104 Brick Lane,
Brick Lane,
London,
E1 6RL
(020) 7377 0022
The ViewLondon Review
Just saying Brick Lane conjures up visions of countless Indian restaurants all vying for customers. Many are well-established as is the Brick Lane Clipper, but since early 2009 it has been under new management and looks set to go right to the top.
The Venue
There always seems to be a good atmosphere in Brick Lane, the hub of Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine in London. At its busiest, say, at the weekend, if one place is full, then there’s always another nearby to accommodate the hungry diner. New management took over the Brick Lane Clipper in the spring of 2009, hoping to take it back to its former glory, with new chairs, lighting and generally updating the decor, although at the moment it already looks pretty good with its nice, bright, cream finish to the walls. Attractive modern art sets off the room, giving it a look of freshness.
The Atmosphere
Being quite a small room, the Brick Lane Clipper doesn’t need many diners to create the requisite good ambience. There is plenty of atmosphere both inside and out of the restaurant as Brick Lane is a non-stop hive of activity. It’s on the corner of Princelet Street and Brick Lane which should be an advantage for potential customers, as corner sites always grab the attention. It is small, attractive, welcoming and run with a fine efficiency by all concerned.
The Food
The Brick Lane Clipper offers quite an extensive menu for the size of the restaurant. There are seventeen appetisers (£2.50 - £3.95), a selection of tandoori dishes (£5.95-£10.50), chicken and lamb curries (all at £5.95), fish and seafood dishes (£6.50 - £8.95), vegetarian specialities (from £4.95), balti dishes (£6.95 - £7.50), biryanis (£7.95 - £10.95) and some seventeen specialities (£6.95 - £8.95) plus all the usual vegetable side dishes and other sundries. As you can see, the prices are all very reasonable so that whatever you choose is not going to break the bank. Complete set meals at £11.95 for one, £21.95 or £22.95 for two offer even greater savings.
The familiar starters prove to be a good choice. Sheek kebab (£2.75) is piquant minced lamb baked in the clay oven, two sausage shapes, cooked with herbs and spices with that fresh flavour that only Asian cuisine seems able to impart. The onion bhajis (£2.95) are nicely crisp and tasty fritters, also well spiced. Other starters include: the excellent prawn puri, with the hot seafood on Indian fried bread; aloo chat, potatoes with a hot and sour sauce; tandoori chicken; lamb or chicken tikka; samosas and pakoras or the tikka kebab plate for two, which has a selection of mixed starters.
The Brick Lane Clipper specialities include some unusual and original dishes not seen on every menu: lemon grass chicken; Achar chicken with a tamarind sauce; chicken or lamb Goa, with mango, coconut and cream; and chicken or lamb moricha, with garlic and green chillis. The Clipper Tropical is meat, chicken and prawns cooked together with vegetables; the Olympic Challenge offers chicken, lamb or fish cooked with exotic ingredients and is allegedly the hottest dish in the UK, ten times hotter than a phaal and made with Naga chillies.
The chef’s special is a whole spring chicken cooked in the clay oven. Chicken razala (£7.95) uses a mixture of coriander, chilli, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds to make a really intense sauce to accompany the chicken (or meat or fish). It is rich and fragant and really brings out the flavour of the chicken to make an unusually aromatic dish. Lamb Jalfrezi (£5.95) is a Bengali recipe also using coriander and green chillis. The lamb is superbly tender and is enhanced by the richness of the sauce. With the addition of matar paneer (£4.95), peas and cheese in a spicy sauce, Pilau rice and chicken tikka naan bread, an everyday lunch can turn into a positive feast.
For dessert the selection of ice cream delights (£2 - £3.95) including the Indian kulfi ice cream, provides a cooling and refreshing finish to the meal. The Fantastica has vanilla and caramel ice cream with chocolate toffee balls and caramel sauce, while the Passion Bowl is mango ice cream with passion fruit sauce and papaya; both are recommended for their soothing qualities.
The Drink
Beer usually seems the most appropriate beverage with Indian food, although there is a school of thought that says wine is equally as good. The Cobra beer (£3.95) could hardly be bettered but the Brick Lane Clipper does have some popular wines from £8.95 for the house bottles of Merlot (red) and Pinot Grigio (white). Otherwise the top sellers are Frascati (£11.95), Oyster Bay Sauvignon blanc (£15.95) and Chablis (£16.95), in the whites, and Rioja (£14.95), Shiraz (£14.95) and Cabernet (£16.50) in the reds.
The Last Word
Who knew that what Brick Lane really needed was another good Indian restaurant? Well, it’s got one all right in the Brick Lane Clipper. A restaurant of this quality is welcome anywhere, and this one deserves all the success it is bound to enjoy.
Brick Lane Clipper has been reviewed by 25 users