Lal Qila (the Red Fort) is a barely known Indo/Pakistani outlet in Patraix, on C. Gaspar Aguilar. It is not a restaurant, rather more a ‘dabha’ which is a casual ‘drop in’ eatery serving snacks but they offer a wide range of dishes and we recommend you try them soon!
Don’t expect a hug from the waiter when you arrive, nor even a cheery smile! It just isn’t that sort of place. Its all about the food!
The lack of welcome was largely followed by a lack of advice when ordering from the menu although we think sometimes this can be because we are confident when ordering our meals. Nitu had visited a couple of times before so knew some of the specialities of the house and ordered these to start with. We were joined this time by Deep and his partner Giulia who are responsible for ‘Valencia Activities’, an events organisation.
To be fair we were asked if we wanted the food spiced up and if we wanted to sit in or out ( we recommend inside as Gaspar Aguilar is a busy main road) and the waiter showed flexibility in cooking us papadums especially (they are not on the menu) even making us chutney`s to go with them and allowing us to bring in our own drinks (as devout muslims they do not serve alcohol).
(For the record the Chinese owned bar next door does an excellent Verdejo called ‘Candium’ from Rueda and the bodega Cuatro Rayas who make a range of very good wines. This was no exception , fresh, fruity with a good acidity it accompanied all the dishes we had as well. 10€ a bottle and no corkage was charged. The Aguila double malt ale at 1.50€ a bottle also worked well.)
If all this sounds a little removed from your idea of a good evening out do not be put off, we simply record the facts as they are. Put aside your prejudices and come with us on a glorious tour of their menu!
Apart from the Indian menu, they also do pizzas and kebabs for takeaway or eat in. The menu is therefore extensive, although a little light on vegetarian dishes.
Following the papadums we tried their vegetable samosas, which were excellent, good pastry, well filled and spicy, for once we noted the ‘amchur’ (mango powder) which gives them a slightly sour flavour. These were followed by the best Seekh kebabs , large, crispy on the outside with a lovely soft inside, very well spiced, tasty beef and absolutely delicious. So good we had two each!
After the palate teasers, we had ordered their house speciality for starters: pollo asado, which is a whole spiced chicken cooked in the tandoor. This may have had a few seconds too long in the oven for some but the meat was tender, the outside exquisitely spiced, and you could taste the lemon. At 8.50€ this is amazing value for money!
This was followed by another house speciality. Lal Qila has 15 fish dishes on their menu, very unusual if not unique. Ours was a whole seabass, baked in the tandoor. This is to die for! The skin holds all the spice flavour with hints of ginger , was crisp and a pleasure by itself. The bones slid out in one piece leaving the most moist fillets of fish that tasted wondefully fresh.
Both the chicken and the fish were sufficient as starters for the six of us but the fish would make a great course in itself for one or two people. With these two dishes we tried the Keema naan, well filled, tasty, spicy (and the bread was excellent) and a potato naan which was also good but not to everyone’s taste.
A fresh kachumber salad followed, red onion, green chili and a simple fresh lemon juice and salt dressing.
As usual we had a run around some of their main course curries. We ordered a mutton Karahi, a chicken vindaloo, a chicken muglai, a palak paneer and cheese naan. No rice was deemed necessary!
The size of the mains were a little smaller than usual but then they were a euro or two cheaper as well. The vindaloo had sliced chicken as did the muglai but this was very tender. The vindaloo despite being advertised as very hot, wasn’t. The Muglai sauce itself was a little dissapointing and not really a substitute for a pasanda. The mutton karahi was fine, with good tender chunks though again lacking a bit of heat.
The Palak (spinach and cheese) was initially disappointing and salty but without complaint was changed and the replacement was creamy and satisfying.
In terms of ambience it’s a cafe, they are decorating it to give it a better feel but you won’t find white damask table cloths nor will you be paying for them with the food either! The music was good.
The quality of the food overall outweighs any lack of charm in the service which was functional. One waiter did the whole of the evening session but coped well with the ordering and the food kept coming. There is no doubt the chef and the tandoor are the outstanding stars at Lal Qila and the most popular dishes judging by other diners choices. The mains are not as good as the starters but we would all go back again very happily.
In fact, pricing here is generally spot-on, the price-to-quality ratio is as close to a 10 as you can get. The overall bill came to 88€ for the six of us and if you add on what the drinks from next door cost you could call it 18€ per head. We will keep looking for better value for money but we haven’t found it yet. Big satisfying portions from the tandoor are so far the best we have discovered anywhere in Valencia.
In the end, it is all about the food! We give Lal Qila a 7.5 overall score and highly recommend you do not miss out on the tandoori specialities!
