Barbar is one slick operation. From the three guys welcoming you in the door, even if we are the…read moreonly ones wearing scabby jeans and trainers, not an eyebrow is raised. This place is heaving with people on a Saturday night, all dressed up with somewhere to go. It's on the main road from Lancaster to Heysham, a massive building, easy to spot, but definitely is a cut above the hotel/motel next door, with one lonely holidaying couple dining in the old-school conservatory.
Anyway, once we were seated, in no time there is a waiter to take our drinks orders. Next up, a waiter to take our food order, with enough time to make a decision between the two. Drinks and poppadoms appear, with interesting dips (mango, onion chutney, raita, as well as a tomatoey-chilli sauce and a pile of powdered coconut - lots of new taste sensations to check out). It's nice to have something unexpected with the expected.
We split a prawn puree and onion bhajis. The latter, non-greasy, the former, a little underwhelming but looking like it was made with fresh ingredients, which is always warming to the soul.
Our mains - the boy complained his wasn't particularly warm (a south Indian garlic chilli chicken, and garlic was in abundance), with the assumption that mine was late to the party as it was fresh-cooked hot. I had the seafood sizzler - prawns, king prawns and monk fish in lime and spices, accompanied by a vegetable curry. Lime was noticeably unnoticeable and overall the dish was rather salty, but the fish was immaculately cooked. We also shared a peshwari naan, and chapatti. I don't remember much about the chapatti, but the naan simply blew me away. To this date, I haven't had better - lighter and fluffier than any I have had before - my hat off to the chef.
Overall - food was good, service was immaculate and a good example of efficiency - complete with checking that we were ready for the next course before serving. Barbar definitely deserves it's popularity in my opinion.
