Consistently Superb Cuisine
We come to Memsaab relatively regularly, and have been doing so for some years now. We usually buy takeaways, but occasionally eat in the restaurant too. The food has always been delicious and cooked well, and the service is polite, friendly, and efficient.
After having tried other Indian restaurants in the locality, I would elect Memsaab as the best Indian restaurant in the area. Lately, I have seen and been quite concerned by a few disappointing online reviews from other diners written during the earlier months of 2023, interestingly being submitted on mobile.
We dined at Memsaab for New Year’s Eve 2023, and as well as having a very good meal, we observed other diners, and the waiting times for a few customers collecting takeaways, and noted precisely none of the problems described in the aforementioned reviews. Our meal worked out at roughly £25 each, including drinks and service (at 10%) – this restaurant offers great food at good value!
We had a very good evening with excellent food, promptly and politely served.
When we arrived, we were promptly shown to our table, noticing the manager was absent from his usual spot. The kitchen and front of house operated smoothly, and he later appeared in chef's whites, explaining he had assisted in the kitchen due to a surge in orders.
Our drinks and papadoms came very quickly, with generous quantities of four relishes.
For our meal, we ordered eight dishes, which we shared between us. The time from ordering to serving at the table was around 25 minutes (the order was freshly cooked).
We ordered a range of dishes, starting with the chicken dhansak, which was very tasty, coming with freshly cooked pilao rice. To join this, we ordered:
a vegetable korma (delicious creamy sauce, with a good variety of vegetables, all gently and subtly spiced, and plenty of coconut);
a chana masala (gently spicy, well-balanced flavours);
onion bhajis (generously portioned, freshly cooked and pleasantly moist and crisp);
saag paneer (deliciously creamy, very vegetarian friendly);
brinjal bhaji (not actually on the menu, but the chef made a very decent effort, considering it was only cooked in less than half an hour).
We also ordered peshwari naan, which had generous quantities of ground almonds and coconut.
As we were there, the restaurant was reasonably busy, with multiple people collecting takeaways, and many restaurant tables being occupied. There were no apparent delays in service, and people around us were notably satisfied, especially the group opposite our table.
In light of potential concerns delineated in a few reviews from earlier in the year, our visits during 2023 serve to validate Memsaab’s sterling standards in quality, service, and ambience.
I hereby warmly express my continued recommendation for Memsaab of Lavenham.
PS: a (belated) Happy New Year! As we embark on 2024, let's appreciate the hard work of restaurants and ensure that our critiques are constructive and fair.
