Noor Jahan

The Noor Jahan offers value for money that can’t be beat. I’d particularly recommend the deal for a starter, main, and side dish (plus tea/​coffee) for just £10.95. Add a pint of Tetley’s or Kingfisher and it’s still under £15. But stay clear of the wine! The food is generally very good home-​style Indian/​Bangladeshi cooking that will hit the spot after a couple of beers elsewhere. The décor isn’t great but the service is generally very good. This is a reliable and cheap option in times of austerity.

Are you a group of students looking for a cheap meal at the end of a long day and night of drinking? Or perhaps you are more interested in quantity than quality when it comes to curry. If so, this is the place for you. With a cheap ‘meal deal’ that includes a starter, main, rice and side dish, this place pulls in the post-​pub crowd, especially on a Friday and Saturday night.
The presence of curry houses on this stretch of Mansfield Road has greatly diminished in the last few years. Places such as Chand, Himalaya, and Umar-​E-​Khyam are no more. Even the relatively new Guru closed down a while back. So, we’re left with Noor Jahan, which to me is baffling, and only the low prices can explain this.
I have given this place several chances, mainly due to the fact that I enjoy Mansfield Road as a drinking area, and finding myself wanting a curry but not wishing to start a trek to another part of town to get one. As i’ve said, it’s cheap. It’s redeeming features end there for me. The chicken in the main courses always seems tough, as if it has been cooked twice. The sauces have a slightly odd flavour, something I can’t put my finger on. It also seems that most main courses are based on the same sauce, with only small variations to differentiate them.
Mansfield Road desperately needs a reasonably priced late-​night curry house serving quality food, as Noor Jahan does not fulfil the brief, at least as far as the quality food element is concerned. The only other curry house on this stretch that I know of is called Deva, which I have not visited, but which I have been told some iffy things about in the past. Still, next time i’m in that neck of the woods and can’t be bothered to travel for my post-​booze curry, I think i’d take my chances at Deva rather than give Noor Jahan another go.
I give this place 2 stars… one for the cheapness and quantity of the food, and one for the fact that the service isn’t usually too bad. Oh, and the tarka dhal is pretty good, but it doesn’t say much about a restaurant when a lentil side dish is the tastiest thing they have to offer. To reiterate what I said at the start though, if you are on a tight budget and /​or aren’t really fussy about your curry and just need a lot of food to soak up the booze at the end of the night, this could be the place for you… you will not leave hungry, as long as you like the food enough to be able to eat it all.