Regency Club

The Regency Club is an Indian restaurant in a parade of shops near Queensbury tube. The “Club” label is something of a misnomer, since although the establishment was once a members club, there is now no effective distinction between members and non-members. Inside it is decorated very much like a traditional pub, with wood panelling and a number of booths to the side as well as tables around the bar area, with an open kitchen to one side of the bar. There were video screens showing sports fixtures, and Bollywood film music played in the background. The dining room is large yet tables were being turned even on the Sunday night that we visited. The clientele was almost entirely Asian.

The menu was north Indian and had all the usual choices. Starters were £2.25 - £13.25 but mostly around a fiver, main courses around £7 - £8, desserts £2.25. There was a brief wine list without vintages listed, starting at £13.25 and with Jack Rabbit Chardonnay at £15 for a wine that retails at around £6, Marques de Caceres Crianza at £19.50 for a wine that costs around £9 and Bollinger NV champagne at £55 for a wine that will set you back £38 in the high street. Draught lager was just £2.85 a pint.

Fish bhajia had quite small pieces of fish in batter and was a little dry, but decent enough (11/20). Jeera chicken was served in the bone, the chicken cooked properly though not of particularly high quality, but with a good cumin-flavoured sauce (12/20). The cooking of the chicken biryani had managed to keep the chicken pieces quite moist, the rice itself with good texture (12/20). Channa masala had tender chickpeas (12/20) while mutter paneer had a nicely made spicy sauce to accompany the peas and cubes of paneer (cottage cheese), the spices quite vibrant (13/20). I was particularly impressed with the naan bread, which was soft and supple (14/20).

Service was casual but very welcoming and the food was delivered efficiently. The bill came to £22 a head, including drinks, for more food than we could eat. Overall this was good value, authentic cooking at a very fair price.