Aagrah, Shipley

We were in the Shipley area again at the Easter Weekend and I decided it would be a good idea to try out one of the many Indian Restaurants that there are in the area. After all, Bradford is regarded as one of the finest places in the country for Indian food and Indian food is our food of choice!
I looked up a place called Aagrah that I'd noticed in Shipley and I read some very good reviews of it, so I gave them a call to book a table. I was surprised when the voice at the other end of the line asked "which Aagrah branch I'd like to eat at".
"The Shipley one" I replied.
"Which of the Shipley ones?" they asked.
Wow, not only multiple choice of Aagrah's but also multiple choices within the same town. In the end I plumped for the one on Westgate because I was told it was the more "cozy and intimate" of the two. I later found out that this was the original Aagrah, opened some 27 years ago, and now re-opened as some form of tribute.

The restaurant wasn't what I expected - it was so unlike the Indian restaurants that I visit in our area. No twee flocked wallpaper here, instead it was a modern and airy minimalist look, which was really rather nice. The menu was different too, having a huge range of dishes that we just don't see elsewhere. Sure there was the old favourites of Madras, Korma et al, but there were wonders such as Hyderabadi, Makhani, Sindhi and Achar. Starters were interesting too. We wanted to try the Paneer Kebab and the Hara Bhara Kebab but we noticed that the Special Vegetarian Mix for Two contained these two as well as every other vegetarian starter on the menu, and was only £4.95. A bargain - just look at the plate! The people beside us leaned over and asked "What are you having...?". We told them it was the "Vegetarian Spe..." "Ah, Vegetarian" they said, backing away carefully. The starters were all lovely - the two Kebabs being very unusual (one resembled Black Pudding!) but the star of the show for me was the Samosas which had a wicked mint/coriander flavour and were filled with rice & veg.
For mains we decided to try three new things. Well, two truly new and something familiar but in a new variety - if you see what I mean. We went forMixed Vegetable Hyderabadi, Vegetable Chanari and Chana Aloo Biryani(which was the familiar dish in the unfamiliar flavour). Having a Biryani serves as both your rice dish and as an extra curry, so we were well sorted. No breads were ordered, as we knew we wouldn't be able to manage them.

The mains were even more delicious than the starters, though the Hyderabadi was a bit hot for Wife (she's a delicate palate) so the lion's share of that went to me. It was gorgeous, quite creamy and with a lot of subtle flavours interacting, and yes, quite fiery. The Chanari is made with apricots and plums, and it certainly did have a nice fruity flavour and substantial pieces of apricot in it, perfect for wife really. The Biryani was of course delicious, especially as chick peas and potatoes are two of our favourite things to find in Indian food, and they go really well in a rice dish.
The people at the next table got over their fear of vegetarianism and asked us why I take pictures of food. I told them of my web reports and they hoped that I would give Aagrah a good review. They had been going there for 30 years (and yet had seen their first vegetarian starter that very evening, amazing) and "would highly recommend it". Well, so would I. I think all of the Aagrah restaurants will be of a similar quality and standard as this one, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of them to anyone who likes Indian food. It was, without a doubt, the best food that I have had. And it was a little short of 30 quid for the two of us, including 2 sets of drinks.
Aagrah's website is here. The veggie menu is here. You can find Aagrahthroughout the "greater Leeds/Bradford" area, from Skipton to Tadcaster, from Doncaster to Denby Dale, and of course in Shipley.

As a footnote, the Westgate branch of Aagrah has now closed again. It's a loss.