birmingham mail-pushkar review by paul fulford. there is style and there is substance, but the two rarely meet.
which was the fear i haboured before i ate at pushkar, a new indian restaurant on birmingham's bustling broad street.
thedecoris stunning - lots of pale colours broken by tasteful artwork and eye-catching light fittings.
you enter across a floor lit up like a shimmering blue pond inhabited by moving goldfish.
the chairs are plush and the table settings exquisite.
the wine list, cocktail list and menu, all on scented paper, arrive in a box.
they are brought by pretty and attentive waitresses in almost grecian-style dresses in a shiny, muted fabric.
for those of us who are old enough to remember, it's like stepping on to the cover of a roxy music album circa 1980.
there's a feeling of luxury and slightly dissolute hedonism as you sit there.
then comes the food from an admirably short menu whose main thrust is northern indian.
and here my heart skipped a beat, for what we ate was very good indeed. style and substance had met, shaken hands and formed a damned fine partnership.
the poppadoms we were brought were good, crisp things, though the garishly coloured ones struck me as more a novelty than a treat.
they came with very pleasant sauces.
my starter - punjabi tokri chaat - was a wonderful collection of things.
there were chickpeas and salads and chutneys in a potato basket topped with an admirably crisp pastry filled with spinach.
my wife lynn's crab cakes were also well received, as were our son murray's dahi puri chaat - pastry shells filled with spuds and chickpeas and topped with yoghurt and tamarind sauce.
main courses, too, delivered.
the awadhi gosht korma i ordered comprised absurdly tender lamb in a rich and delicate sauce with many layers of flavour.
murray's palialashahi gosht, another lamb dish, likewise won approval.
perhaps, though, the stars of the show were the creamy but sassy black lentils that lynn ordered - a satisfying dish of remarkable depth of flavour. but her vegetable kofta dish ran it a close second.
breads and rice were of a similarly high standard.
the garam masala brulee i ate as a pudding was exemplary in textures and spiced with sensible restraint.
murray's carrot halwa was a sweet and beguiling thing.
however, lynn thought the filling of her chocolate samosa a little too firm.
but this is a quibble about classy and tasty food prepared by bishal rasaly, a chef with a fine pedigree.
our very reasonable bill also included cocktails and beer.
verdict
how much? £76 for three
vegetarians? choices
child friendly? yes
disabled access? fine
parking? nearby
go back? with delight
value: ££££
food,decorservice: *****
pushkar, 245 broad street, birmingham. 0121 643 7978.