Food Review: Affordable classics and a taste of lychee

Bayleaves at Ecclesfield, a small and compact restaurant which also offers takeaways and a delivery service, was the Friday solution to that problem last week.

The restaurant offers a selection of offers every week including special banquet nights, dine in or takeaway.

Very welcoming staff made us feel relaxed and ready for our feast.

Poppadoms and a selection of dips came to start, with the usual onion, tomato, yoghurt and mint and mango chutney going down a treat while the menu was perused.

The menu offers tastes for everyone from duck tikka to tandoori trout: the list is truly endless.

For starters, I went for the classic onion bhaji, at £2.70, this was an extremely large portion of two deep fried crispy bhajis filled with mild spices and served with a refreshing crisp salad.

My husband went for the mixed kebab, at £3.90, which included the same bhaji and a sheek kebab of lightly spiced mincemeat, cooked in a clay oven.

There was also a shami kebab, again lightly spiced meat shaped using ghee and then fried.

I do like meat curries but always tend to go for vegetable ones because of the taste and texture of creamy, soft potatoes and cauliflower. The Kashmir curry, a bargain at £4.95, was delicately spiced with a little heat and laced with bananas and lychees, a small raspberry like fruit. This was the first time I had tried lychee and it added a sweetness that complemented the heat of the curry.

The chef came to ask me if I liked garlic in curry, what a very personal touch and service!

My husband ordered a lamb bhuna, at £8.95, a warming curry with tender lamb pieces, tomatoes, green peppers, fresh herbs and a fragrant sauce thickened to create a rich taste.

It was one of the best bhunas he has tasted.

We shared a mushroom rice, for £3, which was packed with plenty of soft vegetables, and a a keema nan, at £2.75, where minced meat infused with authentic spices was packed in to a warm bread.

Our meal came to a reasonable £43.60 which included two soft drinks and two red wines.

Bayleaves, High Street, Ecclesfield

Tel: 0114 2401919

Star ratings out of 5:

Food 4

Service 4

Atmosphere 2

Value 4