RESTAURANT REVIEW: A spicy delight on your drive out of the red rose county at Cinnamon Indian Cuisine

Like most Brits, I'm an extremely loyal man when it comes to eating somewhere that isn't my favourite curry house.
Cinnamon Indian CuisineCinnamon Indian Cuisine
Cinnamon Indian Cuisine

Before I crossed the Pennines to live in Lancashire there was one little curry house in the Yorkshire countryside that was - and still is when I visit my mum and dad - the only place I got a rogan josh and garlic naan bread from (shout out to Maxi’s Balti in Denby Dale).

It’s the same old situation after swapping the white rose for red. You find what you like and you stick with it.

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It’s not for me to say whether that’s because we’re tribal animals or just a little bit lazy, but I plucked up the courage to go out to try a new one.

The starter plate.The starter plate.
The starter plate.

My fiancée and I made the short drive to Cinnamon Indian Cuisine after being recommended it through my other half’s family.

Situated on Coppull Moor in-between Coppull and Standish on Preston Road, the restaurant looks a little run-of-the-mill from the outside.

But appearances can sometimes be deceiving.

We were warmly welcomed and I swiftly ordered a pint of Kingfisher after noticing the pump behind the bar.

The two very flavoursome curriesThe two very flavoursome curries
The two very flavoursome curries
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Take note curry house owners, Kingfisher should be the number one lager on draft alongside Cobra!

We ordered our food in the waiting area while we enjoyed a drink, before being shown to our table.

Like everywhere we go for a curry, we started with a poppadom each and chutney tray (£3.10). Not only is it tradition for us but the tray also works really well with pretty much any starter you might fancy.

And again with tradition, we usually share most dishes we get.

The two curries that were ordered.The two curries that were ordered.
The two curries that were ordered.
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So for starters we opted for the ‘Starter C’ for two people, made up of chicken chat, murghi bhajis, exotic salmon, and shish kebab (£14.95).

It came on one big plate and looked pretty amazing with some fierce colours.

The chicken dishes were pretty good, and the bhajis were everything you expect from an Indian restaurant, but it was the salmon which stood out.

It was very tender and carried a lot of delicate flavours which finely and pleasantly complemented the natural flavour and aroma of the salmon. I could quite happily have had a full portion of that as a main and been one truly satisfied customer.

The ability to take home our leftovers was much appreciated.The ability to take home our leftovers was much appreciated.
The ability to take home our leftovers was much appreciated.
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The fish theme continued with the mains. I ordered the machli roshuni (£9.95) – or simply put in layman’s terms, boneless fish in a medium garlic sauce.

You might be thinking I’m a total oddball for having fish and curry – and I would have agreed with you six months ago! But I swear it’s a game changer if done correctly.

And the machli roshuni was most definitely done correctly. The garlic was strong but not overpowering, with the curry sauce shining through very much as its equal. It carried a reasonable fire and I thought I could taste the freshness that comes with a little added ginger.

The fish, which I think was cod – I’m not as much as a fish curry connoisseur as I let on! – was melt-in-your-mouth good.

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For me fish in general adds a certain ‘lightness’ to what can be a heavy dish with sides of rice and naan bread (of which we had both), so it can be half decent and I’ll still enjoy it, but this was more than that and a very good dish.

My other half went for the more conservative option of the mixed tikka rogan josh balti (£11.50).

Like me she’s got a bit of a soft spot for fish curry, so even when she goes for a meat dish the prawns aren’t too far away.

And as we do with most foods when we eat out, we split the dishes not only for review purposes but because we like to mix things up.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find the chicken, beef, and pork all succulent and tender – and the prawns well cooked but not overdone.

The sauce had a little fire to it thanks to the balti spices and they were nicely countered by the rogan josh tomato flavour.

And when we finished the best was yet to come. We had left quite a bit simply because we were both so full, only for a waiter to ask if we wanted to take it all home with us.

It’s safe to say lunch the next day was much more enjoyable than a pasta salad or sandwich.

It seems that sometimes it pays to try out new things...

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