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Sheesh Mahal Restaurant, 346-348, Kirkstall Rd, Leeds, LS4 2DS

Sheesh Mahal Restaurant, 346-348, Kirkstall Rd, Leeds, LS4 2DS

346-348, Kirkstall Rd, Leeds, LS4 2DS

0113 230 4161

London, for me, is overrated when it comes to curries. I think anyone who says they've eaten a decent curry in London, well, probably hasn't ever been anywhere else. Particularly north of the Watford Gap. Anyway, fortunately (as we do love our curries) we moved away from the big smoke to the smaller smoke of Leeds six months ago. And the Sheesh Mahal is our local curryhouse. And how lucky are we? Very. They've cleverly situated both these restaurants in quite posh residential areas, so there's not too many students raucously coming in at 11pm - in fact I don't ever recall that happening. And if you have had a drink you don't feel too guilty getting a cab.

Set up wise - they're quite typical. Plush maroon carpets, welcoming smiles on the door from (always) male waiting staff. Quite darkish walls with low lighting and plenty of tables which can form all different sizes to cater for large groups at the last minute, which they seem to be very good at. Service, is of course, impeccable. I'm not sure if service can ever be too friendly, but if so then perhaps they might fit in this category. We feel good friends with them all now, and it's a great refuge when life watching yet more rained off Wimbledon seems too much. I've also been watching a bit of comedy standup on the box recently and I think some of the staff can easily match professional comedians' repartee. But of course, the main highlight is the food. A wonderfully broad menu - every 'Indian' dish (I think these days Indian food is more influenced by Pakistan) you can think of. And they are particularly strong on vegetarian food in my opinion - the side dishes merit an outing on their own. I often have a mild Chicken balti - delectable, plenty of coriander and peppers which is how I like it. Perhaps even better than their chicken dishes are the lamb - so tender it melts in the mouth. And one of my companions the other day had a Chicken dansak - I'd never had this dish before and I was blown away, divine. The pulses and marinated chicken were a magic combination - and it wasn't too hot, which happened all the time in London. If I had to criticise I would say I've never been tempted to have a dessert. When the main courses and starters have all had such meticulous in-house attention, the desserts are blatantly shipped in from God knows where. I would love to see a more home-made approach to the dessert menu.

Then the bill arrives though and it's invariably a pleasant surprise - under £35 for two including Cobras and white wine. We've always ordered at least 50% too much - and with hardly a murmur a doggy bag is provided, which we put in the freezer - and milk another meal out of it at home. Baltitastic!