The 31st May saw the Cobra Mela take over the Vibe bar as part of the 10th Annual Brick Lane Curry Festival. The thought of curry and beer on a bank holiday was too much of a draw so a few of us took a trip down to Brick Lane. While the best curry award was scrapped, 5 other categories where announced and winners declared. Mango Restaurant was one of those winners and seen as we were already on Brick Lane, we thought a visit was in order.
When we arrived, the restaurant was a hive of activity. The curry festival had obviously brought in a lot of extra customers but we were greeted immediately at the door and taken to our seats. Sat right in the middle of the restaurant, we could see everyone around us enjoying their food. After getting a round of beers, it came time to decide what to eat and with an extensive menu, the decision making was too much for us all so we asked the waiter to bring us a selection of the restaurants best dishes. 
Soon after, out wheeled a trolley full of delicious dishes, including Chicken Tikka Masala, Sea bass, Duck Narang, Laau Bhaji and Shahee Keema Razala. Alongside the these dishes we had lime rice, pilau rice, garlic chili nan and peshwari nan. Rather than sticking to one dish we each tired a bit of everything and its fair to say we were not disappointed.
With a mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, we were spoilt for choice but we had to start somewhere so I tried the most obvious dish first, Chicken Tikka Masala. As this is Britain’s favourite dish it has a lot to live up to. The dish was deliciously creamy and full of flavour. There was slight kick to the curry that did not over power the rest of the dish.
The Duck Narang, cooked in a coconut cream sauce with a hint of orange, was and tasty. The duck was tender to the point of melting in your mouth. Next I tried the Laau Bhaji, which is sweet pumpkin sauteed in garlic and chili. The hint of spice really complimented the sweetness of the pumpkin and it was my favourite dish of the night. The Sea Bass is cooked whole and presented as it is cooked with a mild tomato and fennel sauce. It was a little daunting at first but as one of the gang started to tuck in, we all followed suit. The Sea Bass was fantastically cooked and the dish provided a tasty alternative to the creamy sauces of more traditional curry dishes.
There wasn’t any food left on our plates after this feast and while us girls were full, it seemed the boys still have a taste for curry and asked the waiter for the hottest dish on the menu. After checking that they really wanted the hottest dish, out came the Bollywood Blast. This dish is slow cooked lamb cooked with naga chili, which is the hottest chili. I am not a fan of really spicy food but I though I would try a tiny bit just to see how hot it was and it has to be said I was blown away. My mouth was on fire and it seemed like nothing would cool it down. This curry is not for the fainted hearted and but all accounts the boys really enjoyed.
The food and service at Mango was great. At no point during the evening where we rushed through our meal and despite the restaurant being busy, we were not left waiting for our food and drink orders.
This post was written by Lisa Brown (@acupcakesmile). She makes a ruddy good cupcake and takes some lovely snaps. You’re sure to see more examples of her photography on upcoming posts for TLLWTL. We love her!
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