We recently returned to the Jungle Club in Leicester to try Sam’s Spice, now operating in the restaurant area previously visited back in 2017. Back then, under different ownership, the restaurant scored 30.5 and ranked 7th in our annual round-up that year.  Sam’s Spice is operated/owned by Samir from Broadway Bar & Grill so I was really looking forward to this visit.

We had previously been to Jaanu when it was called Spicenick a few years ago, this cafe is a bit like an American Diner, its next door to a hotel on the A46 bypass with plenty of parking outside.

I had to step in at the last minute to lead this month’s outing, as our usual organiser was delayed with work. We stuck with his already-booked choice – an Indian restaurant in Oakham – and I’m glad we did.

Bombay Bistro was the venue for our April visit, which is a well-established traditional restaurant situated on the High Street in Ibstock, a former coal mining village in North-West Leicestershire. There is a free public car park across the road.

We headed into town for the March visit to “The Balmoral” on the ever-popular Belgrave Road.

A former hotel dating back to 1892 this establishment has now been refurbished to create very nice dining experience along with some large TVs to watch sport on, but please do not think that this is a rowdy sports bar. The combination works very well due to the high-class refurbishment and décor.

In February, we visited Sangeeth. Based in the locally famous building known as The Case, it already sets an expectation for quality. Inside, the layout is pretty much how The Case was, with high ceilings and windows creating an open aspect and views of the St Martins area.

This month’s restaurant was changed at the very last minute to another one on our list, we went to The 72 Bar & Restaurant on Brazil Street close to the Leicester City ground, the restaurant is a rooftop bar with parking on the roof.

Amrut Indian Dining proclaims itself to be ‘’ The Finest Indian Restaurant in Leicester.’’

That’s a bold statement for any restaurant to make and one that takes some living up to, so did Amrut Indian Dining live up to it’s claim?

The venue for our November visit was Ayla, which is a new restaurant that is situated on the corner of Loughborough’s High Street and Woodgate, in the premises that used to be occupied by Geoff’s Toys.

We headed over to Swannington for our October curry trip, believe it or not our 150th establishment since we started the club back in February 2011.
I chose Chilli “N” Spice as it had some pretty good reviews, and we don’t often get over that side of Leicestershire to frequently.

The Bay Leaf is a new restaurant in Wigston. Located conveniently with plenty of parking at the rear, which is free after 6pm.  A modern clean interior with air conditioning.  On our visit we were welcomed and sat near the window.  It was a little cold even but the air conditioning was turned down and it warmed up!

This month we made a trip to Gurkha New Delhi in Mountsorrel, it is on the main road going through Mountsorrel, the restaurant has been open for 4 years, it’s quite deceiving as it goes back a long way with plenty of seating and nice little areas.

Hannan’s restaurant on the corner of Narborough Road and Evesham Road came highly recommended and having studied their website, the extensive menu, the colourful photos of a variety of dishes and their promise of fine dining prepared by ‘the finest chef in the culinary world,’ it was an easy decision to book our table.

The venue for our June visit was The Three Crowns pub, a 17th-century building situated in the heart of the village of Barrow upon Soar, approximately 11 miles North of Leicester. Overall, a very enjoyable evening, the quality of food and the exceptional service make it a place worth visiting. Well done to The Three Crowns team!

Well, what a find this one is!!

When we started the Leicester Curry Club back in 2011 this is exactly what we wanted to achieve, finding new and exciting Indian restaurants. 146 establishments later we are still finding gems!

Chef’s Flavour Glenfield is the second chef’s flavour; the first in Leicester was our October 2019 visit, which nearly won that year. It went on to be a regular visit for some of us, our families and friends. We have previously been to this restaurant in Glenfield when it was under other ownership as Shant (2021) Sands (2011).

This must be the most beautiful Indian restaurant in Leicestershire, the décor is fantastic, it’s like another world. From the moment you walk through the big doors and your coats are taken, you are then led through to a lower floor with the most lavish of settings, there is also private dining for small parties.

It was a cool night in February and we were looking forward to a hot meal as we headed along London Road for our reservation at Shimla Pinks. We were lucky and had managed to find a parking space on London Road, about fifty metres from the reataurant, but parking can be a problem at busy times, which is most of the time along there!

The venue for our first visit of 2024 took us to Little India, which is situated on the main road in the small market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, approximately 20 miles North-West of Leicester.

