Indian cuisine at Badshah Palace in Birmingham
HALAL STATUS Fully HalalBy Zain Ali (@brummiefoods)
Knowing how much I like to visit new places and try new food, my sister booked an evening meal for me and my wife at Badshah Palace in Birmingham.
Located in Clifton Building on Walsall Road, the first thing you notice is the impressive stature of the restaurant, which is wonderfully presented, with good ambient lighting even on a dark evening.
While Badshah Palace also doubles up as a wedding venue, the downside to this is, that whilst they run the two in tandem, it means walking through the front doors, following the signage up a flight of stairs, then another door and a shorter flight of stairs, before finally finding yourself in the restaurant. But, do take a second to breathe in the view, as it’s a beautiful place with plenty of photo opportunities.
The staff were attentive and took myself and the Mrs to our table without delay.
Sheek Kebab (2/5), £3.20
The Seekh Kebab was simply presented along with some salad as a distant support act. Honestly, the salad was rather a far flung extra than a support act, and looked pretty much an afterthought. I’m not asking for an all-dancing all-singing salad, as it’s just that, a salad; but I guess my camera supported my thoughts and done a nice bokeh focus on what really mattered.
I’d love to say that the kebabs made up for the salad and I was blown away by flavour, I wasn’t. There was a uniform meat taste there; but I couldn’t find much depth, and had to borrow said depth from the condiments. An average kebab.
Cod Pakora (2/5), £4.20
If you thought the photo looks great, then I’ll clarify – this Cod Pakora was below average. A shame as my Mrs had high expectations. Onions were fresh though and the salad returned as a supporting act. Looking at the photo though, would you consider the cod pakora an accompaniment? Given the volume of salad, a case could be made, couldn’t it?
Overall, the starters were a let-down, which is surprising as usually starters are pretty dependable.
Makani Paneer (3.5/5) – Indian cottage cheese shallow fried then cooked in a mild and creamy sauce, £6.90
The Makani Paneer was very smooth, very creamy and very mild. I shouldn’t complain as the menu wasn’t promising anything spicy.
Yet, I still found myself longing for something more, some small kick to give this 2D dish an extra dimension.
For those wondering about the taste, then a western equivalent would be a thick butternut squash soup.
I have to give the chef extra points, however, for cooking the paneer just right. A lot of places have a tendency of cooking this to the point of rubbery. Badshah Palace got it just right.
Tikka Sag Special (3.5/5) – Chicken tikka and spinach cooked with special herbs and spice, green chillies, tomatoes, onions and touch of garlic, £6.90
Moving on to the Tikka Sag Special, then it was very nice. I could leave the comments there and just recommend you to try it. Polar opposite to the Paneer Dish. Whilst again not being too spicy, it actually had depth of flavour. Something that had been evidently missing in the starters. The concentrated depth of flavour in this one dish brought a smile to my face. The sag tasted fresh, the tikka pieces were flavourful, and the amalgamation of both in the gravy a perfect storm in a cup.
A quick note on the naans – perfect size and flavour. They were light, airy, and scooped up the curry nicely. No spoons needed, got right in there.
Strawberry Waffle (4/5)
We got desserts on the house. Badshah Palace didn’t need to do this and I didn’t have much more space left to be able to eat the waffles, but the kind gesture couldn’t go to waste.
The waffle had hints of vanilla and of sweetness, with the airy consistency making it easy to digest. The ice cream, whilst probably not sourced from anywhere more glamourous than a supermarket tub, melted nicely with the waffle. Generous strawberry content too, which other places should take a note of.
Strawberry Mocktail and Mojito Mocktail (4/5)
Drinks were refreshing. Mrs found her mocktail just right, which summed up mine to. Good palate cleansers.
Overall, whilst the starters were a let-down, the Tikka Sag curry was the show stealer. The building is beautiful with ample parking. I would recommend a visit, since this place offers a relaxed atmosphere, with attentive and polite staff. And I highly recommend the salad, its consistent presence forced me to give it a special mention. Overall 3/5 for me.
Badshah Palace
Clifton Building, Walsall Road, Birmingham, B42 1LR.
T: +44 (0)121 357 1897 | W: badshahpalacerestaurant.co.uk | E: [email protected]
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 17:00-23:00
