In both Hindi and Urdu, the word Manzil means “destination.”
I won’t lie, its Fair City namesake is no destination unknown – I’ve arrived there more than once in its two decades of operating.
The Manzil
Inside, the tables are spread over two floors, with space for larger parties at ground level and more intimate tables up the ramp.
Each table is candlelit and the black and purple interior is clean, cosy and elegant.
The team event went for gold last March when they served the one and only Tony Hadley, lead vocalist of Spandau Ballet.
The Manzil, located in downtown Perth, is directly opposite the city’s iconic 19th century AK Bell Library, and accordingly, there’s plenty of parking just across the road.
For those coming from further away and eyeing up Tiger, a Cobra or a pint of Kingfisher though, it’s one of the closest restaurants to both the railway station and bus station.
The food
When it comes to Indian cuisine, etiquette is famously divisive.
In fact, it’s so much so that an entire scene in BBC’s hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey was dedicated to whether everyone has a bit of everything or people rigorously stick to their own choices.
We’re firmly on the fence and usually decide if we’re sharing our dishes – or hogging them – after perusing the menu.
On this occasion, we just shared the sides – a portion of saffron basmati rice (£2.80) or pilau as its known to its friends, and a sizeable peshwari naan (£3.50) between us was ample.
But we had two rounds before we got anywhere near them.
First up, the obligatory poppadoms (80p each).
While there may be ambiguity over their spelling, there’s nothing as set-in-stone as their accompaniments.
The sweet mango chutney (£1.20), which was firmly by my side, crunchy spicy onions (£1.25) and sharp lime pickle (£1.20) were all served in bowls regulars may recognise buffet desserts being served in – most notably ice cream.
No scrimping involved, we had easily enough to top two or three of the big crisps each.
But knowing there was mountains to come, we didn’t load up beyond one each.
The starters set the tone at The Manzil – beginning as they mean to continue.
I chose to go out of my comfort zone for my starter. Rather than vegetable pakora, I opted for the exotic Bombay Aloo Chaat (£5), served with tamarind chutney.
Aloo chaat is a popular Indian street food dish, primarily made from crispy fried potato cubes flavoured with ground spices.
The dish served at The Manzil was truly a taste sensation, from sweet, to sour to spicy.
The potatoes were served with a deep red side of pomegranate seeds, covered in the sweet tamarind sauce.
I even chose to dip some of my leftover poppadom in the delicious chutney.
My partner, however, stuck with a classic, onion bhajis (£4.50).
While you might normally expect this to come in the form of one or two large bhajis, there’s a twist at The Manzil.
The shredded onion strips are individually battered, and a plateful comes with 30 or so individual pieces – almost like tiny pakora.
Crisp and juicy, and paired with salad, lemon and mandatory tomato and mint sauce, it’s a winner.
For the main, we tried to steer clear of the obvious choices, although everyone’s go-to was there.
And with the buffet up and running again after a pandemic-enforced hiatus, you can double or treble up.
I am a huge fan of spicy dishes and always like to try a new hot curry when we frequent The Manzil.
However, something else caught my eye and I instead chose the vegetable tikka salsa (£11), commonly served as a chicken dish.
This sweet dish had the perfect combination of both Indian and Mexican salsa and provided a unique taste that I would not have expected at an Indian eatery.
Due to it being low on the spice scale, it did take me a little while to get used to the slightly different taste.
However, it proved to be a successful main and one that I would definitely choose again (do I have the option to make it hotter?)
My partner opted for a lamb Malabar (£11), a south Indian choice, a creamy mustard-coloured sauce with plenty of meat.
It had no bother achieving pass marks.
In their vegetable section, The Manzil have 14 vegetarian dishes which are available as mains (£11) or just as sides for a few quid less (£7).
We can all be guilty of sticking with our own old faithful choices in Indian restaurants so this is a good way of trying new things, without committing your whole main to it.
On the menu, the Makhani tomato paneer was top of the list, and it sounded good enough to start with.
The spongy cheese cubes were submerged in a pink creamy sauce, not unlike that you’d get with butter chicken.
It was great, but we couldn’t get to the bottom of the dish as our eyes had proved substantially larger than our bellies.
Given we couldn’t finish the mains, we didn’t even look at puddings.
The verdict
The Manzil’s website says for its chefs, cooking is not a way of earning the living but their greatest passion and that management are sticklers for perfection and attention to detail.
They walk the walk.
All the meat used is halal and all curries can be served as vegetable dishes for no extra charge.
It’s friendly and accommodating inside, the food is tasty and will leave you full and your wallet will be pleasantly surprised when the bill arrives.
Information
Address: The Manzil, 13 York Place, Perth PH2 8EP
T: 01738 446333
Price: £56.40 for a shared appetiser, two starters, two mains and three sides
Scores:
- Food: 4.5/5
- Service: 5/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
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