Indique (Indian) – West Didsbury, Manchester

Indique is an Indian restaurant in the heart of West Didsbury which, when compared to the bars and cafes surrounding it, certainly stands out from the crowd, with its bright yellow logo and attractive shop front.

Based on first impressions, therefore, it certainly lives up to its name – an amalgamation of the words ‘Indian’ and ‘unique’.

In fact, according to its website, Indique is not shy in declaring:

Our award winning head chef is one of the finest in the industry and will make sure nothing but the best comes on your plate and palate.

The restaurant itself is a small and cosy one, with warm lighting and clever use of fairy lights which, when juxtaposed with the Indian-inspired decor that includes an eye-catching wall mural depicting a travelling royal entourage of elephants and horses, as well as an attractive Mughal-style architrave and dark, heavy wooden doors, went well in reinforcing its Indian theme.

Kashmir Delight (left) – Apple Juice, Peach with Lemonade £4.45
Indian Summer (middle) – Fresh Mint, Ginger, Lemon and Himalayan Salt Crushed Together with Lemonade top £4.45
Orange Punch (right) – Orange Juice with Lyches and Lemonade £4.45

Looking past the use of those inelegant umbrellas, this trio of beverages were quite different in kind, with perhaps the most unique being the Indian Summer. While this was an overall sweet mojito, it managed to expertly balance the soothing flavours of ginger, salt and mint in a wonderfully complementary way. A freshing drink that’s worth ordering if you want something traditional.

The transition from the tangy apple to the kick of the peach in the Kashmir Delight was quite delightful. Not only were they well blended together as a whole, but this drink was superbly refreshing.

The Orange Punch definitely tastes better than its name suggests. This is essentially an enhanced version of Rubicon Lychee with the perfect quantity of tart orange juice to counterbalance things. A very sweet and fruity beverage that’s perfect for the summer.

Pani Puri / Gol Gappa – Fried puff-pastry balls with spiced mashed potato, served with highly spiced water. Fill the balls with spiced water and pop in mouth for flavour explosion £3.95

A Pani Puri or Gol Gappa is a very traditional dish and a popular Indian starter. It comprises a fried puff-pastry shell in the form of a ball, that’s usually partially pre-filled with certain ingredients, in our case spiced mashed potato, chickpeas and diced onions. It also has an opening at the top for the accompanying spiced water (we went for a duo of tamarind and mint) to be poured into. This is then downed in one to get the full effect.

Our balls were fresh and ultra-crispy, just as they ought to be, while the respective waters were flavourful without being overpoweringly so. Actually, they weren’t as “highly-spiced” as the menu claimed, but rather mild and well balanced.

We’d certainly recommend everyone to try these out if only to add to that Indian cuisine experience.

Bhelpuri – Crushed crispy pastry, seasoned potatoes and puffed rice coated in date paste £3.95

This Bhelpuri was by far the best dish we had the pleasure of experiencing during this review.

This was a modernised and Indique-approved version of the classic Bombay mix, with the perfect balance of textures and flavours, that assured an Asian explosion of sweet vs savoury with every given mouthful. A masterful combination of the crisp and crunchy with the soft and creamy, this dish was something uniquely different, tasty, and a starter we’d happily return for!

Kathi Rolls – Veg croquette or chicken tikka with salad, spicy mint and tangy chutney rolled in a flat bread £4.95

These Kathi Rolls can either be ordered as a veg croquettes or as a chicken tikka.

Opting for the latter, the chicken was tender, flavoursome and decently spiced. Having said that though, this was a fancier version of a wrap more than anything else, except, of course, that it was wrapped in a nice and crispy flat bread.

A decent option if you’re not used to Indian spices and herbs, but despite its beautiful presentation, nothing outstanding.

Smoky Lamb Tikka – Marinated boneless morsels of cinnamon smoked lamb fillet grilled in a clay oven. Appetiser £6.95 or Main £11.95

There’s the option of enjoying either a large plate of this Smoky Lamb Tikka for a main, or a smaller appetiser.

Given how good these were though, we’d recommend the former.

Served under a smoke-filled glass dome, which successfully imparts a real smokiness to the dish as a whole, the tender pieces of boneless lamb fillet pieces were covered in a deep orange marination that really stood out against the vibrantly green mint sauce, the smoked red and yellow peppers, thin slices of cucumber, and edible flowers.

The thick marination was a mildly spicy tomato-based one that had an intense smokiness which not only gave these lamb tikkas a beautiful flavour, but worked really well with the other ingredients.

Peshwari Lamb Chops – Baby lamb chops marinated with ginger, garlic, hung yoghurt and paprika, cooked in a clay oven.
Appetiser £6.95 or Main £11.95

Although these Peshwari Lamp Chops are described as “baby” in size, they are anything but.

