Popular Balti
Address:
139 Ladypool Rd, Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom B12 8LH
Categories:
Authentic Balti
Balti
BYO
Reviewed
3 Responses to Popular Balti
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I’ve always liked the Popular which seems a ‘street cred’ sort of place well used by late night taxi drivers…in itself usually a bit of a recommendation.
With complimentary poppadoms we were brought a selection of dips and I rashly asked for their ‘under the counter’ crushed green chilli dip which left my mouth feeling like it had been attacked with a flame thrower. As we awaited the starters, I was sat opposite a wall mounted TV which was featuring somebody with a bad case of eczema on ‘Embarassing Diseases’ just as I was flaking off a piece of poppadum. The waiter sensing my slight discomfort obligingly used his remote to turn over channels…now that’s what I call customer care!
Our starter was a shared Mixed Grill which had tikkas and a kebab served up sizzling although the star of the show was an excellently flavoured and tender tandoori chicken.
For mains, I resisted the temptation of a pioneering Kidney Balti and instead went for Balti Chicken Bhuna which was, as advertised, slightly dry. Meanwhile my wife’s Balti Chicken Dhansak was just right in terms of consistency. Both were brimful of chicken but were disappointingly too salty. In fairness this was the first time that this had happened in several visits. The Cheese and Tomato Naan was excellent but even with a couple of After Eight mints it couldn’t erase that taste of salt. Next time lads…go easy on the Saxa!
ANDY MUNRO
Popular follow up review
Mine was a follow up visit to see if the Popular was still worth its name.
Free poppadoms and dips including their notorious green chilli dip were in evidence as we scanned the menu.Starters were a meat samosa for the missus described as fabulously meaty whilst I opted for a sheekh kebab of viagra proportions…both served up beautifully fresh and presented sizzler style with delicious slivers of crispy onions.
Main courses were balti chicken korma and an unadulterated balti chicken and mushroom.These were substantial portions nestling in a deliciously savoury sauce and served up in the traditional balti bowl.A fresh , doughy and cheesy cheese and tomato naan was a superb foil for the mains.
Call me sentimental but the After Eight mint proffered with the bill brought a tear to my eye as it rounded off the perfect meal.
It’s called Popular for a reason!
Yes, this relatively small restaurant is quite popular. Every time I visit there are a reasonable number of customers enjoying the food being served. This is good to see, as I rate the food in Popular amongst the best of it’s type. Me and my friends have polished off many a Sheek Kebab/Balti over the years. We’ve eaten in many of the local balti houses, and most have been at least OK, and some very good.
I think we can now say that none have ever produced as good a sheek kebab as Popular do, and no other restaurant offer kebabs that are such good value for money either ! These kebabs are generous in size, flavour, spiciness and freshness. Needless to say we never order any other starters in Popular. The slight “kick” that the kebabs provide might lead you to expect a main course that leaves your tatstebuds feeling like they need a holiday (or a visit from the local fire brigade). The suprising thing is that the main courses are rather “tame”, but tame in a good way. You can request a spicy balti, and it’ll usually still be a relatively easy task to finish it without making any 999 calls. The balti meat/chicken is served with generous amounts of meat in a very tasty sauce. The sauce is clever. It is sweet, spicy, smooth and tasty. It is not oily or heavy, so it won’t leave you feeling uncomfortable when you have finished your meal, even though the portion size is more generous than what you’ll find in most other balti restaurants. So, the starters (kebabs) are excellent, the main courses are very good.
The naan breads can’t be that good, can they ? They are. The naans are light and slightly crispy with a touch of ghee on top. All this good food is served by friendly staff, so it’s hardly suprising that Popular is currently top of our list of placs to go for a balti.