An Indian restaurant run by a former Devon chef has left diners 'blown away'. With hundreds of Indian eateries scattered across Devon and Cornwall, it's always thrilling to discover a new gem.
Chennai Indian Fusion, just over the border in Devon border in Looe, has been showered with praise and invited us to sample its offerings. The restaurant was launched five years ago by Mansell Ahmed, who spent nearly two decades perfecting Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine.
Mansell, who previously managed the highly popular Cafe Indiya in Plymouth, decided to embark on a fresh venture and crossed the border into Cornwall.
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His team has since built a reputation for consistently outstanding food and customer service, with Chennai Indian Fusion boasting nearly 400 'excellent' reviews on Tripadvisor.
While the restaurant on Buller Street is unassuming from the front, it's important not to judge a book by its cover. When we arrived at around 7pm on a Friday night, we were greeted by a friendly member of staff and were quickly seated at our table.
Mansell came over to introduce himself to us - as he did with all of his customers - and explained he had a selection of dishes for us to try as starters which are being sampled for a new menu. As we waited for our first course, my companion for the evening and I soaked up the atmosphere while we enjoyed some poppadoms and a glass of Martini wine and a beer.
The décor inside is very warm and inviting, with low hanging lighting fixtures, seaside inspired prints and wooden furnishings making it feel like the ideal place to shelter from a cold and wet evening. It was fairly quiet when we arrived but as soon as we were seated, the tables around us quickly filled up - a testament to the restaurant's popularity.
A short while later, Mansell brought over three small plates with tandoori fish tikka, Punjabi samosas, and lamb chops. Each dish was bursting with an infusion of flavours and was the perfect amount to share between two.
The tandoori fish tikka had been marinated in tamarind powder and special tandoori spice before being cooked in the clay oven and topped with black ground peppercorn. It had just the right amount of heat, so we were able to appreciate the flavours whilst enjoying a nice little kick.
The lamb chops were also very tasty, having been marinated in tandoori special spices and cooked in the tandoori clay oven before being topped with fried onions and black peppercorns.
But the stand out dish for us was the Punjabi samosas, which had been made from a blend of spices and vegetables, and fitted into a crispy pastry. It's fair to say the starters went down a treat and were finished almost as quickly as they arrived.
One of the great things about Chennai Indian Fusion is it offers a lot more choice than your classic Indian hits. Yes, you can get your traditional tikka masala, vindaloo or jalfrezi but there's also a whole host of dishes to explore.
The restaurant prides itself on using only the freshest of ingredients, and respecting that customers have varying palettes, ensures that heat never overpowers the flavours of the chosen dish.
For my main dish, I ordered the dhansak which had been prepared with sweetened lentils and aromatic spices, while my fellow diner chose to have the saffron chicken biryani. On the side I had some keema rice, as was recommended to me, and we also opted to share a peshwari naan bread.
As an addition to our already big order, Mansell also suggested we try the chef's recommended mozadar, which came with diced chicken which had been marinated overnight and barbecued before being cooked with fresh ginger, onion, green chillies and a spicy hot sauce.
The dhansak was cooked beautifully and after informing Mansell I preferred a milder heat to my curry, he ensured it was made just to my liking. The sauce itself was sweet and creamy and the keema rice was full of flavour and complimented the dish well.
My companion also thoroughly enjoyed the saffron chicken biryani and the chef's recommended mozadar - the latter of which was a bit on the spicier side for my liking. He also went as far to say the peshwari naan bread was the 'best he'd ever had'. I must admit, I did think the naan was very tasty but I struggled to manage it alongside the rest of the meal.
It's fair to say that by the end of the evening, we left feeling very full and content. Mansell and his team were very attentive but never overbearing and it was clear from watching them interact with other regular customers why the restaurant has such a loyal following.
So, if you're a local living in Looe or you're considering making a trip to try out a new restaurant, I would highly recommend a visit to Chennai Indian Fusion.
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