Plenty of options at brilliant prices
Warm welcome, fantastic customer service and an extensive range of dishes at Indian restaurant by the seaside
We are spoilt for choice with Indian restaurants in this neck of the woods, but Samrat Indian Dining Room in Seaham offers something a little different. Located in sunny Seaham, Samrat was warm and cosy inside – living up to its name as the restaurant really did feel like a homely dining room with comfy sofas and mellow lighting.
The staff members were friendly and welcoming, before bringing menus straight away and taking our drinks order.
Samrat offers a wide range of drinks, from an extensive wine list to the classic pint of Cobra.
I think the food menu had quite literally every kind of Indian dish you could wish for, from a multitude of mild to spicy curries, to Biryani and even thali trays for those who like a bit of everything.
The restaurant even offers a ‘healthy menu’ with dishes a little less heavy on the calories.
What I admired was the staff ’s knowledge of the menu, my partner likes to ask what’s good. Our waiter didn’t hesitate to give us some great recommendations and they did not disappoint.
We started with Tikka Paneer Shashlik, a chicken tikka dish cooked with Indian cheese and fresh cream, along with onion bhajis.
For a mere £4.25, the Shashlik was divine, it was flavoursome, savoury and moreish and the onion bhajis (£3.75) were HUGE, it’s definitely a dish that should be shared – unless you’re really into onion bhajis.
Next, we decided to go for the Chicken Balti (£5.95) and Lamb Lankapiaza (£7.45) with onion rice (£2.95) and some puri (£0.75), which is deep-fried bread similar to naan bread but lighter.
The Balti was simply tasty, easy to eat and I just wanted more – the chicken was succulent and the sauce delicious.
The Lamb Lankapiaza would not be my choice of curry but for those who like spicy, it is definitely that!
Despite it not being my dish, I did give it a try and beyond the very hot temperature, the flavours of garlic and ginger really came through. Often spicy dishes are just all heat but this curry had depth which was enjoyable.
Samrat offers fantastic customer service and delightful food at prices that won’t break the bank.
‘Delightful food that
won’t break bank’