Priding itself on serving authentic homemade Bangladeshi food, Bengal Village is worth a visit on London’s famous - and famously hit and miss - curry capital.

The Venue
Bengal Village looks like any other curry house on Brick Lane, with the strong scent of curry wafting out from within and an exterior that suggests they let the food do the talking. It’s bright and roomy inside with simple table and chairs and plain decor.

The Atmosphere
You’ll be welcomed right through the doors of this Bangladeshi restaurant, with its friendly and polite service and buzz of conversation from friends meeting up for dinner. As usual with Brick Lane, the clientele is made up of tourists, out of towners and Londoners looking for a decent, affordable curry.

The Food
There’s great variety on the menu which can make choosing what to eat a little tricky. Start with grilled tikka or tandoori pieces, samosas, bajees or just a few popadoms before you move swiftly on to the mains. If you’re in a large group, it might be worthwhile sharing the tandoori mix grill platter, comprising chicken tikka, spicy sheek kebab, tandoori chicken, king prawns, mutton tikka and extra tender lamb chops - an ensemble of spicy, tangy flavours that are perfect with a squeeze of lemon for extra zest. Starters are mainly priced about £7 and up to £12 for larger, sharing dishes.

Now on the mains. Again, with larger groups you may want to select a variety so you can try lots from the extensive menu. Recommended is the lamb chop karai moss - the meat is really well cooked so it falls off the bone, and the sauce is rich and perfectly spiced, cooked in a cast iron wok skillet with plenty of garlic and ground spices. Other recommendations include the lamb jeera and shatkora chicken.

The fish koftka sounds intriguing and comprises large, dumpling-esque balls of fish in a spiced, tomato-flavoured sauce. However, on slicing through one of the koftka balls, it’s hard to decipher what type of fish is contained within its spherical shape - and it tastes pretty unspecific too, which is not a good thing. If you’re sharing there are plenty of side options to pick from too, with naans and pilau rice being reliably good. Mains are at the £7-£11 mark.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try one of the more traditional desserts (which many of the other Brick Lane restaurants fail to include). Gulab Jam is made with milk and flour and deep fried, then served in a honeyed sugar syrup with hints of rose water, saffron and cardamom. To suit less adventurous tastes there are sorbets and ice creams as well, priced at about £2-£3.

The Drink
The House options of wine are perfectly adequate, although there is a longer list available as well as various beers and soft drinks, including the popular lassi yoghurt drink - perfect if you need to cool down after too much spice.

The Last Word
Bengal Village is more traditional than a lot of the copycat curry houses on Brick Lane so it’s definitely worth a try for richer, more exciting flavours served with pride.

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