Aroma, Bentley Heath, 28/08/15

We have lived in the flat nearly a year and we still hadn't tried our local Indian restaurant, awful I know! But now was the time … as you know Tom sadly lost his best friend a few months ago and we had booked this restaurant for Tom's birthday, but he was too upset to go at the time so a month later we decided to go for what would've been Dave's 35th Birthday. This was a very sad occasion but we toasted to his life and celebrated his birthday with food, just the way Dave would've wanted us to. We went along with Dave's girlfriend Gemma too and I was looking forward to trying the food, Aroma has very good reviews and every time I drive past it is always so busy.

It is a fairly small restaurant and you have to book for the weekend nights as it gets so busy. They have a varied menu with lots of choices on it from traditional curries to signature dishes. They cook all their dishes cholesterol free room using yoghurt and low-fat ingredients and they avoid genetically modifying their food, which is definitely a good thing.

They have a very varied menu which includes the normal curries you would expect to see but also Thalis and a range of Signature Dishes.

Me and Tom decided to share a starter as they do a range of sharing starters, which is an unusual thing to see on Indian menus.

Maharaja Platter - Paneer Tikka, Mushroom Pakora, Onion Bhaji 
and Veg Samosa 
£5.50

This was very nice, it was presented well with a mixture of vegetables on it. It was huge for two people too - you could definitely share this between 3 or maybe 4 of you. The Paneer Tikka was very good, I love paneer and this was gooey, full of flavour and fresh tasting, the onion bhaji was crispy and they always make a great starter, the vegetable samosa was crispy on the outside and full of filling in the middle - they certainly were not stingy on the filling. However, I didn't see the mushroom pakora, I think they gave us chicken pakora instead - I'm not sure if it was intentional or not but it was so delicious, I didn't say anything. The chicken was tender and the batter was light and crispy.

Chicken Shashlick

£8.95

Keema Naan 

£2.95

Chicken Shashlick is a favourite of mine, curry sauces don't agree with my tummy and when I'm eating healthy, its a great option as its all protein, no carb and its still tasty. It was served on a sizzle plate and its cubes of seasoned meat, onion, capsicum and tomato. It was huge when it came, I had to get a doggy bag! However, it was delicious - the chicken was cooked perfectly, it was tender and juicy and the onions and tomatoes were soft and went with the chicken really well. I really enjoyed it and think it very reasonably priced. 

Aroma is known for its Naan Breads - as they are huge! The standard ones are a foot long and you can get extra big ones. They are insane! We decided to go for a Keema Naan as this was Dave's favourite and he certainly would've loved the size of it and finished off all our left overs! The naan was delicious, full of filling and full of flavour and for the price - what a bargain! 

I really enjoyed my meal at Aroma, the service was very good, quick and efficient, the menu is varied -something for everyone and the food was delicious, full of flavour and reasonably priced. Would certainly recommend this restaurant.

In loving memory of David Wilson 11/07/15 … gone but never forgotten.

*This meal was paid in full by me, but as always, all opinions are my own.