Eurasia, Bridgnorth

During the past 17 years, I’ve lived at 17 different addresses. Such a peripatetic lifestyle has forced me to adopt an unusual routine.

For instance every time I move, I make a point of finding a great local butcher, greengrocer, baker and, of course, fast food joints.

Just before the millennium, I moved to Bridgnorth. It’s a town I fell in love with and I thoroughly enjoyed the six years I spent there.

There were two great butchers, Aldersons and Beamans, as well as good bakers, greengrocers and other shops. Similarly, I found myself spoiled for choice when it came to reliable fast food outlets. A fantastic Chinese takeaway was a weekend favourite while the Eurasia Tandoori Restaurant, at the bottom of West Castle Street, was my favourite curry house by some distance.

There were reasons for selecting Eurasia as my favourite. The food was always fresh. Chicken, coriander, tomatoes and onions always had a taste and texture that indicated good provenance. The waiters were unfailingly polite. They were able to explain the contents of unfamiliar dishes and help us make informed choices when we ordered.

The decor, much changed in recent years, was reasonably swish with no trace of flock wallpaper. Finally, the food was fairly priced. Main courses usually started at around £6, meaning a filling meal could be bought at a snip.

Its been some years since I’ve eaten at Eurasia. Having moved to Shrewsbury, I’ve found a new favourite curry house - this time, in Wyle Cop - which satisfies my culinary tastes. But the chance to introduce my wife and step-daughter to an old haunt was too good to miss.

With some trepidation - what would I have done if they hadn’t enjoyed it? - we made our way to Eurasia for a dinner with friends. They were instantly impressed.

Today, Eurasia is decorated in bold colours. The walls are terracotta and purple, with modern high-backed chairs in the expansive dining room. We made our way to the reception area where we perused the lengthy menu and nibbled on the complimentary Bombay mix. It is placed in big bowls and there are dessert spoons with which it can be picked up, to avoid the spreading of germs from hand to hand.

When eating at most restaurants, I despair of complicated menus. I’m a firm believer in the maxim that less is more. That, however, goes out the window when it comes to Indian and Canton restaurants. In curry houses, there are ubiquitous choices, like dansak, balti, fruity bhuna, mild kormas, spicey rogan josh or wonderfully hot and sour pathia dishes.

Additionally, it’s always a pleasure to taste regional specialities, whether from regions of Bangladesh, Pakistan or India.

We started with a customary plate of popadoms, served with an assortment of dips, chutneys and relishes. Then we moved on to starters. Such is the variety offered by Eurasia that we each shared a number of different selections. The onion bhajis were crisp and slightly sweet. They tasted beautiful with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of minty yoghurt. The mushroom bhajis were fine, served in a similar batter to their onion siblings. The chicken chat, meanwhile, was my favourite starter. It was nicely seasoned and the chicken was tender and moist.

We enjoyed a lengthy pause between starters and main courses, when we enjoyed the traditional piped music that filled the restaurant. Although we ate on a Monday evening, there were plenty of other diners with people enjoying evening meals as well as plenty of regulars popping in for takeaways.

Our table enjoyed a number of main courses. The chot poti khana was my choice. It was listed on the house specialities and featured chicken cooked with brinjal and chick peas. There were also green peppers, garam massala and fenugreek and it was deceptively hot. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My wife’s chicken pathia was immense. It had a wonderfully sweet, tomato-ey base but was sour and hot.

The chicken was cooked with great skill. At so many curry houses, chicken has the texture and consistency of old wood. It is frequently dry and bland. But at Eurasia it is savoury and moist. Curry sauces are not used to disguise indifferent meat.

My wife’s daughter enjoyed a chicken sagwala. It was a medium hot dish with spinach and fresh green herbs. Again, the blend of flavours was subtle and the chicken was exceptional. Other dishes at our table included a mild chicken and mushroom balti, as good as anything on offer in Birmingham’s famed balti belt.

There was a delightful fruity bhuna, which was medium hot with plenty of thick sauce with onions, tomatoes and herbs. A dupiaza cooked with diced onion and green peppers was also an extremely high quality dish.

None of us are big fans of Indian desserts. Too many of them buy-in frozen desserts and it’s too easy to tire of kulfi and battered fruit with syrup.

Our visit to Eurasia was an unqualified success. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food and all were impressed by the quality of the ingredients used. Chicken and prawns were nice and fresh and, thankfully, not overcooked. The service was great. Waiters were friendly and polite. They made repeat visits to our table to make sure we were enjoying our food and to see if they could bring more drinks or any more side dishes.

I’d been worried that our visit wouldn’t match my high expectation. I’d fond memories of Eurasia and had been fully prepared to be let down.

Thankfully, I was not. Eurasia was as good as I remembered, if not a tad better. But, more importantly, my wife, stepdaughter and friends all enjoyed a thoroughly good night out. Eurasia shot straight into their individual lists for Shropshire’s Top Three curry houses.

We’ll eat again soon at Eurasia. And, next time, I’ll make sure I don’t leave it three years to return.

Andy Richardson

Contact details

Eurasia Tandoori Restaurant, 21 West Castle Street Bridgnorth 01746 764895 www.eurasiatandoori.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Garlic fried prawn (£3.25); fish biran (£3.55); tandoori lamb chops (£3.25).

Main courses

Chicken tikka massala with pilau rice (£9.15);

Jingha massala (£9.95; vegetable balti (£5.95).

Sides

Garlic naan (£2.95);

Mushroom rice (£2.75).

ATMOSPHERE

Good. The restaurant is generally busy at weekends and also attracts crowds during the week.

SERVICE

Very good. Staff are friendly and polite.

DISABLED FACILITIES

The venue is wheelchair-friendly with a toilet for the disabled and without any steps.

smoking policy

Smoking is not allowed in the restaurant but smoking is permitted in an adjoining lounge, beside the bar.