Sardar Palace

Sector: Cemetery Junction Stardate: 10 December 2004 (Third Encounter) Event: Tim Mosedale's viva Go back to Naan Trek home page

Previous away missions to the Sardar had scored two cobras then three cobras. Lured by the promise of an exotic new menu, we were rushed in, tricorders throbbing, to see if this upward trend would continue.

AMBIANCE

Spanking new

Decor: Completely renovated; large mirrors make the place look bigger, with Egyptian pseudo arch motifs from the ceiling and exquisite Persian lamps. Stained glass windows retained but can still see the number 17 starship going past. Lighting just right.
Music: None at first, but very noisy as restaurant quite full. Later heard walkman drums and not much else.

Time to get served: 50 minutes.
Menu: Very impressive and colourful, a bit like a travel brochure.

• Moved some people to accommodate us.
• Service brusk but with a smile. Just don't order rice wehen he's asking for the main courses.

Popadums: Fragile but nice.
Chutneys: Only three dips: tired onions, reasonable yogurt and rather nice red stuff
Vegetable Samosa: Dissapointingly bland; plenty of potato but no peas (O'Connor).

Chicken Jalfrezi: "Nice and hot, definitely up to scratch, 4.5/5" (O'Connor).
Chicken Bhuna: "Suitably spicy and meaty, just right, 4/5" (Davies).
Lamb Jagoo: "Curry good (4/5); naan average, no garlic despite title (2/5)" (Donners).
Chicken Rogan Josh: "Delicious, fresh and succulent (5/5); naan too dry and a bit old (2/5)" (Hind).
Praun Madras: "Not too bad, 4/5" (Sapiano).
Chicken Tikka Madras: "Delicious, excellent, 4/5" (Stephenson).
Mushroom Biriani: "Tasty and fulfilling, 4.5/5" (Panagiotopolous).
Chicken Dansak: "Good, slightly overbearing; more spicy than expected but chicken was good, 3.5/5" (Dr Mosedale).
Vegetable Masala: "Too mild and bland, but a good mix of vegetables, 3.5/5" (Dr Crocker)
Mutter Paneer Sizzling: "Oily, bland, tasteless, spiceless, 2/5" (Hogan).

Key:

Yes

No

Too drunk to remember

Considerably improved with the new menu and exotic surroundings; the Sardar should now be first choice for trekers in the Palmer Quadrant, comfortably surpassing the Gulab and the Blue Ginger (based on recent unofficial visits). For the first time we award the Sardar 4 Cobras: