FOOD REVIEW: Hawkyns, Amersham - 'a taste sensation'

I came here with my wife over a year ago to do a review and I rank it up there as one of the best I have done and this time around, it certainly didn’t disappoint again.

The menu was definitely different from the previous visit. Last time, the dishes were a real twist of English and Indian cuisine combined such as curried fish and chips and pork belly vindaloo.

This time, the dishes were much more of a traditional Indian feast and that sat fine with both myself and my wife.

We were shown to our table and each ordered a drink. In came a complimentary glass of champagne, which was a nice touch and we perused the menu.

The menu certainly isn’t as big on quantity as you would get in a normal Indian restaurant but the quality of the ingredients was there in spades.

I went with the malvani machhli (£6.50) which was a spiced haddock in a banana leaf and my wife went with the lamb seekh kebab (£6).

My fish was an absolute treat. It almost melted in the mouth and was packed full of flavour, with a real hit of chilli. I had never had haddock in this way before but I can’t wait for the next time I do.

My wife’s starter was clearly homemade and was so moreish. The lamb was tender and spicy and it tasted incredible. Neither of us would normally go for starters like this but we both agreed that we made the right decision.

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For main, it was a tough choice for us both. My wife went with the Kori Gassi (£12) and I went with the Railway Lamb Curry (£14).

The Kori Gassi is a southern spiced chicken dish served with kokum and mace. Kokum is like an Asian cabbage and accompanied the dish absolutely perfectly. It was delicately spiced and cooked to perfection.

The lamb curry was special. The lamb was so tender and tasty. It was truly a luxurious main and the sauce with it was rich and deep and spicy which tantalised the tastebuds.

The sides on offer really went very well with our main dishes, as I am sure they would with the other mains on the menu.

We went with a bowl of basmati rice (£3), a tandoori roti (£3), saag makai (£5) and baingan bhatia (£5).

The rice was lovely, with a delicate hint of garlic and the roti was beautifully baked.

The saag makai was spinach and sweetcorn with chilli and garlic and really lifted our mains with some ferocious heat which we both loved.

The baingan bhatia was an aubergine mash with tomato and coriander and was something neither of us had tried. It was a taste sensation like the whole meal. Another great evening.