Kathryn and Anthony, Community and Communication
Different, delicious, tasty & stylish were just some of the complimentary words expressed during our evening. Mahmaan is newly opened on the Oakwood estate.
The interior is fresh, clean & modern with a well stocked bar, plenty of natural lighting, disabled facilities and an upstairs eating area, also available for parties.
We were shown to our table by Mo who looked after us for the evening. After drinks and the pickles tray our current preferences towards Indian cuisine were asked and then a specials dish was recommended. We both accepted the challenge and tried the recommended. We then experienced one of the best Indians we have tasted & not what we would have ordered.
I had Kasturi Chicken, a sweet and sour dish with chicken fillets and pillau rice. The presentation was exceptionable and even more important the taste was excellent, the portion size just right & I cleared my plate.
Anthony had Lamb Hyderabadi, tender lamb pieces prepared with exotic spices desi style and slightly hot. The presentation was brilliant, tasted great and Anthony made short work of clearing his plate. After the poppadoms and curries we could not eat another thing. But the atmosphere was so relaxed we sat, chatted & let our food go down.
The Menu is extremely Comprehensive but where Mahmaan really shines is the specials matched to your taste, the presentation is just that little bit more and the taste matches up.
Janet Cole, What’s on Derby
WELL WORTH A VISIT!
One of the perks of being editor is that you are sometimes invited to sample the delights of some of the restaurants featured on the eating out guide. I was very pleased to accept such an invitation from Mahmaan Restaurant and I would like to share that experience with you.
I was given a warm friendly greeting from the proprietor, Mr Ali, and his staff. I must say this was not a greeting only reserved for me, throughout the evening Mr Ali greeted diners and spent time talking to them and answering any questions they had about his restaurant or the food.
Not only was I met by courteous, friendly staff but also by a restaurant with a warm intimate feel, somewhere you could go with friends or have an intimate meal for two. You felt you could take your time over the whole dining experience with no pressure.
Mahmaan offers an extensive menu with their own ‘Mahmaan Special’ dishes that their chef creates just for Mahmaan. They will also create dishes for you if you so wish and Mr Ali will also adjust the strength of dishes thus offering quite a personal service.
While dining at Mahmaan there was a steady stream of customers coming to collect their Saturday night takeaways and if that sounds too strenuous, Mahmaan also deliver within a 5 mile radius.
Mahmaan also offers a room, separate from the dining area that can be used for private functions and can be decorated to suit the occasion.
All in all a very pleasant experience in very pleasant surroundings, served by friendly, nothing-is-too-much-trouble staff. What more could you take from an evening out!
I can unreservedly recommend that you partake of the Mahmaan experience, I know you wont be disappointed,
WELL WORTH A VISIT!
EDITORS PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION.
Derby Telegraph – Secret Service
It may be an unfair assessment but Oakwood is not the first district of Derby one would think of regarding eating out. The impression is that it is mostly a residential area, with barely a pub or a shop to serve the large volume of mostly new housing but, if you look closely enough, the hungry diner can be amply rewarded.
Having said that, it is easy to miss the Mahmaan Indian restaurant, tucked away in a corner in a small row of shops on Smalley Drive. It opened only four months ago but judging by your spy’s first visit, a fair few people have already discovered its charms.
Following the trend of plain and brighter decor and set out over two floors, the Mahmann offers an interesting and varied menu focused mainly on the speciality dishes and chef’s recommendations rather than the stock bhunas and kormas.
If they are what you prefer, however, you can have those too.
Your spy was tempted by the mint lamb and it proved a sound choice. Lamb is not always served lean and tender but this was and the mint did not dominate a moderately spicy flavour.
Secret Service’s companion opted from a reasonable range of vegetarian dishes. The rajma dupiaza was a combination of red kidney beans and chick peas with onions and green peppers and was also prepared to perfection.
We shared a single portion of mushroom rice with one plain and one cheese naan, all washed down with appropriate beer which this restaurant resisted the temptation to overprice.
The portions were not so overwhelming but coffees, rather than dessert, was the preference. The coffee harem, made with a delicate cocktail of spirits, was certainly to be recommended.
Several aspects, other than the excellent food, were impressive.
It was nice to be allowed a reasonable time between courses, rather than to be given the impression that your occupation of the table is intended to be strictly limited on a fairly busy night, and the care taken over the presentation of the food matched the smartness of the staff and fresh feel of the decor.In all, it was certainly a good night out.
It may not necessarily have been a restaurant Secret Service would have fallen upon in passing but it was well worth finding
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