Prince of Bengal sits on Watford's outskirts, in the suburban neighbourhood of Cassiobury. It's a bit of a hidden gem, doling out fine Indian cuisine to locals who keep coming back for the friendly, family-run feel and strong children's menu.
The Prince of Bengal menu showcases traditional dishes from all over the Indian subcontinent, which takes in the likes of the Maldives, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The greatest of care is taken to use authentic Indian ingredients and spices. The chef is especially talented at cooking up unusual dishes like modho makhani, with its mild sauce of honey, nuts and fresh cream, or shatkora sylhetiy, which sees the meat cooked in a specially spiced lemon sauce. Another of his specialities is harialee — a curry complemented with a light yoghurt and mint sauce.
Biryani and balti curries are among the more popular items on Prince of Bengal's menu, as are the tandoori dishes. The latter are prepared in the traditional fashion by marinating the meat in yoghurt, olive oil, spices and fresh herbs, and then cooking it in a clay oven to give it that particular tandoori flavour. Many other British-Indian favourites are on cards at Prince of Bengal, including piping hot vindaloos, fruity Malayans and sweet and sour dansaks.
Children can be notoriously picky eaters, so Prince of Bengal, Watford lays on a special children's menu with fish fingers, chips and chicken nuggets, but also pint-sized portions of mild curry and tandoori. Kid-friendly desserts include ice cream served in a brightly coloured toy or topped with a Kinder Egg-esque sweet.
There's also a good range of adult-sized desserts on Prince of Bengal's menu. Sylhet Wonder, named after a well-loved Bangladeshi city, is ice cream sprinkled with fresh fruit, while the Indian favourite of kulfi comes in mango and pistachio flavours — a perfectly sweet end to the meal.
**Essential to book in advance. Buffet and Banquet are excluded**