Akbar’s

Wow! This place gets packed on a Saturday night. We were brought here by a friend who is quite the curry connoisseur, so I figured he would know a good place for a great meal.
I thought the waiting system worked a little strange here because when you walk in, you queue up and basically shuffle along the line until it’s your turn to be seated. Only then do they ask how many in your party for a table. Quite a good system, though; seems more fair than standard procedure AND the line went by really quickly.
Okay, let’s get down to the good stuff–
The food was delicious and I really thought the meal was surprisingly authentic. For starters we had the kebabs, and also a fish appetiser (I didn’t order these so I don’t know the names on the menu) and they were both cooked perfectly. Both appetisers were so flavourful and juicy and were complemented excellently by the sauces provided. For my main I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala Desi (about £7.45) and they didn’t ask how spicy I wanted it, which was better in my opinion, because I like that I can enjoy the dish the way they want me to taste it. We each ordered a naan (I believe £1.95, but don’t hold me to it) which were probably about 12″ inches and round-​ish in shape. They were nice and fluffy and as the last one arrived later than the rest, I can surmise it probably came straight out of the oven.
The chicken tikka masala dish was nicely cooked and as you took a bite you could taste all the flavours dripping off of the chicken as if each had their turn; first up the flavour of the tikka sauce, then a light but perfect addition of the taste of the coriander, then, finally, the bite of the spice. It was quite spicy, could be a bit too spicy for some, but I thought the spice kept the integrity of the dish. I could feel myself getting a bit warm but luckily I had asked for tap water and alternated between shoving the deliciousness in my mouth and taking a few quick sips. Sadly, the water ran out soon enough and it seemed hard to flag someone down for a refill. To be fair, I didn’t ask, so not a comment against their service. Eventually I resorted to taking short breaks between bites. Maybe people who enjoy more spice wouldn’t need breaks.
Food was served in a reasonable amount of time, which was surprising considering every seat in the house was taken. They also have a wide selection of desserts, although we didn’t partake. Service was average, nothing really to note. If I was in the area I’d probably come again.