I have to say that I feel very lucky having lived in Leicestershire all my life and that I have a father from Birmingham, because this has meant my growing up in a wonderfully vibrant and diverse community with large Asian populations hailing from India and Pakistan. Not only has this meant growing up with groups of friends from different backgrounds allowing me to learn about different cultural and religious traditions along with lots of wonderful shopping trips with my parents to Leicester's 'Golden Mile'; but also that I've eaten a lot of amazing food from all over these countries. Knowing this you can understand why I get so excited when a new restaurant opens promising something new and why I was so thrilled to be asked to visit Pamson Grill in Leicester.
The restaurant is the passion project of the Pamson family, originally from Kunri in Southern Pakistan, a town famous for the spices it produces. I find it so admirable that the family has put so much thought and love into this project - it was fascinating speaking to the owner Muhammad learning the details behind each aspect of the restaurant which is a dedication to his loving family. The name itself is an amalgamation of his parents' names and the decor has a split aspect, one side showing rich tradition and the other having a high end modern feel. With fabrics, marble table tops and furnishings imported from fine craftsmen it's no wonder that the head chef was also searched out to be the top of his class. Sain Rowti Wala is highly regarded with over 25 years cooking experience and has joined the Pamson team in their aim to bring authentic, high quality Sub-Continental cuisine to the UK.
We started our meal with glasses of Mango Lassi, a delicious chilled fruity yoghurt drink and one of my absolute favourite beverages. It was smooth, creamy and delicious with the luscious silky taste of fresh mango and was the perfect accompaniment to a big bowl of Papri Chaat.
Papri Chaat is one of those wonderful hodge podge dishes that mix lots of great things into something wonderful, namely here chickpeas, potato and small fried dough squares with spices that are then doused with tangy yoghurt, zingy herb chutney and sweet tamarind chutney finished with a flurry of fried 'noodle' pieces. I've had this in a few iterations at different restaurants but this was one of the best as it was so fresh tasting with a perfect spice blend. Believe me it was hard not to eat the whole bowl before we'd even got our starter.
Speaking of which, we then shared a mouthwatering sizzling Pamson Meat Platter composed of a myriad of delicious spiced and grilled meats. The word you're going to see the most often in this review is undoubtedly 'fresh' as this exemplified every flavour throughout the meal, not least in this incredible dish. The quality of these meats was clear from the first bite and it was a truly wonderful selection featuring lamb chops, chicken wings, chicken seekh kabab, lamb seekh kabab and both chicken and lamb boti (marinated chunks of grilled meat). The level of char was perfect with everything tender as can be, smokey tasting and spiced to the point that still lets the flavour of the meat shine through. Teamed with the grilled onions and peppers, fresh coriander and selection of chutneys it was a dream and to be honest we were both pretty full after this starter alone!
But of course we soldiered on and tried more dishes (poor us, ha!) sharing the restaurant's two signature main course items, the first being Chicken Katakat. Now this was a dish I'd not heard of before so I was thrilled when we were sat at a table right next to a window so we could see our Katakat being made for us on an impressive large flat top griddle. Watching the chef's skill adding the aromatics and spices by eye while chopping up the fresh chicken and chillies on the grill as they were cooking. The result was one of the most delicious chicken dishes I've ever eaten, fragrant and rich while remaining fresh and zingy. Scooped up on a bit of garlic naan it really made a perfect bite.
The second main we tried was a Lamb Karahi which I am familiar with, but this was a top example of the dish. Lamb was left on the bone and cut into chunks and cooked in a sauce of green peppers, bullet chillies and fresh vine tomatoes. The use of fresh tomatoes instead of tinned is definitely one of the things that sets Pamson Grill apart from other restaurants and gives all of their dishes an extra pop of bright clean flavour. The lamb was tender and the heat level was perfect - we were asked how hot we'd like it and went for medium, another great sign as it means everything is made freshly for you and tailored to your palette. This was scooped up with steamy pieces of tandoori naan and again was a bite I'd like to have again and again.
Dessert was another revelation. We were served warm homemade Kheer which was truly delightful and something I'd never liked until now! It's an interesting dish of slowly cooked carrot, rice, spices, milk and sugar that was topped with chopped pistachio nuts and it was perfectly balanced, not too sweet and delicately aromatic - a perfect Autumn dish. Whenever I've tried this before it's been far too sweet and the texture hasn't been to my liking, but this version really was perfect.
We were also treated to freshly made Gulab Jamun, another dish that I've previously found too sugary but in this case was rich and sweet to the best degree. As the dough is a time consuming creation most restaurants buy this in but Pamson Grill makes it in house and believe me the difference is astounding.
Our meal was truly spectacular and if you're a fan of Asian food I so recommend that you make a visit, I can't wait to bring my parents and husband next time I visit to experience this bright, flavour packed cuisine.
You can find Pamson Grill on Highfield Street, a short walk from Leicester Train Station.
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