by Author Name Withheld 125

Created on: July 22, 2010

It has to be said, Armthorpe despite being the birth place of Kevin Keegan, is a rather less salubrious part of Doncaster when compared to say, Bessacarr or Bawtry. That’s not being mean, just realistic, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see Elachi with its smoked-glass windows and ultra-modern interior nestling alongside a dreary-looking shopping mall.

Proudly announcing its Bangladeshi heritage (in fact, most Indian restaurants in the UK are of Bangladeshi origin), Elachi has slowly been gaining prominence in the local Curry scene. Some achievement considering Doncaster is now one of the top ten Curry ‘hot-spots’ in England. Hot-spot? See what I did there?

For a Thursday night, it was much more busy than we expected but we were seated straight away. Drinks were dispatched and menus perused. Starters were priced up to about a fiver, mains upwards of seven pounds and most of it was typical curry house fayre. Biryani, Dhansak, Madras, Tikka Massala, are all present and correct. It’s no bad thing of course as it’s all down to the implementation and everyone has their favourites don’t they?

The obligatory popadoms and pickle tray were priced at 50 pence and two quid respectively so we were on the back foot straight away. A lot of the Indian restaurants we frequent usually provide some kind of condiment for free. Oh well, never mind, as the popadoms and pickles were delicious and obviously home-made. A bonus point straight away. The yoghurt and mint raita was singled out for it’s combination of soothing yoghurt coolness spiked with a pleasant warming spice. A very nice dip indeed and we were disappointed when the ceramic dishes were taken away.

Don’t judge us as we were absolutely ravenous, but we ordered starters as well as mains. I fancied the Mirchi Paneer at a tad under a fiver which was bread-crumbed chillies filled with cheese and then deep-fried. My wife went for the Chicken Chat, again at just under a fiver. The Chat was a lovely dish, served on a warm flat-bread and a dreary-looking salad on the side (the same one as served with my starter, incidentally). Ignoring the salad, small pieces of chicken were wrapped in a rich, full-flavoured sauce and the bread was outstanding. Not too spicy and well within my wife’s ‘hotness’ tolerance but still packing a neat heat kick. A great starter and the best dish of the night.

My Mirchi Paneer was not so great. It only took one glance at the plate

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