This month’s meal brought us to North End
and the Blue Cobra (It is also Dave’s first choice sojourn
into Grubgang – and in his opinion probably the best Indian in Portsmouth –
lets hope everyone else thought the same!).
Gemma – “I had Hush Tikka to start which
is duck cooked to perfection (in my opinion) and the same main as Dave as its a
good sampler. I loved all the complementary items the Restaurant offered. First
with the poppadum’s and sauces and then afterwards with refreshing orange
segments to cleanse the pallet (with a hot towel!).”
Dean – “I played save with onion bhaji
for starters and for the main I had the Chicken Fried Rice, Keema Nann with the
Tandoori Mixed Grill. Luckily Clair chose a lovely curry (don’t remember the
name), which I used to combine with my main, as the tandoori grill in my
opinion really needed a good sauce to accompany it.”
Clair – “I chose a Naan bread to start,
but they are so huge I think if I went back I would go straight for a main
meal. The portions are more than enough and would fill a hungry tum very
quickly! I also liked the fact that I asked the waiter that the dish be as mild
as possible and they seemed to do this for me with no problems.”
Pete – “I choose to be a bit more
adventurous then I usually am and started with the Dum Aloo (An Egg/potato
mixture encased in a breadcrumb outer layer – Which was lovely) followed by the
mixed Massala curry with Lamb, Chicken and Prawns – Also fantastic. I choose to
accompany with a Aloo Gobi – which unfortunately they had run out of
cauliflower – so had to have a Bombay Aloo instead. Now if I had known the
portions were so large I wouldn’t have ordered the side dish (Probably my only
negative of an otherwise lovely meal!).
So the menu was extensive, the portions
generous and the taste not too spicy – Again the Blue Cobra seems to be ticking
the boxes… What about the service?
Mike – “The staff were very friendly and
attentive to our needs, although the only problem I had was that the waiters
were ever so slightly over eager to clear our plates away!”
Clair – “They need to work on getting
orders correct and as Mike said they were too eager to clear up, so I felt a
little rushed!”
Dean – “Pretty good service. Especially
liked the fact they gave complimentary orange halves to wash our palates, then
Baileys and chocolate to wash it all done. They even doggy bagged Clair’s
leftovers (curry, Bombay potatoes and my rice), which I had for lunch at work
the next day!”
Gemma – “The only down side was the fast
pace that the waiters were setting, was at times making me feel a little rushed
and the usual issue of plates being cleared before we had all finished.”
Pete – “A pleasure dining experience,
with very little to complain about except the lack of cauliflower! – Didn’t
really feel rushed at all, however the plates really need to be cleared once
everyone has finished!”
So apart from being a little eager to clear
the plates away, not too much to grumble about. So what about the overall score
and final thoughts?
Clair – “All in all, Dave picked a
lovely place and for a first choice of venue, you will have to keep up the good
work for future venues! And I now also have a lot to live up to next month!!”
Dean – “Had a really nice meal, pretty
good service, especially liked the fact they gave complimentary orange halves
to wash our palates, then Baileys and chocolate to wash it all down.”
Gemma – “We definitely recommend it! Not
too crowded.”
Pete – “A lovely restaurant, with great
food, and reasonable priced. Very little to complain about! All in all, a great
Grubgang venue!”
So it looks like the Blue Cobra gets the
thumbs up from the Grubgangers! A great contemporary Indian with a large and
varied menu, with the addition of a range of fish curries as well!
The decor was clean, the staff welcoming
and attentive (Although a little too eager to clear the plates away!), with
good sized tables (Not too crowded), reasonably priced drinks and clean
respectable facilities.
Marks out of ten..............................................................8.5 (Dave Graham)
Marks out of ten..............................................................8.5 (Dave Graham)
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