Instead, they are sufficiently large, beautifully soft and tender, fall straight off the bone, are seasoned to perfection, and marinated in a tangy tomato paste that’s infused with the perfect blend of spices, making these one of our favourite chops had.

An example indeed of an Indian style lamb chop dish with a unique twist of their own.

Methi Murgh – Fillet of oven roasted chicken cooked with mixed bell pepper, ginger, fresh fenugreek leaves and cream, served with pilau rice £11.95

This Methi Murgh had tender slices of chicken breast served on what was a bed of thick, creamy vegetable curry paste, which was well spiced and full of flavour.

In fact, the portion was such that you really didn’t need that big a serving of the pilau rice; the chicken and fenugreek leaf curry base was instead sufficient.

Ratan Manjosa – Spinach onion dumplings in a light tangy tomato, cashew nut and fenugreek flavored creamy sauce £8.95

This attractively presented Ratan Manjosa was a vegetarian dish, but one which was quite different in kind.

The beautiful, rich creamy tomato sauce turned out thicker than expected, and had a hint of sweetness to it, while the spinach and onion dumplings had a crispy outer shell, and were positively soft on the inside to the point of almost dissolving in the mounth.

Although we wouldn’t class this strictly as a curry given its consistency, though it wasn’t far off, the proportions of the dish in relation to the greens and the paneer balanced out really well.

This is essentially a lighter option for mains in comparison to your slightly more heavier curries or rice dishes.

Masala Roast Lamb Shank – Pot roasted to melt in the mouth, lamb shank braised with onions, tomatoes, yoghurt and ground sesame seeds £14.95

Garlic Naan £2.75

When they say that this Lamb Shank is “pot roasted to melt in the mouth”, you better believe it, because we don’t think you could get any more tender than this!

This was so tender, in fact, that it literally melted off the bone at the merest touch.

What’s more, while the curry was textured, with the sesame seeds therein providing that extra dimension of texture and loveliness, it was so full of flavour and delicately balanced spices that you couldn’t really ask for anything more!

An original, very well executed and thoroughly enjoyable dish this. RECOMMENDED!

To scoop up all that delicious gravy, we also ordered a garlic naan as a side which was crispy and well buttered.

Hyderabadi (Chicken) Biryanis – Cubes of chicken /lamb/veg cooked in basmati rice, served with mix raita. £10.95

With the option of chicken, lamb or veg, we decided to go for the chicken.

We’re glad we did too since the cubes of chicken in this Hyderabadi Biryani were made with aromatic spices and baked in silky basmati rice right down to a tee.

There was none of that greasy residue that’s often a tell tale sign of a poorly made biryani. This was cooked to perfection, with a great balance of everything, was fragrant, with a strong amount of spice no doubt, but expertly tempered by the tangy-cum-sweet yoghurt raita mix.

Seriously; if you like your biryanis, then this should be your first choice of mains. UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!

Chocolate Mousse – Swiss Felchlin dark and white chocolate mousse with a hint of cinnamon £4.95

This Chocolate Mousse had a wonderful lightness to it, which made it a perfect dessert for the winter.

It was set out in the style of a cheesecake, with a thin layer of digestive biscuit that had a lovely moistness to it. If we were being ultra-picky though, then our only complaint would be that we would have preferred this far more chilled than we received it.

It’s also worth noting that the cinnamon therein did split the crowd. Hence, while we all thoroughly enjoyed it for its unique taste combination, there were two Lions who would have preferred this purely chocolate-based, believing, as they did, that the addition of cinnamon was more than just a “hint”. Nonetheless, this is one dessert that’s certainly interesting and, therefore, worth ordering for its challenging nature.

Gulab Jamun – Traditional Indian dessert, sweet dumpling served with vanilla ice cream £4.95

Some fantastically fluffy, warm and sweet Gulab Jamuns served here, with in-house made, smooth vanilla ice.

These traditional Indian desserts were saturated in a syrup that wasn’t overly sweet, nor were they too soft or soggy. Instead, they were just right, with a loose texture that went well with the ice cream.

Kulfi Tiranga – Homemade tri-color kulfi (an Indian style icen cream) with layer of mango, cardamom and pistachio flavour £4.95

Another classic dessert from said region with the texture of this kulfi being luxuriously creamy and thick.

These homemade trio of flavours comprised of pistachio, mango and vanilla, and were very well paired. The pistachio flavour had bits of pistachio in it enhancing the overall taste, the mango was that of a rich mango puree, and the vanilla natural and smooth.

All the desserts were served outstandingly well with eye catching swirls. In addition, all desserts come with homemade artisan dark chocolates, in our case in the shape of butterflies, adding that extra touch of decadness and richness.