I have felt compelled to visit Nawaz Indian restaurant since reading the review in The Yorkshire Reporter back in November. When the editor mentioned she was looking around for function rooms and wanted someone to view the one at Nawaz I quickly volunteered. I mean, it would be rude to visit such a highly commended restaurant and not eat there wouldn’t it? The function room at Nawaz was a pleasant surprise. The bright, smartly decorated room with a seating capacity of 50 is ideal for both family celebrations and corporate events. Along with the restaurant and takeaway service provided by Nawaz, the function room and catering service with a wide and varied menu to suit all, provide you with even more options to ensure every occasion is catered for, no matter how big or small.
The restaurant was busy when I arrived so I was glad I had already booked. The friendly member of staff who greeted us at the door informed us that booking is recommended due to the popularity of the eatery. We were settled comfortably at our table and placed an order for soft drinks which were delivered to us efficiently. For alcoholic drinks the restaurant operates a ‘bring your own’ policy, so had we wished, the waiting staff would have provided us with a wine cooler for our own bottle. Nawaz prides itself on ‘having something for everyone’. Enjoying this meal out with my husband and daughter I certainly found this to be the case. Children are well catered for at this restaurant, with a varied children’s menu available, including mildly spiced curries for a more delicate palate along with the traditional kid’s favourites. Nawaz is equally a good choice for families as it is for couples. We decided to start with the Special Vegetable Mix and this proved to be an excellent choice for all three of us to share. Comprising of garlic mushrooms, onion bhaji, vegetable samosa, paneer pakora and aloo pakora the plate was a wonderful selection of different tastes which we all enjoyed sampling. Deciding our favourite was definitely a challenge! To follow the excellent starter, I opted for a prawn masala, while my husband chose a chicken biryani, and my daughter selected the children’s chicken korma. Prawn masala is my favourite Indian dish and Nawaz exceeded my already high expectations upon tasting. The prawns were beautifully cooked and succulent in the well balanced medium sauce with the almond, coriander and pistachio all coming through along with the onion and tomato. The family naan we had ordered along with our mains proved to be the perfect accompaniment. The chicken biryani was a big hit with my husband – as someone who prefers a ‘drier’ dish, the combination of well seasoned and spiced basmati rice served with plenty of chicken breast pieces with a medium flavour was a perfect choice for him. The children’s chicken korma was thoroughly enjoyed by my daughter. Served with rice, the sauce was a creamy, delicate flavour easily mopped up with juicy pieces of chicken and the naan bread. As a child who shies away from the slightest threat of heat within a dish, she stated it was definitely a new favourite! The meal having been finished, it was agreed by all of us that Nawaz was definitely a restaurant we would come back to more than once. The excellently satisfying food along with the friendly and attentive staff make the restaurant as popular as it is. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening out at Nawaz and I will certainly be recommending the function room to my editor. Special Vegetable mix – £2.70 x2 Prawn masala – £5.70 Chicken Biryani – £6.95 Family Naan – £3.60 Children’s Chicken Korma – £4.75 Total (without drinks) – £26.40 Nawaz 51-53 Austhorpe Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS15 8BA Tel:0113 2286699 Booking strongly advised