Our December annual presentation dinner to award the Outstanding Curry Restaurant of the Year certificate was a welcome return to My Delhi in Belvoir Street in the heart of Leicester.

A very extensive menu with some nice surprises on there, (i.e. a red Leicester cheese naan) a little different to the usual establishments. What a start, great ambiance, and a great menu! This was the last visit of the year, could this restaurant be the 2023 winner?

My Delhi offers a meal and experience that is full of flavour, great recipes, food to be savoured and good service. For those seeking somewhere new to try, we highly recommend this. Almost the end of the year, My Delihi has jumped to the top of the leaderboard for this year’s award. We are next out in early December when we will know who wins the award!

After 11 years and visiting nearly 140 Indian restaurants in Leicestershire (must have an LE postcode) we are always excited to find a new restaurant opening and play them close to our chest saving the restaurant until it is our turn. It’s quite amusing now though as we pretty much know where we are going as friends and family share any new openings.

Our September visit was an excursion into an alternative Indian cuisine where most of our members sampled Indian Street Food for the first time during our experience at Mowgli Street Food Restaurant in St Martin’s in the centre of Leicester.

The venue for our August visit was a new restaurant which had only been open for a few days and is situated on the main Belgrave Road at the very start of the famous Golden Mile.

Julys nominated restaurant was the Royal Leicester in Lockerbie Walk in Rushey Mead. An easy destination with plenty of parking.

This month we found a new “back street” pub-style Indian Restaurant – The Durham Ox at the end of Catherine Street. The team running the old Wyvern Arms has taken over and run the kitchen.

Just down the road from last month’s Herb restaurant, was one of the newest Indian restaurants in Leicester, Indiana Bar & Restaurant. It doesn’t look particularly big from the outside but as soon as you walk in it opens out with plenty of room and a good area for the drinkers to enjoy the bar.

February’s delight was Avatar Dining in Lutterworth. A Nepalese restaurant in the market town of Lutterworth. The restaurant is located on Market Street with plenty of free parking in the market square.

Our first visit for 2023 was a unique one. Set inside the Leicester Railwaymens Club & Institute on the corner of Leicester Street and East Park Road. On entering, it feels like you are walking into a bygone era, a huge club with reception desks. The building is vast with a function room, club room, darts, skittles, snooker, and a well-stocked and well ran bar. Being a club, we were asked to sign in at the bar. Football was on, and there were a few people in tonight. I imagined what it might have been like in the 70s and 80s full most nights. It was already great to experience this unique club.

It was a close run contest again at the end of the year with a clear favourite already established and expected by all of us to win, but a December visit to Market Harborough changed things by the smallest of margins at the last minute. Following that visit we had our 2022 Leicester Curry Club winner, as voted for by our team of unbiased and enthusiastic self proclaimed ‘curry connoisseurs’ which we all know, might not be the best recommendation, but without wishing to appear pretentious it will have to do for the purpose of our research and resulting reviews.

There were no complaints from anyone, we were all very impressed and after we left the restaurant and did the scoring, we realised Avatar was the winner for 2022. None of us expected Avatar to beat the previous leader so it just shows that these great restaurants are still out there. A great night and a great win.

We were left with an overall feeling of dissatisfaction, which rather spoilt the evening for us, so we were happy to pay the bill, which was near enough thirty pounds per head, and leave. 

The venue for our October visit was a restaurant that I had been to numerous times in the 1990’s and at that time was the ‘go-to’ curry house in the market town of Melton Mowbray… in fact Prince William once ate there when he was in the area.

It is very rare that all Leicester Curry Club members agree on the standard of food and presentation, but here everything was perfect – and the portions were larger than in other restaurants too! We know – this was our 129th monthly outing, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Currently, the scoring puts this in the lead this year – the food was undoubtedly the best I’ve had this year. With a focus on the service, I’m sure this will be a destination Indian restaurant for Leicestershire.

We are all keen to return together or with friends and family, and we’ll update here how we get on. Try it and let us know how you find it too!

The bill came to £110 for five people including beers so it was reasonable. There was only one waiter working and surprisingly the service was quick. The toilets seriously need a refresh.

Our June excursion this year involved a trip to Blaby, which is the far side of Leicester to where we are based. It proved to be a worthwhile journey as we enjoyed both the ambience and the food. The décor at the Zaika restaurant is tasteful, the accommodation is plentiful and comfortable with dining rooms on two floors and more than enough parking available on the doorstep.

