly. Our meal came out within 20 minutes. My chicken vindaloo was quite underwhelming. It hardly blew me away and sadly was quite mild. 

In fact, it was incredibly mild. 

The rice was nice and of reasonable size but was hardly enough to save the meal from the curry. I have to keep in mind that the curry was under £6 because otherwise I would have been incredibly disappointed with it. I think most people would have preferred to pay a little more and have a much more flavoured and spicy vindaloo in this circumstance. 

After our meal they brought us out a shot of Baileys and ice which went down well. They also supplied us with a hot towel to freshen up with. 

Its a shame I didnt need it as the curry wasnt very spicy, I could have really done with that after my meal at India House the other day because that was a HOT curry. 

It seems to be something that is going out of fashion around here now days. It used to be the norm to get a hot towel after a meal but it is something becoming increasingly rare now days. 

Bravo Golden Curry! 

Keep that tradition alive! 

Over all the meal was great value, it came to around £5 cheaper than the average meal for two. This being said the starters was fine but the main was a little disappointing. When you order a vindaloo you expect a bit of heat and flavour. We were glad to be given a shot of baileys and a hot towel at the end of the meal, and it was great to sit by the window and people watch while eating our dinner. Not to mention that the staff and service was great. 

I really like the new look of the place, its certainly feeling a lot better in there than it was, but its still incomplete. I might come take a look again in the future when they have had a chance to put the sign back up and put some extra decoration in there. 

The biggest thing that lets this place down was the main course. You can get everything else right but if the main isnt very good then there is not much you can do! Its what you come for!

3.5/5