Food review: Crown of India, Stone

With a young family, more often than not I resort to a take away, but on a recent Friday evening I found myself at a loose end with my 13-year-old son, Matthew.

My children have joined me for a number of food reviews over the last 12 months, and with Matthew's sister away camping for her Duke of Edinburgh Award, it was only fair to take the little fella out for a treat. I say little, he is almost as tall as me, with a wobbly croaky half broken voice to boot.

We headed over to Stone, our destination the Crown of India.

Situated on the High Street, this much-loved restaurant is popular with locals – something I can vouch for on my visit.

We arrived just before 7pm and asked for a table for two.

I was asked if we had booked. Luckily, we were guided to the last remaining table. It was tucked away in a dark alcove towards the back of the restaurant. I was just glad to get a seat.

If there was one thing the Crown could really do with is more lighting.

It is very dark inside. Nevertheless, the primary reason for our mission was to critique the food, not the decor.

We began, inevitably with poppadoms and sides (£4).

Pretty standard stuff – big crispy poppadoms, accompanied by mango, mint, lime and chilli dips. Great start.

Then it was time for the proper starters. Matthew is a big fan of chicken tikka, so naturally the chicken tikka starter (£3.50) was his choice.

Chunks of marinated meat with a side salad – Matthew was a happy chap.

I like to try different things each time I go to an Indian restaurant.

I opted for the chicken chat (£3.95). Chicken, onions and a rich sauce came served in a tasty pancake. Reasonably spicy, but full of flavour, it proved a good choice. The pancake was the star, perfect chew and oh so light.

What I did like most about the restaurant was the atmosphere.

There were plenty of large groups enjoying a tasty meal together, many chatting with the owners and staff. Clearly regulars.

It wasn't a night to be poultry in Stone. For our main courses, both Matthew and me selected a chicken dish.

Matthew chose the tikka masala (£8.95) and I had the tikka ceylon (£8.50).

To go with our main dishes I selected a sag aloo (£2.95). The spinach and potato dish is a favourite of mine.

Matthew wanted pilau rice (£2.50) with his meal and I ordered garlic and egg fried rice (£2.95).

Of course, no Indian meal would be complete without a naan bread, but be warned, they are pretty big at the Crown.

My keema naan (£3.50) was big enough, but Matthew's plain naan (£2.95) was huge.

My son's main was presented in a boiling hot dish with cream swirled to one side.

It put him off a bit as he had not seen the dish presented this way before, that was until I explained that he could adjust the spiciness by stirring more cream into it.

He enjoyed it and I must say it was pretty tasty.

Matthew's rice and naan were pretty good too, but we had definitely over-ordered.

My ceylon dish contained coconut, red chillies, lemon, ginger and cream plus strong spices.

It was quite a hot dish and came served in a miniature cauldron on an earthenware stand. Not the best I had ever had, but nice all the same.

With our drinks coming in at £6.55 for a pint each of Cobra and lemonade, the total bill came in at £50.85.

I have had better Indian meals, but rarely has the portion size beaten me.

So if quantity is key, head over to the Crown of India.

By Paul Naylor