I have never been much of an instinctual traveller. Instead of exploring the nooks and crannies of a place, I always tend to be distracted by nearby coffee shops or a passing dog. Perhaps this is why that, despite living in Somerset, I have never really explored Bristol. Or now I live in Exeter, why I wouldn't be able to tell you any of its neighbouring towns. As such, when I was lucky enough to be invited by Denley's Essence of India in Topsham for their summer showcase, I had to ask a friend to figure out if it was anywhere nearby!

If you know Exeter at all, that probably made you smirk. Topsham is an idyllic little town off just outside Exeter; 20 minutes by train or one hour of a pretty walk. So close, in fact, Exeter students used to have a tradition called 'The Topsham Ten' where societies used to drag their newly acquired freshers to the ten pubs found in the tiny town.

So I was very excited to, under the wing of an Exeter local, to travel the minutes it took to get to Denley's Essence of India to try their new summer showcase. 


We arrived around 7pm, after running from our prospective workplaces. Literally tucked around the corner from Topsham train station, it was prime dinner time by the time we arrived. The restaurant floor itself is one small room, with an even smaller bar in the furthest corner. The room was simultaneously cosy yet airy; a welcome relief from the bizarre blue lights you tend to see in the larger UK Indian food chains.

As we took our seats and ordered a couple glasses of red wine, I took a quick look around. We were surrounded by groups of friends of all ages, all chatting away in the way you only see when people are sharing dishes. The house red was indeed, the house red. If you have had any other, you have also tried this one.

Before we knew it, one of the best parts of Indian food had arrived - the poppadoms!


There stood the classic dip quartet: Onion Salad, Mint 'Sauce', Mango Chutney, and Onion Chutney.

Sophie and I went straight for the mango chutney and onion salad, although we seemingly preferred the yolk yellow mint dip over the rest. I think the waiter had come over to ask if we were ready to move on to our mains at least two or three times before we done; we just couldn't stop chowing down on the British favourite. The poppadoms were the plain variety which, although I tend to prefer them to be slightly more fragrant, is certainly the standard in most UK Indian restaurants.


Due to the nature of the Summer Showcase, Sophie and I were given a set menu selection. She had the traditional meat dishes, and mine were tweaked in order to be vegan friendly. The set menu included:

Chicken Jalferazi
Chicken cooked with ginger and green chillies with onions and peppers.

Chicken Tikka Massala
Chicken barbecued and cooked in a cream-topped, fruity sauce.
The vegan version was made with a selection of vegetables and coconut milk instead of cream.

Tava Lamb
Lamb cooked with whole aromatic spices and coriander and can vary in heat.
The vegan option was made in the same way, but with vegetables rather than lamb.

Aloo Gobi
Classic dish of potatoes and cauliflower.

Vegetable Curry
Mild Balti with a selection of chunky vegetables and coriander.




The mains were absolutely delicious; full of flavour and topped with pilau rice and plain naans. Personally, I wish there had been a little more heat and coriander to the curries, but then again I love spicy food (which I doubt would not be suitable to a set menu!).

I was particularly impressed with the Aloo Gobi; the new potatoes were perfectly seasoned with a slight saltiness, and the cauliflower had melted into the rich turmeric sauce. The rice was lovely and the naans were solid- although as I said previously, that is probably because I personally prefer them to be as flavourful as the curries are hot!

Side note: look how cute the decorations were!


By the end of the meal, we were two happy, rather full diners. Even so, we were hopeful for a cheeky dessert to finish off with and were very bemused when handed two orange slices each to cleanse our palettes! Indian food is hardly renowned for their desserts and it would seem that Denley's choose to focus on their mains as the stars of the show.

Would I recommend Denley's to a friend? Absolutely. A good Indian restaurant can be tricky to find (out the fear of the bad ones), and the walk back from Topsham to Exeter is the perfect way to digest. 

A big thank you to Denley's Essence of India for having us! As mentioned earlier, the meal was given to us in faith for the Summer Showcase, however, this review is, as always, my unfettered personal opinion.




***


Address:
62 High Street 
Topsham 
Exeter 
Devon 
EX3 0DY

Contact: 
01392 875 675
01392 876 065

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday: 3-11pm
Friday: 3-11:30pm 
Saturday: 3pm-11.30pm




As always, any photographs that are not my own contain a reference link to the original source. Please click on the image to be taken to any external contributions.