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| Uddins Manzil, 123 Walton St, Tel 516153. | |
|
May 2004
|
Although it is one of the more
unremarkable looking Indian restaurants in Oxford, Uddins Manzil on Walton
Street (opposite Raul's cocktail bar) has, according to its receipt, been
established since 1971, so it must be doing something right. It seems
to be a great place either in a group situation or as a romantic meal
for two. The restaurant itself is fairly small but could cope with reasonably
large groups (up to 9 or 10) although they mainly tend to be drawn further
down Walton Street to Jamal's (thankfully!). Uddins is most definitely
for people who can cope with quiet conversation, as it is generally fairly
hushed, and the diners tend to be quite restrained. As with all restaurants,
Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights. As for the food itself, it really can't be faulted, other than the portion sizes, which can disappoint those who have only ordered a main course. However, I can recommend the pickle tray, which seems to offer a wide selection of flavours, from sweet coconut to spicy chilli. The poppadums were also very fresh and crunchy, which was nice! The Sheek kebab was one of the best starters I've had, and unlike many others, was not at all greasy, nor overly hot. For our main course, I tried the Chicken Passanda, a very mild dish, similar to korma, but at Uddins made with a great variety of flavour, sweet sultanas and a very rich and creamy sauce. My partner tried the tandoori mixed grill, which although reasonably priced was smaller than he expected. Despite this, the quality of the meat was very good, lean and even the lamb which has a tendency to be slightly tough, was very tender. The flavour was also very good, and had a genuine tandoori oven taste, as well as a nice blend of spices. Both meals showed Uddins' ability to make a tasty dish without over-riding the flavours with chilli. Along with the main courses, we shared a pulau (presumably the same as pilau!) rice and garlic nan, which was actually fairly sufficient for both of us. The nan bread could have had slightly more garlic, although equally this could be a matter of personal taste. In the past, I have found the peshwari nans to be delicious here, although at times a little too sweet. Drinks are fairly reasonably priced, but the real bonus is that there is the option of taking your own and paying 75p per head cork charge, which really can make it a much cheaper night, particularly if you fancy a boozy night out! Amongst the other money-saving tips, there is a student discount of 10% offered from Sunday-Thursday. Uddins does also offer a take-away service, but with such cheap cork charges and with the added discounts, it hardly seems worth washing up. You can get a 10% discount if you come to collect your take-out, which does offer an added incentive, and at the time of writing, they are also offering a free bottle of wine on orders over £25. All in all, the quality of food is difficult to fault, the portions are by no means meagre, and the service and staff are excellent, all of which makes the prices seem even more reasonable. Lara Sewell, 26.05.04 |
many years ago |
With the huge number of Indian Restaurants in Oxford, it is not hard to find a curry somewhere to satisfy your tastes. Among the many, however, a few stand out for particular mention and Uddins Manzil is one of these. The restaurant itself is not particularly large, but manages to seat everyone without causing you to feel cramped - you may have to wait on a busy night, though. The service is good, and quite quick too, so once seated you should not have to wait too long for your food. The menu boasts a good selection of food, with a decent selection of starters and main courses, and a good choice of dishes for vegetarians: the hardest part of the evening is not ordering more than you can eat! From the starters, I can recommend the Aloo Chatt, consisting of chunks of potato cooked in delicious spices on a base of bread, and as you may guess, if you go on eating dishes like that all evening, you will soon run out of room for more! Out of the many lovely main courses, I must mention the Shabzi Massalla, which despite being an extraordinary vivd red in colour tastes superb - a combination of the sweet creaminess of a Korma with the rich spicy flavours of a Biryani. Most Indian restaurants share a number of standard dishes: it is usually how they are done rather than what is on the menu which makes a restaurant nice. At Uddins, the flavours are varied and delicious - not too many really hot dishes (though there are some if you fancy eating chilli after chilli) - but rather plenty of the more flavoursome spices, making for a really satisfying meal all ways round. The price is very reasonable too, and if you are careful not to order too much, you can have a pleasant, simple but tasty meal for under £7 each. One last thing - they do take-aways and operate a free delivery service on orders over £8 - death to home cooking! Alex Fuller |
