Panacea, Shrewsbury

Star rating: **** John Hindmarch and his wife welcome their son home with top-class Indian cuisine.

Star rating: **** John Hindmarch

and his wife welcome their son home with top-class Indian cuisine.

After 18 months on the West coast of America what would any self-respecting Englishman want as a home-coming meal? A curry.

Our son Russell spent the last year and a half in San Francisco and following a recommendation from a reader we booked into the Panacea in Claremont Bank, Shrewsbury for a Saturday night "Ruby Murray".

Due to a late arrival from London we pushed the table booking back from 8.30 to 9 o'clock and arrived pretty promptly to be greeted by a smiling waiter who asked us to be seated in the bar while he checked our table. Seconds later he led us to the table, the restaurant wasn't packed and we were seated right by the kitchen door.

We asked to be moved, and no problem, the smiling waiter reset the table away from the ever-opening door.

The decor at the Panacea is best described as contemporary minimalist, done out mainly in black and white with crisp table linen, sparking glassware and cutlery. Decoration has been kept to a minimum with a few large posters of skyscrapers (could be New York, could be Mumbai).

Now down to business. When asked what we would like to drink, two-and-a-half pints of Kingfisher larger were ordered, along with the customary popadoms.

The waiter returned with three bottles of the Indian beer, apologising as the draught beer was off. No problem, but we would have opted for Cobra draught had we been asked.

Half a dozen popadoms arrived with a selection of relishes and pickles. The chilli relish in particular was extremely good, while the chutney was thick and tasty. For starters we opted for the tandoori platter, which arrived nice and hot and featured a couple of really tasty sheek kebabs, tandoori chicken pieces which just fell off the bone and chunks of lean lamb, all accompanied by fried onions. Our plates were presented with a salad garnish and the platter was polished off with glee.

We ordered our main courses and covered all bases. Russ asked the waiter why the menu didn't feature the customary chilli rating, depicting the curry strength. He explained that the chef would make the curry to the strength you wanted – perfect.

We ordered despite a bit of dithering by yours truly. Then came the problem. As we chatted waiting for the main event, a waiter plonked down a plate of sliced oranges and warmed napkins – the typical end of meal treat at most curry houses. Astonished, we waited for the main courses to arrive and by now the place was really filling up as it was fast approaching chucking out time at the pubs.

We eventually asked about the prospect having our main courses. We were told by a different smiling waiter that one of the two chefs who should have been on duty was ill and they were running a bit late, and would we like a round of drinks on the house. We agreed that we would and were told that the meals would be along in five minutes.

Some time later the meals arrived and it must be said it was worth the wait. My wife, Joy's, dish came in a steel balti pot. Because of the lengthy wait I checked to see if the pot was hot, and at the time of writing I still have the blister on my finger to prove it.

Our plates, very chic white square platters, arrived all individually decorated with flowers drawn in a flavoured sauce. Joy had opted for a prawn speciality, Achari King Prawn (£9.50), large prawns sautéed in olive oil and then cooked with onions, peppers and tomato. The five massive prawns, cooked to a rogan josh strength were said to be delicious, truly melt in the mouth.

Russ opted for Naga Mirchi Chilli (£7), a lamb dish in the vindaloo style. Again the verdict was first rate, succulent, lean pieces of lamb cooked with hot chillies, grown only in the northern region of Bangladesh. This dish came highly recommended and hit the right spot – more lager required!

I ordered Chicken Nihiri (£7), again from the house speciality section. This dish came infused with mustard and a cinnamon sauce, said to create a sizzling taste. It was fantastic. The aromas rising from the plate when the dish was delivered were amazing. The tender strips of chicken were cooked to perfection, the dish was a real show-stopper.

To accompany our meals we ordered pilau rice (£2.75), boiled rice (£2.50) a naan bread (£2.10), tarka dahl (£2.95) and a really good Bombay aloo (£2.95), fluffy potatoes in a spicy sauce.

This really was five-star cuisine, it's just a pity about the service blip in the middle. Before settling the bill, which came to an agreeable £65 we were offered a complimentary liqueur to finish off with but declined as it was getting rather late. This wasn't our first visit to Panacea, having had a meal there last Halloween and it certainly won't be the last.

ADDRESS

Panacea, Lower Claremont Bank, Shrewsbury SY1 1RT

Tel: 01743 244377

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Tandoori Chicken (£3.20)

Nagis Kebab (£3.20)

Stuffed Peppers, meat or veg (£3.20)

MAIN COURSES

Lime Ginger Sea bass (£8)

King Prawn Vindaloo (£8.50)

Lamb Madras (£5.95)