Chillis Indian Restaurant
145 Strand Road
Derry
BT48 7PW
Tel 028 7126 2050
chillisrestaurant.net
The first time I was actually paid to write something – and, hard though it may be to believe, I do actually get paid – was way back in the early 80s.
It was for a lifestyle magazine in Liverpool. I had to write something about home audio, so I went to WH Smith’s and spent half an hour reading What Hi-fi, right there in the shop. And then I went home and wrote 500 words on how compact discs would never catch on.
I never wrote for the magazine again.
I’m not good with new things, you see. I don’t trust them. I don’t understand them. I’m not an early adopter. You won’t catch me queueing overnight at the Apple Store for the iPhone 500. Not while my carrier pigeon still has wings.
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There’s been a good deal of talk here in Derry lately about a new Indian restaurant that’s set to open soon on Spencer Road, in the process becoming the Waterside’s only sit-down eaterie of its kind. I have no doubt it’ll be very good, and there’s plenty of justifiable excitement about it, but there’s an old Indian restaurant on the Cityside that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Although, having said that, I should admit that I have myself forgotten about it - or, rather, which is worse, never given it any attention whatsoever. Maybe it’s the location. Chillis is on the Strand Road, pretty much opposite Sainsbury’s, near a couple of tyre fitters and a builders’ merchants and a makeshift carwash.
It’s somewhere you often go past, and I’ve always tended to notice the lovely red brick box of a building it’s in, Meadowbank House, rather than the restaurant in the bottom left-hand corner, slightly tired-looking, a little old hat.
It’s been there for over 20 years. I’ve been here for 12, and never once been in. What a waste.
We parked in Sainsbury’s. Halfway over the road, the beautiful aromas coming from the restaurant were so enticing that we could barely wait for the green man to appear to cross safely. Inside is plain and homely - nice, but maybe a touch dull - but what struck us from the off and throughout the evening was the warmth and care of the service.
We were a little worried that our seven-year-old wouldn’t like the spicy food. Rather than push us towards the chicken goujons, our waiter took the time to describe the Indian dishes that would suit her. She settled on the tandoori chicken, and was delighted with her choice – tender chunks of chicken, with a mildly spicy caress.
We parked in Sainsbury’s. Halfway over the road, the beautiful aromas coming from the restaurant were so enticing that we could barely wait for the green man to appear to cross safely
They made sure to bring that first, followed by our starters. The samosa pastry was a touch too hard for my liking, although I enjoyed the powerful vegetable filling. The pakoras were delicious: deep red-gold, a crispy coating, and a sweet and spicy filling.
You could hear my wife’s lamb shashlik before it left the kitchen on its sizzling journey to our table. The lamb was beautifully browned, lovely and moist, hot and kicking, and surrounded by onions and slices of mushroom. It was really good, and a very generous portion, too.
My brother always chooses chicken tikka masala. When we come here again – because we have years to make up for – he’ll choose it again, because it was excellent. Again, there was a generous portion of meat, tender and juicy, sitting in a bowl of creamy tomato sauce, just the right level of sweet, perfect for repeat dipping with the crisp, paper-thin tears of paratha.
I felt my biryani could have had a bit more of a kick to both it and the sauce it came with, but I definitely liked it, nevertheless, especially because the prawns were perfectly cooked – meaty, with a good bite, and then soft and yummy.
I used to live in Manchester, and this was the best I’ve had since I left the Curry Mile. The new restaurant will doubtless be good, but it’ll have to be, because this old one sets the bar high.
The bill
Vegetable pakoras - £4.45
Vegetable samosas - £5.45
Papadams - £2.70
Onions, lime dip, mango chutney - £5.85
Tandoori chicken and chips - £13.95
Chicken tikka masala and rice - £13.95
King prawn biryani - £15.95
Lamb shashlik and rice - £14.95
Naan bread - £2.80
Paratha - £3.95
Coca-Cola - £4.50
Lager shandy, pint - £5.50
