Namaste Village

The Gen

Namaste is a greeting in Hindu custom, and a fitting name for a restaurant that gives such a warm and friendly welcome. This family run business treats its food with love and respect and extends the same kindness and cordiality to those seeking to stuff their faces with it. They aim to treat their guests like part of the family – I was definitely the greedy cousin who goes back for thirds with curry on my chin and a half nibbled naan in my pocket.

Atmosphere

The second Namaste restaurant in Norwich is set in a grand former church hall on Queens Road, south of the city centre. The location is not ideal for passing trade but it is definitely worth the short walk. The tall white edifice hides a bright and lively restaurant interior. A double height ceiling in the centre houses sky lights that wash the room in sunlight and a gallery around the first floor above shows off ornate gilt iron work. Blocks of colour on the walls and hanging decorations add more vibrancy and fun. It’s a setting that adds a sense of occasion to your meal and the food certainly didn’t disappoint. A quiet Tuesday night gave the staff more time with us and their passion for the food shone through. This isn’t like the usual high street Indian restaurant; it doesn’t patronise the punters with a bland western idea of Indian food but instead keeps to the core of traditional Indian food. Spice isn’t a dirty word here and is used in a thoughtful and interesting way.

Starter

Mini poppadums to nibble while we scanned across the all vegetarian menu gave us our first taste of the interesting flavours we would enjoy. The cliché mango chutney didn’t make an appearance, replaced with a trio of fine accompaniments the favourite being a tamarind and date sauce. The spicy/sweet mix made for a moreish snack.

Spoilt for choice and not wanting to miss out we ordered a starter sharing platter. The absolute highlight was the dahi puri; an Indian street food, these little balls of flavour contain all that is good in the world. Also, Bombay potatoes, onions, peppers, chutneys, chaat masala, yoghurt and sevpuri noodles. Pop it in your mouth in one and you’ll get it! Onion bhajis, Punjabi samosas, kanchori, aubergine bhajis... my God it was good.

The Main Event

In keeping with the traditional and homely feel of the food the restaurant is entirely vegetarian, and they prepare their ingredients from scratch. In doing this and by reducing the amount of oil in their cooking even their curries have a light, clean taste to them. Rather adorably, mum visits from India regularly to help curate the exciting menu.

The Gujarati special kaju paneer masala was a big mouthful to say, and a delicious mouthful to eat. The rich, creamy curry sauce was mild with some subtle spices and crunchy cashew nuts. A large bowl for £12.95 that came with a mountain of rice and choice of bread felt like great value.

The special dosa (savoury pancake) was excellently cheesy with a satisfyingly homely veggie and nut filling. The lentil sambar (soup) was a cooling companion. As a way to follow the hotter starters this cooling main stuck a nice balance to the meal.

Pud

Carrot halwa was an entirely unique texture for a dessert, made by grating carrots with almonds, coconut and spices. I’m a convert though as, with the kulfi ice cream, it rounded off my meal nicely.

Overall

It was wonderfully refreshing to see a menu with so much choice for vegetarians! The food was a tour of regional dishes from across India, and the staff were happy to share their knowledge and recommendations without ever patronising. I learnt a lot and I ate a lot, all for a great price.

Venue – 9

Fodder – 9

Value – 9

Overall – 9