Food review: Rave reviews for Shrewsbury's Avatar are well deserved
The great enthusiasts who populate the pages of anyone-can-do-it reviews site, Tripadvisor, might not use the word gelatinous, when describing a sausage roll. They might not have dined at every restaurant in Shropshire (twice), nor be able to create context having visited some of the nation’s best – and worst – eateries. That, however, does not mean they don’t know their onions. They clearly do.
And when it comes to Avatar, the perfectly-formed Nepalese restaurant in Shrewsbury town centre, their view that it’s among the best in town is a position to which it’s easy to subscribe.
For sure, not everything is in the right order on Tripadvisor. Some are rated far too highly – no names, it would be impolite – and there are also those who should be in the top handful that for reasons unknown languish lower down: who can not be thrilled by The Haughmond, Csons, and House of the Rising Sun, all of which ought to be in the top few. But Avatar is just about right, sneaking into the top ten and neither being considered the best, while being comfortably above the middle band.
There is, of course, much excitement from those who’ve just got home, enjoyed a nice dinner, and opined that nobody in the world, ever, ever, ever, has cooked a rice and a naan that’s so tasty.
Hmm. Not sure. Context alert. Though beyond the hyperbole, there are themes that resonate, like people who say they’ve never had a bad meal, which hints at the venue’s consistency, or those who enjoy the Nepalese specials, which points towards the innovation and authenticity that’s on the menu.
For make no mistake, Avatar is a little different to the slew of Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants that populate Shrewsbury’s dining scene.
Good though some are, and average though others might be, Avatar offers something different, something a little unique, something that’s above the average.
The foolish, sack-the-copywriter claims that it’s somehow Fine Cuisine, whatever that means, are over-egging the pakora.
It’s neither the sort of place where you’ll find stiff and starchy service, nor the type of establishment that tweezers micro herbs onto a dish, or offers bite-sized snacks before you tuck into the starters.
Avatar is a poppadoms-starters-mains sort-a place, and it’s all the better for it. Indeed, the concentration of great Asian flavours in Shrewsbury is one of the delights of the town.
While it might lack a really good, sit-down Cantonese restaurant, the town showcases the ample flavours of Asia with aplomb.
There are ample Thai restaurants and an outstanding selection that specialise in Indian and Bangladeshi food.
The regional variations on offer in that vast landmass are well represented – and the addition of an under-represented cuisine, from Nepal, improves the picture yet further.
The dining room is clean and bright. It might not win awards for innovation or interior design, but it does what it’s meant to and there was a hubbub when I visited for a midweek supper.
The dining area was lively, with plenty of friends, work colleagues, and couples meeting for food and a natter.
Service was good. Polished, efficient, and friendly, the team working the floor did the basics well, which all too often makes all the difference.
A warm smile, an ability to engage, a willingness to make people feel welcome; such were the qualities on offer at Avatar as the staff worked hard to make allcomers welcome – earning an extra mark in the process.
I started with the obligatory poppadoms, which were delicious.
Fresh, crisp, and served with a selection of half-decent dips, they got proceedings off to a fine start.
It would be gilding the lily to say our lives were changed, or that the earth tilted on its axis – we’ll leave that to the fine reporters of Tripadvisor – but we were satisfied, nonetheless.
A prawn tempura starter was impressive. The batter was light, the fry was fierce and hot, the coating was golden and crunched hard.
The prawns were salty and a little sweet, while the dots and pots of sauce added flavour. The sad salad leaves were a little pointless – either do a salad, or leave it off – but the main attraction was decent. A chicken Katmandu curry was the best dish of all. With a delicate blend of spices and pieces of chicken that were tender and just cooked through, it demonstrated a pleasing degree of skill from the kitchen.
A butter naan was indulgent and light, like a big, fat, pillow of bread, with a decadent swish of melted butter to create a mini memory.
Service remained good throughout and the prices were remarkably good value, in this age of cost of living crises.
And that was that. Avatar had proved itself a cut above the rest by doing the basics well.
Located in the town centre, it doesn’t boast a dining area that’s either sophisticated or classy, but it does have a team of hard-working, highly-skilled, front-of-house staff.
It’s a team that who put in a shift, who enjoy their jobs, and who go out of their way to make sure guests are happy.
Which, by and large, they appeared to be.
The kitchen team is ever reliable.
Avatar is a restaurant that I’ve visited semi-regularly in recent years and – like the people of Tripadvisor – there’s never been an errant course, a let-down, or an occasion where standards have slipped.
It’s reliable, it’s consistent, it has flair, flavour and pizzazz.
It does all the things that a decent neighbourhood restaurant should and can look forward to continuing to gain rave reviews – from this critic, and the general public – for some time to come.
