CHESHIRE: Macclesfield ups its food game with Indian treasure Namasthe

The Macc food scene is definitely growing, and vastly becoming one of Cheshire’s most up and coming areas. Foodies all over the North West have been flocking into Macclesfield town thanks to the newly revived Treacle Market and the local traders upping their game within in the local community.

 

One particularly popular Indian restaurant, known as one of THE places to go for a top curry by the locals, is Namasthe. After hearing from some of the local people, we simply had to give Namasthe a try for ourselves, so that we can guide you, and help you to decide whether or not this place is worth making a trip for.

 

Now, Namaste is a proper curry house. The décor is nice, but nothing to write home about. But saying that it doesn’t need to be. As soon as you walk through those doors, no matter how you are dressed – casual, smart or ready to party, you will all be welcomed in with open arms. Besides, it’s the food you come in for.

 

 

Speaking of which, we wanted to give all our readers a real understanding of what their curries are like, so we tried a bit of everything. Don’t worry VIVA readers whether you are vegetarian or vegan, pescatarian or meat lover, there are plenty of options available.

 

We began our meal with a mixed starter. Consisting of samosas, onion bhaji, chicken tikka and lamb tikka. The meats were cooked to perfection and the blends of spices were as Goldilocks would say, just right.

 

 

Our waiter was extremely helpful and helped us to choose our mains and ran through a few of the chef’s special dishes.

 

The first curry we opted for, was the nation’s number one and most popular dish, the Chicken Korma. Whilst fierce debate still rages on, whether or not this dish has the right to be classed as a curry, it was a clear winner in our book. Whilst a korma is on the “not at all hot” spice scale, for those who prefer cream to spice, the Namasthe korma is not one to be knocked.

 

Super thick and creamy with a rich almond flavour and perfectly cooked tender pieces of chicken, the Korma won us over on our first bite.

 

 

Next to take the hot seat was the Lamb Jalfrezi. From one end of the spice scale to another, the lamb was wonderfully flavoursome with melt in the mouth goodness. The Jalfrezi chilli’s gave this curry a nice warming heat, without going too overboard and burning our mouths off. It’s important with any good curry to have a manageable level of spice to really appreciate the other flavours in the dish and to give them a chance to come through.

 

Next it was onto the Vegetable Balti. The Balti is a distinct and vibrant Indian dish which goes best with a naan. The great thing about a Balti is that you can choose what level of spice you’d like and it wouldn’t feel out of place. We opted for a medium heat. The great thing about this particular Balti, is the lack of meat did not phase us. With a mixture of seasonal veg such as potatoes, green beans, carrots and cauliflower we could have eaten the whole thing on its own without any rice, breads or meats.

 

The final curry of the evening was a chef special, the Machli Massala. Made with generous chunks of salmon, this fishy take on a Massala was made with delicate and balanced flavours which complemented the taste of the salmon perfectly.  we thoroughly enjoyed this fish dish.

 

 

VIVA Verdict: Overall, this was one of the best traditional curry houses we have been to in a long time, and we are absolutely thrilled to have it on our Cheshire doorstep. Namaste is well worth the trip, with plenty of parking and around the corner from the train station, there are no excuses not to visit.