Restaurant Review – The Sanam, Alfreton

Choosing a place to take the grandkids for a meal can generally be quite a challenge for many of us.  So when I said “we will go to the Sanam on King Street, Alfreton at 6pm for an early doors meal”, I’m not sure it was what they were expecting.  It’s an Indian restaurant I explained. But they knew that, under normal circumstances their mum and dad regularly had an Indian takeaway  and the grandkids usually had a pizza from across the road! 

Now I know they love their pizzas, pastas, chicken and roasties but how would this change of culture go down with them? When it came  to ordering each one was asked  by Iqbal “What do you like? Do you like fish, or chicken?”

To our surprise the 8 year old opted for salmon. But she told us she wasn’t keen on Popadoms or naan bread. We encouraged them both to just try a little bite and from there on we didn’t get a look in. 

There was lots of “Can I try your chicken tikka and your korma?” and they went down well too. They did opt for some fries this time. All in all it was a resounding success and subsequent takeaways have now been embraced with great excitement and experimenting.  The fries haven’t been mentioned since as the cheese Nan’s have gone down a treat and the salmon, in  particular, has become the favourite choice. 

For us adults it was great to see that, whilst we know pizza, pasta and other foods will still be enjoyed by them, there’s a whole world of flavour out there to be tried and enjoyed; plus I get to go the Sanam, a popular place for the last 28 years for me, and have my traditional karahi chicken packed with succulent chicken, peppers and onions along with a cheese and garlic nan all washed down with a pint of Mongoose.

There’s everything on the menu you’d expect but straying onto the ‘chef’s specials’ section if you fancy something a little more exciting will really tickle your taste buds. The sauces at the Sanam are rich in flavour and there’s plenty of substance to them. 

Our thanks to Iqbal and his friendly staff for continuing to make us welcome as a family and introducing the grandkids to a  different cuisine. All in all a successful night out is assured. Advanced booking is always a good idea. Call  01773 830690