It’s so lovely
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If you were hoping for some kind of Easter egg or hotcross bun taste test in the run-up to next weekend, then, to quote the great Boycie from TV sitcom Only Fools & Horses, it’s a bit like Mike’s pub grub: tough! What certainly isn’t tough, is the fare at The Agra, on the outskirts of Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
If you pull into the car park after dark, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a scout hut on the horizon (albeit an extremely nice, aromatic and illuminated one). Being a little out of town it’s a stand-alone building, which makes it all the more intriguing.
The main benefit of this is the size of the place. Once inside, you can appreciate how spacious it is, as the aforementioned scout hut vibe makes it look deceptively small at first glance. What’s obviously very small, in a short and sweet kind of way, is the name. Agra is the city that’s home to the Taj Mahal (it’s not in New Delhi, as many assume), but there’s nothing too grandiose about this restaurant when you walk in. It retains a cosy, traditional atmosphere whilst still being very much 21st-century.
This is thanks in no small part to the Punjabi music that drifts through the speakers, as it’s loud enough to appreciate so that it isn’t simply background noise, without ever being intrusive. If intrusive is your thing, however, there’s the restaurant’s Bollywood Lounge for hire. This is just one way that Sleaford’s oldest curry house shows that you can definitely thrive instead of just surviving, if you’re willing to adapt and innovate.
It’s almost pointless to try and wax lyrical and describe the food. Indian restaurants tend to stand out that bit more when they’re below par, which The Agra certainly is not. The fact that going for a curry is a more, ahem, nocturnal pastime doesn’t help, but such is the tradition and sheer joy that comes with partaking in this most British of hobbies, that great food is pretty much a given.
Recommendations? That’s a different story. Like every establishment of its ilk, The Agra has its own specialities that you won’t find anywhere else. Look no further than the Makhani Chicken, where the meat is barbecued, then covered with a sauce that’s topped with mango and butter. Do not fear the sweetness of the fruit, as this is akin to the music: you’ll know it’s there, no doubt about that, but only enough to bring about mere suggestion. With The Agra labelling itself as ‘Indian and Pan Asian cuisine‘, your best bets for discovering this are the Dragon or Chilli Chicken Fusion dishes. Shame on me, but I’ve yet to be that adventurous.
In an age where the hospitality trade is under the kosh, it’s often publicised that Indian restaurants are struggling and that generally things just ain’t what they used to be. With two new establishments opening in Grantham and The Agra’s undoubted place in the hearts of the Sleaford community, it would seem that South Lincolnshire knows no such troubled times.
The Early Whistle 