Taraj Palace is situated on the main Melton Road in Syston and has a small car park at the rear of the restaurant, there is limited on street parking although there is a large car park around 70 metres away. It has recently been refurbished and has had a change of ownership, so I thought now is the time to see how it rated.

So for April we headed off to Ryan’s in Loughborough. This restaurant is on Baxter Gate just opposite the cinema and leisure complex. We were initially the only customers that were in, and we always think that’s a little odd for a restaurant in a great high street location. They were quite busy with take aways, and it wasn’t long before other eat in diners appeared.

I had chosen a restaurant for March, then we had to postpone March’s outing.  When re-arranged, the original was closed for Ramadan, so I had to look for a new restaurant.  I had seen Momma’s Kitchen on social media, and it looked great.  You can find them on Instagram and Facebook with lots of photos and videos of their open kitchen.

I decided we had to try Tandem on this month’s visit as I was looking to find a new curry house to try and it’s getting harder each month as we draw close to 120 restaurants in Leicester. Tandem pitches itself as slightly above your average curry restaurant with two floors and a well-stocked bar with cocktails and fine dining, situated in the heart of the Highcross shopping centre, with easy parking across the road.

We ventured to the charming village of Quorn to sample the offerings available at Tandoori Empire on the High Street in the heart of the enclave of eateries comprising restaurants and Pubs all in close proximity. This restaurant is not licensed, but you are encouraged to bring your own alcohol, if that is your preference, for which glasses are readily provided by the attentive staff.

The venue for our December visit was recommended to me by a number of work colleagues whom live in the village of Houghton-on-the Hill, 6 miles East of Leicester. The Rose and Crown Pub has a large car park and is situated on the main A47 Uppingham Road, next to the petrol station. The restaurant is ran separately to the pub, so please bear in mind that you pay for the food and drinks separately.

Well, just when you think that we’ve covered most decent establishments in Leicestershire, another one pops up!

If Fawlty Towers was an Indian restaurant, we found it this month. It even won the Restaurant of the Year 2020/21 at the Leicester Curry Awards. Read on to find out why our visit to Indian Fusion was a disappointing evening.

When you have visited as many Indian restaurants as we have you find yourself revisiting restaurants you have already been to under previous ownership. So in September 2021 we went to Shant in Glenfield having previously visited in the same building Sands way back in November 2011 when the score was 33/40 against a sore this time of 27/40.

This month of August 2021 Dear Readers, your intrepid and fearless reviewers ventured into the Northern climes of our county to the quaint market town of Loughborough to see what our collegiate cousins had on their doorstep to entice us away from more local establishments in the great metropolis of Leicester.

This establishment has been on the ‘radar’ for some time but for some reason has never been visited by ourselves. The restaurant is situated on the first floor of what looks like a house, next door to a commercial property and some new apartments near the junction with Blackbird Road. It used to be the Sports & Social Club of Marconi Radar Systems, whom were a major employer in the city during the 1970’s and 80’s.

We all headed to Sunar Gow in Broughton Astley for June 2021. The restaurant has just been refurbished and is located in the village centre above a row of shops.

I had already chosen this Indian Restaurant in 2020, just before lockdown started and have been following it on Instagram since then. Khyber Nights is tucked away just off Melton Road and not far from the owners original The Khyber – which was one of the originals in Leicester and around for 30 years.

Our March outing saw us visit an old friend of curry lovers- Friends. They were based on the Melton Road for 26 years ran by the Pabla family and closed in 2008, but the new venue on Queens Road is still ran by the Pabla’s three brothers in fact. Parking is on the main road or one of the many side streets so this is not a problem.

Our February visit was planned and booked, and the members were collected a little earlier than usual as we were off to the South West of the county, which is the other side of the city for us and we were all eagerly anticipating the delights of the evening that waited for us.

Now in our 10th year, the first visit of the new decade was to Shanaya Restaurant which is situated on the old A6 in the village of Mountsorrel, approximately mid-way between Leicester and Loughborough.

Shanaya was opened by the owner Niraj around two years ago and is situated in the same building as the former Bayleaf Indian Restaurant and Porto Gomez Bistro.

The Leicester Curry Club award night for 2019 was celebrated by a return visit to our highest scoring curry house restaurant of the year. As our regular readers will know we visit a different restaurant every month and points are awarded by each member following the visit based upon their individual enjoyment of the meal and service predominately, but also taking into account the surroundings and the facilities.

