Indian restaurant review – Mumbai Lounge in Fossgate, York

WHERE do you begin when introducing someone to York’s culinary scene? That’s the question I asked myself for this review, wanting to show off the best of the city to my housemate, a relative newcomer here.

After trying to work out what we were both in the mood for, my mind went to an old reliable – Indian food – and we headed to Fossgate to Mumbai Lounge: one of my favourite places in the city where I can always find a new dish to try.

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Deciding to chance it, we arrived without a reservation at about 8pm on a Sunday evening and, despite a number of large groups already seated in the restaurant, we were thankfully given a great spot by the window straight away.

From the off, the service was exceptional and this continued throughout the night with the waiter seating us, placing our napkins in our lap, and confirming whether or not we’d like poppadoms so that they could be brought out after ordering.

We ordered drinks – a large Bangladeshi lager for me (£6.25) and a Peroni Zero (£3.95) for Esther – before attempting to narrow it down from the pages of options.

Poppadom (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Normally, a large menu is something that I would find a bit off-putting, but at Mumbai Lounge, each item is so unique and well explained that every item feels like it’s earned its place with options for literally everyone.

Once we finally decided, the first course arrived and whilst I am a bit of a fiend for a poppadom at the best of times, the pickle tray at Mumbai Lounge is one of my favourites.

Skipping the onion chutney, I devoured the rest with the mango chutney adding a lightness, the pickled chillies delivering a perfect heat, and mint sauce tasting unlike any other I’ve had before (in the best way).

Paneer Pakura (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

If we hadn’t ordered starters, I’d definitely have ordered another poppadom to finish up the sauces.

The aforementioned starters came out about five minutes after we’d finished the poppadoms and both were presented attractively with dots of sauce around the main attractions.

As a lover of all things cheese, I’d opted for the paneer pakura (£5.50) where I was presented with four fried cheese ‘dumplings’, with a gravy jug full of the mint sauce that came with the poppadoms and a small side salad. It was tasty and I enjoyed it, although I do wish the batter around the paneer had a stronger flavour.

Salmon Tikka (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Esther opted for the salmon tikka (£6.90) – which was on the smaller size, but was absolutely exceptional with tender, flaky salmon that she said tasted incredibly fresh. She added that the outside was perfectly crisp and you could taste the tandoori flavour.

Service is a well-oiled machine and, much like the poppadoms and starters, our mains came out fast without making you feel rushed.

My food, Asams Lamb (£15.90) – a medium lamb curry with peppers in a double-cooked tomato sauce, even made an unexpected sizzling entrance. 

Whilst I found it to be mild rather than medium, the sauce was delicious and gave the tender and perfectly-cooked lamb a rich tomato flavour that complimented it well. It also clung to the peppers, which I loved.

Asams Lamb (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Esther opted for a Special Seafood Bhuna (£16.90) – salmon, king prawn (singular), and scallop cooked up in a delicious and fragrant tomato sauce with just a hint of seafood flavour.

She said that the prawn was lovely, cooked well with a bouncy texture, and praised the good amount of flaky melt-in-the-mouth salmon. Her scallops were generously donated to my plate and they were fantastic, soaking up the sauce and retaining their texture.

Our spread at Mumbai Lounge (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Esther was all praise, but having tried it before, I think it’s important to note that the amount of seafood in it varies (on my last visit, there was only one scallop) and it would be nice to see a slightly more even amount. 

Would that put me off ordering it? No, and I think you should try it because, in my eyes, the seafood curries are honestly what makes Mumbai Lounge special, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re planning to divide up the dish.

 Alongside the curries, we split a fluffy garlic cheese naan (£5.30) and a garlic rice (£4.70), which was cooked to absolute perfection with a light garlic flavour that would compliment pretty much any dish. 

Sag aloo (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

 We also had a small portion of sag aloo as a side (£6.30) that was enjoyable, but did not stand out amongst the other delicious dishes on the table.

After this, we were stuffed, but, thanks to the recommendation of the waiter, finished things off with a portion of kulfi – traditional Indian ice cream that, unlike Western ice cream, is not churned to give the ice cream a richer texture and depth of flavour.

I opted for mango and Esther went for pistachio (both £3.25). Whilst mine was tasty, hers was exceptional with fresh nuts sprinkled on top and a rich, nutty flavour that made both of us go ‘wow’ out loud after our first bite.

Mango Kulfi (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

After about an hour and a quarter, we asked for the bill which, despite two of the large groups also preparing to leave, was brought right away. We paid £88.55 for our feast, plus a good service tip.

The staff then held the door for us when we got up to leave – something that Esther said made her feel like ‘royalty’.

Ultimately, Mumbai Lounge stands alone for me in York – not only because of the fantastic and unique range of curries, but due to the exceptional service. It makes the meal out that bit more special.

Reviews are independent and meals paid for by The Press

Fact file

Mumbai Lounge, Fossgate, York

Phone: 01904 654155

Menu: https://www.mumbailoungeyork.co.uk/ 

Reservations: https://www.mumbailoungeyork.co.uk/

Verdict:

Food: Consistently great

Ambience: Comfortable

Service: Perfect

Value: A little expensive, but not crazy for the cuisine and quality.