The best restaurants serving Arabian food in Dodworth Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber

ALAMS LOUNGE Authentic Indian and Kashmiri Cuisine. 3 Hermit Lane, Higham. Barnsley S75 1PL Tel:01226 385252 Date of Visit 30th September 2024 On what must have been the wettest day of the year so far, I ventured Eastwardly to the interesting town of Barnsley south Yorkshire. Where town Planners have managed to weave their modern shopping centre with the old Sandstone architecture very successfully! Not many boarded up shops or derelict buildings. My mission on this occasion was to sample the delights of Alams Lounge on Hermit Lane. You will find this large sandstone building on the edge of a roundabout in Higham. Just outside the centre of Barnsley. Inside is a comfortable 50-seater restaurant on the ground floor, with Indian art adorning the walls and subtle lighting with a fish tank to keep you amused, makes a very comfortable experience. Its not licenced, BYOB! Here I first encountered one of the most proficient front of house managers I have ever come across in the form of Annie, a young (21 next month) Lass full of confidence and very professional Who was on the phone when I walked in, dealing with the ins and outs of a large party booking! Next the Chef Patron/Owner, of Alams Abbey, came out and introduced himself, as it was early and quiet we had a chance to converse at length about his restaurant and here was a man who was passionate about his customers and knew how to get the best out of his spice box. “Fresh is the answer” he explained, “Yes Fresh “And as an ex-chef, I could not agree more! I order from my Benchmark, Popadom’s with pickle tray. To be honest nothing out of the ordinary here. But crispy and very fresh Pop’s. Next out was the obligatory Sheekh Kebabs, two tubes of perfectly spiced rolls of minced lamb and herbs that melted in the mouth, sat on a bed of fresh crispy salad. Then the Mains of Chicken Madras with Pilau rice and a peshwari naan. This is where the word FRESH comes in, as I say this is a man who knows what his spice box is all about! Large chunks of fresh succulent chicken in a thickish spicy tomato and onion curry sauce, Here the use of fruity Fresh chillies make all the difference, the spices had been roasted to bring out their unique Flavours and believe me it was perfect. Next let’s turn to the Pilau rice, A long grain variety of Basmati rice with the addition of Cumin powder and seeds made a tasty and better Pilau rice! Now then let’s talk about the Peshwari naan, Fresh and light with a sweet filling of coconut and a drizzle of Golden Syrup on its surface. This just cuts through the heat of the madras. It’s not to everyone’s tase I admit, its sticky and a bit messy, but the efficient Annie sorted that out by producing a lemon wet wipe to clean up my fingers. Annie is embarking on a career as Cabin crew with an airline in the near future, Abbey will miss one of his best assets, but all the very best to Annie, I’m sure you will succeed! So, was it worth the long drive through a day of continuous heavy rain? And still the same on the return journey! Hell yes, there is a reason that this restaurant is number one on Trip advisors’ Indian restaurants in Barnsley. I’m not too sure about that as I have not tried any of the others! There is a small car park right opposite the restaurant. Pricing a bit heavy at £39.70 but for the quality here, is more than acceptable. I was going to give 9/10 for this establishment due to the fact they don’t do Alcohol, but No, I think it’s worth 10/10