What a delight and what a gem. Of course this is inside a pub but still manages to give a restaurant feel and all members thought that they could return with their families without hesitation. The bill was unbelievable with the food coming out at £12 per head.

Well done to the owners, the chef and of course to Jay. We are delighted that we can reveal the winner for 2019 is the WYVERN!

I saw this month’s restaurant whilst driving past what was the 2017 winner – Sizzlers – now called Mother India. Given it was so good and a members favourite I thought this would be an easy win for our club this month. This is reflected in it being placed 2nd worst of all time (thats 104th in the rankings to date). Read the full review to find out how big a disappointment this place is.

One of the greatest things about the Leicester Curry Club is that every now and again you find a hidden gem, and we certainly did on Wednesday. Chef’s Flavour is off Belgrave Gate on Memory Lane just after the Empire Banqueting & Conference Hall with ample parking, which is usually a problem.

After a late in the month visit last month due to holidays and other commitments we blinked and it was suddenly time for our eagerly anticipated September expedition to yet another of the wide range of excellent Indian restaurants available to the inhabitants of our fine county and visitors alike. We have no barriers or exclusions here, everybody is welcome, we consider ourselves to be exclusively inclusive!

So, our host had selected a visit to Amuril in the lively village of Quorn having read several good reviews and deciding that it sounded like a restaurant that was more than worthy of a visit and an assessment by our canny crew of curry connoisseurs.

Unfortunately our August visit was delayed until the end of the month due to member’s holidays etc but may I say it was well worth the wait. We are very fortunate in Leicestershire to have so many restaurants available but as you can appreciate some of those that get recommended to us have already received the ‘Leicester Curry Club treatment’. Prince of Punjab was actually found via a Tripadvisor search (other travel/restaurant platforms are available).

I thought to celebrate achieving over 100 establishments (8.4 years) it would be nice to try a restaurant that has a reputation in being a little upmarket, not my usual level as the members know.

This month marked the occasion of our 100th visit and review. Quite an achievement and there are still lots on the list to visit! We’ve enjoyed getting to this landmark!

There was an air of expectation for this event, and it fell to me to chose where to go. I had a couple of places in mind, but The Flying Horse in Markfield sounded good, looks nice and has excellent reviews from others.

We had a trip to Melton Mowbray for May’s pick of the month, and I chose to host at the second new Indian restaurant to open in the last few months, Purple Garlic. We visited the SOI in February and that was scored very well, so would serve as a good comparison. The owners also run Apurba, which is a long-time favourite in the Melton area.

It was my turn to host the members this month and after much deliberation and checking the club rules I took the risk of re-visiting a previous best restaurant of the year, which is now under new ownership and therefore could be judged by it’s performance under the new regime. The Generous Raj is in Thurmaston village and a little bit hidden away, but not difficult to find with plenty of on street parking right outside.

Our March visit (no. 99) was to a newly opened restaurant in Aylestone which is a suburb of Leicester, southwest of the city centre and not far from where Leicester City legend Gary Lineker’s life began in the game at Aylestone Park Football Club.

Aylestone Spice is a small cosy restaurant on the main Aylestone Road that serves both Indian and Bangladeshi traditional home cooked food. It seats around 24 diners and although not licensed welcomes you to take your own alcohol (BYOB)… there is a small supermarket next door should you forget.

We headed to SOI (Spice of India) in Melton Mowbray for February. This is a sister restaurant to the Spice of India in Syston which is well known to all of the Leicester Curry Club appraisers. The Syston restaurant has over the years been consistently good so as you can imagine we were really looking forward to February’s choice.

Could it come anywhere near the standard of Syston? Have they varied the menu and have they made it different enough to travel to Melton Mowbray.

The first visit of the year got off to a great start. We went to Saffron Ivy, the latest new Indian Restaurant in Syston. Handy on road parking right outside. Great evening and certainly one that will take some beating this year I’m sure. Follow the link below for the full review and score.

The Leicester Curry Club award night for 2018 was celebrated by a return visit to our highest scoring curry house restaurant of the year. As our avid followers will know we visit a different restaurant every month and we award points following the visit based upon our enjoyment of the meal and service predominately, but also taking into account the surroundings and the facilities.

