Time for Tiffin

Balbir’s Tiffin Rooms, Sauchiehall Street

We recently paid a visit to the popular Balbir’s Tiffin Rooms with visitors from Melbourne and we’re glad we did!  The food was excellent, the service attentive and we all thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. 

In between Christmas and New Year can be an odd time for restaurants but there was a pleasant buzz at Balbir’s.  Inevitably, when ordering our drinks, the blokes wanted Indian beer however the knowledgeable barman informed them of an American beer, Blue Moon, which is slightly flavoured with orange and apparently well matched with curries.  When met with dubious looks he produced two samples for trial, one met with gusto – the other not so much but never the less off to a great start!

When  perusing the menu the friendly waiter offered plenty of suggestions and took time explaining many of the dishes.  As we were dining with a vegetarian he also informed us that any type of curry on the menu could be done as a vegetarian option which was appreciated.

Starters for four were a chicken pakora, vegetable pakora and a stunning dish – Bhel & Papar.  The pakora, as any Glaswegian would know, is self explanatory although better than average with a nice zingy pink sauce.  The Bhel & Papar is a different beast, made with the gram flour straws commonly found in Bombay Mix, it is also contains onions, coriander, nuts and fruit and is served with poppadoms, it truly is exceptional.

For mains we opted for one meat Thali and one vegetarian Thali, both of which were above expectation.  A Thali at Balbir’s is a selection of three curries, served with rice and chapati all on one platter and designed to be shared.  Our vegetarian had already been given free reign over the menu but the choice of Thali curries is still wide.   From the simple korma to the deep and tasty saag all were beautifully executed and for us, an ideal size.   I don’t doubt that many seasoned curry goers would find the portions on the small side but having had starters we were all perfectly satisfied.

The bill was reasonable for the standard of food and there were also a nice variety of specials on the board for the adventurous. 

For me the big advantage to the Tiffin Rooms is the combination of traditional Glasgow curry staples flecked with some more interesting newcomers and, if ordering the Thali with three choices, it leaves room for some experimentation.