The India - Folkestone Review

The India
1 The Old High Street
Folkestone
Kent
CT20 1RJ

Phone 0871 332 6202
Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras

Type of Cuisine Indian / French
Chef Ali Ashraf
Number of Covers 40
Price Range £££££

Dinner 6.00 - 9.30pm Thu-Sat (and by prior arrangement at other times)

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Review of The India, Folkestone

Ali Ashraf's delightfully unassuming restaurant has been a bastion of top-drawer Indian food for more than 20 years. It's a real treasure, yet it's still one of Kent's best-kept secrets. Its success and reputation depends on quality and attention to detail – and that includes everything from amazing, sparkly clean glasses to meticulously sourced ingredients.

Many of Ali's dishes are based on traditional recipes, but each has a highly distinctive imprint: flavours are subtle and carefully judged, spices are used with artless precision. Among the starters, you will find familiar vegetable samosas and lamb tikka, but also look for crab cochin (with ginger, coriander and white wine) and Sita's dosha (pancakes stuffed with all manner of good things). Main courses are split between tandooris and curries such as lamb 'deux pyaza' and khobani chicken (with cinnamon, cardamom and apricots).

The man himself was born in Calcutta, but trained in France – which explains the presence of 'plats français' on his wide-ranging, innovative menu. Many of Ali's customers regularly cross the Channel to sample Gallic delights such as salade niçoise, poulet au citron and entrecôte garni.

At the end of each evening, the 'closed' sign goes up well before the pubs close. The India is definitely not that kind of restaurant!