lasan restaurant

few restaurants garner local adoration like lasan. since a young and ambitious aktar islam swept to glory on ramsay’s f word five years ago, we have seen his elaborate cooking style develop and timekeeping skills worsen over two series of great british menu, amongst many other cooking programmes. lasan has become synonymous with transporting thecurryaway from the balti triangle and in to more refined parts of the city, taking with it a fresh approach to the cuisine, from improved ingredient quality to elegant presentation.  ask anyone local for a recommendation of where to eat and lasan will inevitably come up, regardless whether or not they have actually been there.  the city of birmingham likes to claim thecurryas our own; its only natural we want one of our local stars to sit amongst the higher echelons.

perhaps the most famous indian restaurant in birmingham, lasan sits tucked in a quiet street around the corner from st paul’s square. it was the winner of tv’s prestigious great british menu in 2011. and it was also designated best local restaurant by gordon ramsay’s the f word. suffice it to say that the venue, led by head chef aktar islam, has become a bit of a culinary institution. we went along to try the new menu.

the interior somehow manages to combine old-world glamour and contemporary style, with a distinctly indian infusion. ornate, gilt-framed mirrors add to the feeling of space, while elegant statues of hindu gods cast their eyes over the simple dining room. we were sat beneath a wooden sitar, that stringed instrument whose haunting notes make indian music sound so, well, indian.

food

the new sunday summer banquet menu is designed for sharing. although we were presented with the menu for reference, this is a try-and-taste rather than a pick-and-choose experience. all the dishes listed are prepared and brought to the table for guests to enjoy.

our starters were wonderfully soft potato cakes, pakoras and onion bhajis, served with a trio of chutneys including tomato and mint coriander.

then the main courses, a selection of six dishes, accompanied by a basket of assorted naan breads. we ate keema mutter, minced lamb with green peas, dhaba murgh, a spicy chickencurryinspired by indian street food, and subzi jalfrezi, made with marinated vegetables and free of meat.

tarkari biryani, a delicately seasoned preparation of saffron-coloured rice, made the perfect accompaniment to these rich sauces. we were familiar with tarkewali dal, a lentil curry, but found salmon khatta a new experience. the fish imparted its flavours assertively, giving thecurrya very distinctive character.

dessert was a vermicelli khmeer, that classic indian pudding of delicate sweet noodles in a creamy milk bath, flavoured with aromatic spices, almonds and dried fruits.

drink

for us, a chilean cabernet sauvignon was the smooth yet spicy accompaniment to this generous indian spread. only a few of the wines are available by the glass, including this one. look for valdivieso.

pricing

three courses, totalling twelve different dishes to sample altogether, costs £19.98 per person. children under 10 eat for £9.98.

updated:

2 course - £30.95
3 course - £35.95
4 course - £38.95

lasan: didnt live up to the hype - average food. hello, i wanted to provide some feedback on our recent visit to lasan to share with people who think just because its been on tv that its great. we went there on sunday 27th nov for our anniversary. the first thing i noticed was the lack of atmosphere, the music was on then off. the place was 3quarters full so that's no excuse. staff were friendly & service on the whole was prompt. the amuse bouche was lovely & set our expectations for a lovely meal. the starters (pakora mix & afgani lamb) these good. for mains we had a kerala prawncurry& a punjabi chicken curry, both had very small amounts of meat & thecurry(sauce) they were in seemed processed to the point were they tasted & looked like baby food. i didn't have a pudding as my meal was spoilt. my fiancee did and it was nice but nothing you couldn't get in anycurryhouse in leicester. the bill was as we expected for a place with such accolades. we mainly eat in leicester & birmingham and come from a gujrati family so definitely know "indian" food. as it stands our experience of lasan has been poor to average and we would not come back or recommend it to our friends or family. it's a shame as we watched the tv show they won & really wanted it all to be great.