We went out to eat for a special occasion at one of the most popular spots in Leicester, Mem Saab. It’s well known since they were based at Highcross and have now returned to their original place.
When it comes to eating Indian cuisine, it’s a dilemma between having a beer or spirits. Since I was going to have a lot of spicy food, it was best to have a cocktail that is sweet to balance out the overall dining experience. Plus, having a beer kinda makes you feel a little bloated too. I went for the passion fruit mojito, the flavour is not on the menu but mojito is. So I kindly asked if they could add passion fruit which makes mojitos more enjoyable. The classic rum-based cocktail went down a treat.
We saw Virgin Colada on the drinks menu and asked if it could be turned into a pina colada which they were able to make for us. This cocktail has to be one of the best pina colada’s we’ve had to date. It was creamy, coconutty and hardly taste the rum in it.
You can request cocktails off the menu which the bartender can make so if you don’t see it or don’t ask, you won’t get what you want if it’s available. I’m not saying because I’m a blogger, I’d get better treatment, the waiter was happy to check what the bartender could do. That’s what I love about restaurants that can accommodate what’s not on the menu. Maybe they can add more options to the drinks menu.
As soon as you walk in, you are welcomed by the waiters and feel a sense of calmness for an exquisite Indian dining experience. Compared to other places where it looks lavish and often loud music, over here the ambience is set with a minimum volume of the music. So you can socialise with friends and family and the focus is on the food and be comfortable whilst you eat.
I love prawns so I went for the chilli king prawns that were seasoned with spices, peppers, onions and green chilli and mint yoghurt. This was divine as I could taste the chilli spices and needed the green chilli and mint yoghurt for the coolness at the end of the bite. For texture, you have the peppers and onions that are crunchy to balance out the chewy prawns.
In the sharing veg platter, there were 3 items of paneer shashlik, onion bhajis and Punjabi samosas. If you’re looking for a sumptuous starter of smaller amounts and more variety, this delivers that. It’s enough for 2 people and it reminds us of traditional Punjabi food. The paneer seemed like it was cooked in a tandoor where it was soft inside and slightly charcoal on the outside. The Punjabi samosas had a potato filling with peas and cumin and the onion bhajis were tasty too.
I love my hot and spicy food and initially, I wanted to order the Chicken Chettinad but based on the recommendation, I was told to have the garlic chilli chicken. This did not disappoint at all. The bowl of curry has diced fillet of chicken in a roasted garlic, ginger and chilli base which encapsulates the hot and spicy flavours of Indian cuisine. The green chillies bought a tickle to my nose but that’s what you expect from the spicy curry. There were so many chicken pieces and a lot of gravy to scoop up with naan. It’s more than enough for two people.
The malai kofta is made of Indian cheese paneer and potato dumplings that have a very creamy malai sauce. If you don’t like rich in taste foods, you’re missing out on this dish. The dumplings are like veg meatballs that have a crispy exterior that holds them in their shape. The creamy malai sauce consists of tomatoes, cream and a mix of aromatic spices. You can taste the flavours of garam masala, garlic and onion. We were told next time to try out the butter chicken so that’s definitely going to be one to order.
You can feed us Indian desserts all day long as that’s what we have grown up on so it’s always good to see how every else makes their versions of the traditional sweet treats.
I went for a gulab jamun, there’s something about this soft dumpling that is soaked in syrup that you can eat forever without ever feeling guilty about it. This was served hot and the sponge-like texture and warmth of the cardamon syrup was a party in my mouth.
In the hot weather, my mum would make kulfi and we were recommended to try this. This pista kulfi is made with pistachios like ice cream. This unique thing about this traditional Indian dish is that it is all made in the restaurant. You may notice other restaurants would serve you kulfi but it’s not actually made by their chef. So over here, you are truly experiencing a one of a kind kulfi. It is noticeable with the pistachios, there’s a crunchy texture throughout but it is a solid block that melts slowly at the bottom as you can see.
Overall, this was a fantastic place to celebrate a special occasion and we would come back again for a curry night and try out other dishes that they are well known for.
