Mango Indian: Southwark restaurant review

I had always thought curries were in east or west London only. But in the last month alone, London Bridge and South London is standing up and representing too. Est.India and now Mango Indian are part of my curry club adventure which is taking me across London and even Kent.

Mango Indian, off Southwark Road have crafted bespoke menu options by fusing traditional dishes and modern concepts to deliver food that is full of natural flavour. They have been open for many years and are very popular with the locals. The aim now, is to spread the word and get pople from far and wide down to this nice restaurant.

Popadoms and Chutneys

Kebab Platter for 2

Classic starters and then some. I let Laura decide what she would like as she is the boss and it was our 12 year anniversary too. I went for the kebab platter as a sharing dish and Laura chose the Paneer. We obviously shared the starters together, but I luckily ate more than her.

The kebab platter, came with sheekh kebab, lamb chops and two types of chicken; haryali and tikka. The chicken pieces were both moist and tender and the haryali (crushed garlic and ginger marinade) had a good spicy kick to it, which I could just about handle.
The sheekh kebab went perfectly with the garlic naan, which was the perfect vehicle to transport the meat, onions and mint chutney to my mouth.

The platter was ideal for two hungry people and is a must when you are here. I wish we could have had other dishes such as the prawns and squid, but we just couldn't eat much more. Next time.

Paneer

The paneer was a modern take on a classic and Mango Indian did this well too. A light texture, soft with some firmness, this was a delicate dish. Three big pieces to share and once again, I had more than Laura. She really does love me.

The salad on the plate isn't really needed, but I guess it is there more for decoration and to look healthier too.

Main Courses

The starters were the usual but with a different take on Indian food. This continued with the main courses and provide another reason for traveling here for food. Variety is key and sampling different dishes and versions of dishes are important for all foodies.

As we were not too hungry, Laura and I only ordered two dishes. This was the Kadai Murgj and a creamy aubergine curry.

The Kadai Murgj was Chicken breast cubes tossed with red and green peppers with caramelised onions and green chilli. This dish was a new curry for me and I am glad I tried it. It definitely felt like a fusion type of dish with warm mediatterean type flavours coming through.

The aubergine curry too was different then the usual Dahl (Aubergine). These baby aubergines were not completely mushed up and this texture and creamy sauce made it a very filling dish. These two dishes coupled with the huge starters meant that we did not need any rice with our mains. Instead we orders some more buttery garlic naan and used these to mop up our courses and soak up all the flavours. Thank you Mango.

Chicken Curry

Mango Indian and Est.India are two great places for Indian cuisine in the area. I would have to say that I preferred Est.India but Mango is a good find.

Here the food has the more modern and western take on the dishes, whereas Est.India has the local down to earth feel about it. No need to compare as they are two good restaurants to visit. The staff and team were on hand at all times to help and their recommendations were greatly appreciated.

London Bridge and Southwark is becoming a new foodie destination, especially with Flat Iron Square bringing delights to foodies locally. Well done and please do venture here for good times. Be Merry all, it's Currrryyyy time!