This month’s pick was Gurkha Embassy in Syston, this restaurant situates in the centre of the town and one of two new Indian restaurants to open recently in Syston. The restaurant has had a full refurbishment and is very clean and smart however if we were to be picky, may be a little too bright and could do with being a little warmer. What we did like is there is plenty of room between the tables and you are not all sitting on each other’s table as happens so often these days.

We had a little trip out to Narborough for our November curry experience and we enjoyed a pleasant evening at The Cardamom Lounge in Narborough. The reputation for this curry house had been built up by our host, yours truly, based upon one previous visit and the excellent lamb chops that I had enjoyed there.

Octobers visit was to the University town of Loughborough and to a Nepalese & Indian restaurant on Churchgate close to All Saints Church. The restaurant was selected due to its excellent reviews on Trip Advisor, and I found the online ‘Reserve Table’ easy to use and was confirmed the following day via both an email and a very polite text from the manager Kumar.

Septembers pick was 7h Spices on Coventry Road in Hinckley which according to the current trip advisor scores surely was destined to take the 2018 crown. It specialises in South Indian cuisine just like our August choice so would serve as a great comparison.

My first turn organising having rejoined the Club after several years as a guest I found a hidden gem. Only twelve reviews on TripAdvisor (all good) and doesn’t have its own website. I’d seen the sign having driven past and hoped it would be a good one.

The July curry night was my turn and for the first time I tried to take us to a restaurant we previously visited 6 years ago, so a lesson learned as we near 100 Indian restaurants – check your score history before you book! So, we quickly decided we must change the venue and headed out to Ratby as a couple of the guys had heard good reports about a place called Harrisons Spice.

Last night was another little gem if you don’t mind a take your own alcohol restaurant, that’s on the possibly negative side a little basic and not dissimilar to a café, but on the positive side newly refurbished and sparklingly clean. The air conditioning was on, keeping it cool and comfortable, which although not strictly necessary last night, will be a boon if our long-awaited summer ever arrives with any sustained sunshine! However, we’re not here to talk about the weather, so on to the important stuff!
The restaurant is well situated in the centre of the village on Main Street (opposite the Co-op) and there is a free carpark 50 metres away on Bradgate Lane.

There is a feeling of spaciousness when first entering the restaurant with a seating area and a well stocked bar.

Just a few miles along the A607 North East of Leicester is the village of Asfordby where you will find The Empress of India which opened in 2010. The village was the site of a modern deep coal pit which was built between 1984 and 1993 but closed in 1997 due to numerous geological difficulties and the low price of coal at that time.

The restaurant is well situated in the centre of the village on Main Street (opposite the Co-op) and there is a free carpark 50 metres away on Bradgate Lane.

There is a feeling of spaciousness when first entering the restaurant with a seating area and a well stocked bar.

Aprils pick of the month was Eastern Spice in Loughborough; this restaurant was called Goa back in 2014 when we visited last. The score in 2014 was 31 so this could be interesting to see if the new owners can improve. The location is very good, and there is lots of free parking across the road. On arrival, we were instantly met by a waiter who showed us to our table. The restaurant was extremely busy for a Wednesday evening and clearly it is very popular, a testament to its latest trip advisor scores. I also downloaded a voucher for 20% off all food which was a bonus.

This month’s adventure took us to East Leake on the border of Leicester/Nottingham (still within an LE post code). The location chosen was Heat restaurant, a very modern Indian venue in a small village. On arrival, we were met by an obliging waiter who showed us to our table. Looking around there were quite a few customers in for a Wednesday night, this is always encouraging when sampling somewhere new.

The idea of The Leicester Curry Club is that we take it in turns to host every month and the venue is unknown to the rest of the party until we arrive there. This month there was a twist to the theme as it turned out that none of us knew where we were going until we arrived there due to a lack of research by yours truly. When we arrived at my selected ‘treat’ for the evening it transpired that not only was the premises not licensed, but the establishment didn’t permit ‘bring your own,’ which resulted in a quick about turn and a search for an alternative venue!

Spice Club has been in Melton for many years but has recently taken over a building on Nottingham Street which was formerly the Mash Tub Pub.

There was plenty of parking at the rear which was free during our visit.

Sameeha was our 82nd curry house that we have visited and advertises itself as an authentic Indian restaurant and is situated on Faire Road which is within a residential area in Glenfield. There is plenty of on-street parking and is situated amongst a row of shops including an off licence which is ideal as the premises are not licensed to sell alcohol.