Wymondham – Shapla

After some meanderings around some nearby historic churches, in an attempt by Richard and I to complete our project of visiting every one in Norfolk (which I suspect will be never-ending as we have to work out how to get inside some churches as well as walking around them), we thought we’d sample some culinary delights in Wymondham.

The Shapla seemed to be the best reviewed Indian restaurant in the town, so we opted for that and it has apparently been trading for over thirty years. We were welcomed promptly and although we didn’t have a reservation, we were found a suitable table. The interior decor was modern and appropriate, with the venue being clean and organised. Menus provided and the selection looked comprehensive, with traditional dishes that an Indian might have, as well as some chef specials. They didn’t have any lassi which I had hoped for, so I made do with a Coke to drink.

The poppadoms were really rather lovely, or at least the assorted dips were. There was mango chutney, onion salad, tamarind sauce, apple pickle and mint sauce, all of which were decent and the apple pickle was a particular favourite as I haven’t had that before.

The Roshoni Chilli Chicken Tikka which had some real heat to it from the chillies, but it wasn’t overpowering, nicely balanced. The chicken was tender and had a depth of flavour, with the shallots adding texture and the portion size being sufficiently generous. There was no lemon rice, my personal favourite, but the pilau rice I ordered was cooked well.

Service was attentive throughout and it was a friendly environment, with the restaurant being relatively busy for a Sunday evening. I suspect that reservations are usually required for weekend evenings and there were a steady stream of customers picking up takeaway orders. All really rather lovely and I think that I’d come back here again.