Peter Barron puts a newly-refurbished Indian restaurant to the test in Darlington and isn’t disappointed

MOHAMMED Miah must have a reasonable claim to the title of “curry king of Darlington” because he’s either owned or had a connection to just about every Indian restaurant in the town over the past 30 years.

His dad started out by opening restaurants in Burnley, Keighley and Guiseley in the 1970s before Mohammed’s older brother, Mr Rafik, opened a place in Harrogate.

Mohammed had been born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, and came to this country when he was six. He learned the restaurant trade by watching his brother, until he was able to branch out on his own and he was told Darlington would be a good location.

He opened The Garden of India in Bondgate in 1986 and, buoyed by the success of that venture, went on to open another eight restaurants around the town.

He sold The Garden of India in 1998 but, 30 years after he first opened it, he has now turned full circle by buying it back, investing in a facelift, and reopening it as Akbar The Great.

“I never thought I’d come back but the opportunity came up and I took the chance,” said Mohammed.

The result is a very smart new look, in refreshing white and purple décor, with cleverly used uplighting. It feels clean and contemporary and, just a couple of weeks after the reopening, it quickly filled up on a Saturday evening. The restaurant is split into two sections, separated by an archway, but it was a little narrow where we were sitting.

That said, the food was superb. After the obligatory poppadoms and pickle tray, my wife opted for Chinghi Ka Chinghari – “Super King Prawns cooked in fresh ground spices, medium dry with a delicious thick sauce” (£12.95). Very tasty it was too.

I went for the Shathkora Bagmothpur (£7.95). The recipe comes from Mohammed’s home town of Sylhet and is described on the menu as “Lamb or chicken tikka cooked with onions, green and red peppers. The Shathkora fruit is used to give the dish a unique and tangy taste”.

And it was one of the tastiest Indian dishes I’ve ever had – bursting with flavour to the point at which my taste-buds were doing a Bollywood dance. I’m already looking forward to going back and having it again.

It’s certainly a varied menu, with tandoori specialities, traditional dishes with a twist, fish dishes, and Purana classics. Prices are what you’d expect, with side dishes (Sag Aloo and Bombay potato for us) all listed at £3.50.

The service was spot on. Mohammed is one of life’s smilers, friendly and welcoming, and he’s employed staff in the same vein.

It all adds up to a very pleasant package: excellent food at reasonable prices, in a fresh new environment, with a friendly feel.

And Mohammed hasn’t finished yet. He has plans to create an “open kitchen” so the cooking is done in full view of the customers, and to introduce more home-cooked speciality dishes, as well as grilled Indian food.

“I’ve always wanted to provide the best and that’s the aim here,” said Mohammed.

The restaurant’s profile on the internet still needs attention. Google Akbar The Great and it still doesn’t come up so finding a telephone number isn’t easy. The website on the menu is listed as www.akbarthegreat.co.uk but that wasn’t working when this review was written at the start of the week.

One further note of caution – all the Akbar special dishes are cooked to order so customers are advised to allow 45 minutes.

But, in my view, good food is worth waiting for and we will certainly be making Akbar The Great a regular destination to eat out when we fancy a curry.

FOOD FACTS

Akbar The Great, 43-44 Bondgate, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 7JJ.

Ratings (out of ten): Food 8, Value 6, Ambience 8, Service 8