Voujon

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

Despite sitting at the bottom of Newington Road, Voujon has a decidedly slick, city-centre feel, with white table cloths and angular contemporary crockery helping it avoid a local tandoori image. The primarily Bengali and North Indian menu features a solid number of usual suspects alongside a scattering of well-placed adventurous options. There’s a precision in the cooking that makes the dishes more fresh than fiery. Chicken is fried in spring onions and green chilli, helping to infuse a number of the familiar main courses, such as the bhuna, with more fragrance and freshness than usual. Some of the menu’s more outside-the-box offerings feature as side dishes that can easily be mixed and matched for a tapas-style dining experience. Vegetarians are well catered for across the board and the accomplished selection of bread and rice options leave no stone unturned – the ghee bat basmati rice, fried in Indian butter and fresh onions, is a particular highlight.

Takeaway review
For those who like it not so hot, Voujon’s takeaway menu could well hit the spot. Although it features most of the standard Indian dishes, several are described as mild or lightly spiced, for example the starter voll puri – a mix of chick peas and potatoes with a puri on top. Red Fort chicken and aloo mangshaw may be a bit bland for some – you can really taste the lamb in the latter despite its tag as medium hot, but the meat is fall-apart tender. While ghobi bora (deep-fried cauliflower balls) could be crisper – deep-fried dishes don’t travel so well – their Peshawari naan is one of the best.

• High point: Ghee bat basmati rice
• Low point: A larger selection of adventurous choices would be welcome