date of visit: Sunday 6 January 2013
Our first meal out for the year and a chance to flex the Entertainment Book’s muscles! Andy chose Indian (as you do, on a 36°C day) and as his first choice was closed on a Sunday we opted for this little restaurant in Blackwood. This decision was largely based on its opening time of 5pm and the fact that that sits very well with when the toddler usually decides he wants to eat.
It’s hardly surprising that when we arrived at about 20 past 5, there was no one else in the restaurant. It’s actually a lot smaller than it looks from the outside and it was pretty unfortunate that on a rather warm day the only air conditioning in place was a portable unit, placed by the bar.
The tables are covered with butcher paper and you’re provided with crayons so if you or your children are so inclined you can doodle while you wait (or eat). Our child was more inclined to hoover up the pappadums – we couldn’t work out if he was saying “nice” over and over again or if it was “eyes” (I guess the cumin seeds could seem like eyes when you’re two). Either way, he demolished the first lot and the restaurant manager very kindly brought him out more.
We started with onion bhaji for Andy and vegetable samosas for me. The samosas weren’t that great: the pastry was really heavy and slightly undercooked and the filling was a bit homogenous in texture. The bhaji were much nicer but still only rated OK. The mint sauce was a somewhat scary green colour and too much on the sweet side for me. The toddler rated the centre of the bhaji but much preferred the cucumber and red onion from the salad.
The main courses were much much better. I chose to just have dahl with a plain naan and Andy opted for the beef do piaza which he reckons you don’t see on too many curry house menus here. The beef do piaza was a big hit with the toddler and it was really delicious: the beef was incredibly tender and the sauce was rich and full of onion sweetness. My dahl also hit the spot. At first I was a bit concerned that the lentils were slightly undercooked but I think that’s because I’m conditioned to dahl either being red lentils or cooked to a pap. I’d guess this was chana dahl (the yellow split peas, which hold their shape much better than red lentils) and it actually meant that the dish had some texture and distinction between lentils and sauce. It was tempered with tomato and was creamy, spicy and did a good job of being soaked up by my naan (which was good too – deliciously buttery!).
Andy had a couple of beers and there was plenty of water on hand throughout the meal. We only really dealt with the restaurant manager but she was lovely. While no one else dined in for the hour or so we were there (you learn to eat quickly with a toddler, because as soon as they’re full, they think it’s meal over for everyone!) the restaurant was doing a cracking trade in takeaways. And a lot of those seemed to be regulars, which suggests that the Legacy of India is consistent.
The final bill came in at around $62 ($46 after Entertainment Book discount) which we both felt was a little on the expensive side. Many of the main courses hover around the $17-18 mark so by the time you add sides, entrées and drinks, two people can spend quite a lot of money. Having said that, I would go back – but I’d definitely choose a different entrée!
