Shahi Grill in Luton punches above its weight
By Shaftab Ahmed
HALAL STATUS Fully Halal
Having recently reviewed Top Grill House in Luton, which turned out to be nothing like the name suggested, my next victim was Shahi Grill.
The cricket crew and I again visited on a Saturday evening in a repeated attempt to find some cheap, desi doo down Dunstable Road.
In the end, we were all attracted by the well lit neon sign with the rather bland interior so characteristic of Luton joints.
What they had to offer was your usual Pakistani/ Indian dishes.
Grilled Corn £2.50
In order to stand out from the crowd, the restaurant was grilling cobs of corn for £2.50, and that too without any butter, oil, or any kind of rub. Have to give ’em props for trying.
Pathetic attempt at pakoras really! Dry and falling apart at the seams, these potato-based ones had zero taste.
Tandoori Naan £0.70
But with naans at 70p each – get in dere! These were big, thick and inviting.
Once again though, we ended up clearly over ordering, as they turned out larger than expected. The thickness wasn’t to their detriment either; these weren’t under cooked, but instead fresh and fluffy.
Lamb Karahi £7.99
Starting with a lamb dish, and bearing in mind that all this is on the cheap, then this Karahi was great!
Proper authentic tasting, and full of spice and chilli. Well balanced with soft lamb to match. In all, all five of us enjoyed this very large portion.
Apologies for the lack of photos for the rest, but we also had Haleem for £5.50, which is a dish with daal (lentils) and meat, in this case lamb, all mashed up and mixed together into one.
It came with the usual suspects: ginger (to be sprinkled over the top), fried onions and coriander. Conclusion? A fantastic dish that couldn’t be faulted.
Another good dish was the Chicken Karahi for £5.99, with its runny gravy that went well with the naan. It was well spiced without being tongue-burning.
Now, were a very picky bunch (despite being cricketers), so we were very much surprised by how good the curries were, with the haleem being the stand out plate.
Overall, the dishes at this place would stand up to most higher end restaurants. And with dishes being large and well priced, I’d highly recommend it.
Shahi Grill
 106 Dunstable Rd, Luton LU1 1DD.
T: +44 (0)1582 415060
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00-23:00
