I've finally found it...
And by it, I mean the Indian takeaway I want to be my regular from now on. It's on the other side of the city to where I live, but regardless, I will be making the journey. We recently ran the Leeds Love Awards over here at LeedsLive, where our good readers voted on the best food venues across the city. And the winner of best takeaway was Bangladeshi and Indian fusion takeaway Bengal Cottage, found all over the way over in Micklefield.
I wasn't familiar with Bengal Cottage previously, and was annoyed I'd missed out on the chance to try it when I used to live close by in Garforth. It has great reviews on Google and Facebook too, and I was keen to see what I'd been missing, even if I had to go to Micklefield.
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I've tried quite a few great Indian takeaways in Leeds over the years - I'm by no means an expert but I hadn't quite found that stand-out venue yet. So I placed an order with Bengal Cottage on a Wednesday evening. You can order online (big plus), and delivery is free within three miles - I live nowhere near though so I drove down to get my order.
I chose to order some classics - vegetable samosas and a chilli naan, and a speciality - the Bengal Naga Chicken curry. The order was ready within half an hour, and the two employees manning the desk at Bengal Cottage were lovely.
I drove it home, to find it pleasantly still hot, and tucked in.
The samosas were exactly as I hoped - crispy on the outside with a soft filling, with a spicy kick complimenting the combination of vegetables. The naan was soft and flavoursome - full of spicy chillies that gave it that extra zing I'm always a fan of.
But however good they were, both were eclipsed by how obsessed I am with the Bengal Naga Chicken. It was advertised on the menu simply as 'Bengal style spicy', cooked with a naga chilli. I haven't tried food specifically from the Bengal region before so didn't know what to expect.
Anyway, I was blown away instantly by this curry. From the chicken, tender and falling apart just the right amount, to the juxtaposition of a properly spicy kick from the naga combined with coriander, everything about this worked for me.
The flavour was strong and so vibrant it instantly stood out as one of my favourite dishes I've had. I would like to try the rest of the menu at Bengal Cottage, but I would also like to just order this curry for the rest of time.
So well done all you LeedsLive readers who voted for Bengal Cottage - you were right!
Bill breakdown
Vegetable samosas: £3.25
Chilli naan: £2.75
Naga chicken: £7.50
Total (including 50p service charge): £14.00
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