A catch-up with my friends visiting from Lancashire was well overdue and as a group of curry lovers there was only going to be one thing on the menu for the weekend.

Not wanting to disappoint my fellow curry enthusiasts I was sure to ask people where the best Indian restaurant was in Chester and Barton Rouge seemed a favourite – so my hopes were high.

The restaurant is tucked away along the canal and upon entering we are greeted by a gentleman dressed in fabulous Indian robes and we are shown to our table.

Barton Rouge restaurant in Chester

It’s absolutely packed and the table is a bit of a squeeze but nonetheless after a peruse of the extensive menu – which almost has too many choices – we quickly order our drinks and meal.

Unfortunately we were brought the wrong drinks twice, which was a shame, but as it was busy I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

We began with a tray of poppadoms which came with a colourful tray of four dips and chutneys to enjoy.

Poppadom and dips at Barton Rouge in Chester

We decided to skip the starters but there was plenty of choice on the menu including the usual onion bhajis, samosas and pakoras as well as a variety of kebabs and soup.

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Moving on to the mains there was a huge range of choice including a big list of chef special recommendations of all spice levels to suit vegetarians and meat-eaters.

There were also all the curries you’d expect to see from korma to vindaloo.

After much deliberation we selected two of the chef recommended dishes the lamb nagpur and the chicken haandi and also the lamb jalfrezi and special mixed karahi.

The lamb jalfrezi curry at Barton Rouge in Chester

For side dishes we went for pilau rice, chips and a family-sized naan bread to share.

Despite being packed, our food came relatively quickly and we were definitely the envy of our neighbouring diners when a naan bread the size of a small child arrived on the table.

The huge family-sized garlic naan bread at Barton Rouge in Chester

The curries smelled amazing and my friends were eager to tuck in – once we’d of course taken lots of photos of the gigantic naan bread to share on social media.

I went for the special mixed karahi – which was lamb and chicken – and the menu describes it as a ‘blend of fresh onions, tomatos, coriander, garlic, ginger, fenugreek which are fried together to give a distinct flavour’.

The sauce was rich and the meat tender and the spice – medium – was just right.

The chicken haandi, also available as lamb, came as ‘highly recommended’, well at least on the menu.

It was an unusual choice with the chicken left on the bone, but judging from the murmurs of approval from my friend it definitely hit the spot.

Chef recommendation chicken hanndi at Barton Rouge in Chester

The lamb nagpur, another chef recommendation, is rated as three chillis on the menu, meaning hot, and definitely packed a punch that left your tongue tingling.

The lamb jalfrezi, cooked with green chillies, ginger, onion, campsicum, tomatoes, corriander with a rich blend of spices and herbs was again rated as three chillies on the menu – hot – and didn’t disappoint and was declared a triumph, although maybe slightly too hot – but not uncomfortably so.

The portion sizes were generous and we were quite glad to have swerved the starters – sadly we barely put a dent in the garlic naan but great efforts were made as it was delicious.

While the waiting staff were polite throughout, the service was a bit on the awkward side, perhaps in part due to a cramped table, but staff seemed to be a little disorganised.

We lost count of the waiters that dealt with us which became confusing at times, especially when drinks we had ordered didn’t arrive.

You couldn’t help but feel that it would have been better if waiting staff were given their own section to look after for the night to avoid problems.

It came as a bit of a shock following the visit when we found out the food hygiene rating was one – major improvement necessary.

But I have to say during our visit the restaurant was very clean.

However, obviously we didn’t have the benefit of checking out the kitchen itself.

Overall, I was impressed with the food – it looked great and tasted phenomeonal.

With just a few tweaks to the restaurant and if a little extra time was spent training the staff, Barton Rouge has the potential to become a really fantastic curry house.

Nonetheless we enjoyed the food and had a fantastic evening and came away with a smile... and very full bellies.

I’m sure we’ll be paying another visit soon.

Scores on the doors:

Quality of food: 9/10

Service: 6/10

Atmosphere/surroundings: 8/10

Value for money: 9/10

Food brag rating (how good it looks): 5/5

Food hygiene rating: 1/5 (from www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk)

Total: 38/50

What does TripAdvisor say? Average rating 3.5/5. "Great food, huge nann."

Where is it? 1-4, Granary Wharf, Steam Mill St, Chester, CH3 5AN

Chester Chronicle reviewers always pay for their own meal and we don’t tell them in advance that we’re coming to visit.