A restaurant called Olive doesn't immediately call to mind an Indian cuisine. However on Lawn Lane in Hemel, Olive is a much recommended Indian restaurant. Their website boasts 100% natural ingredients with no bulking agents or processed meats. Sounds good to us!
We ordered a selection of dishes (because leftover curry is the best right?) and ended up with a good amount for £30. We had Onion Bhaji, Lamb Biryani, Bhindi Bhaji, Alleppey Mango & Coriander Chicken, Pilau Rice sand a Peshwari Naan bread. The restaurant also popped in some poppadoms for us too and the obligatory 'sad salad that no one eats'.
The menu is pretty standard fare for Indian restaurants in the UK but they have a great selection of interesting sounding regional specialities from which I chose the chicken dish, but to be honest there were loads I fancied! Spiced Monkfish Malabari, Parsee Roast Duck Narangee, and Coorgi Coconut Lamb all piqued my interest and encouraged me to look past my usual Chicken Korma or Butter Chicken in pursuit of something more exciting.
I'm glad I did try something new. The chicken dish was nice and mild (pleasant for me who can't cope with chilli spice), with a fruity sweetness from the mango, underlying spice from mustard seed and coriander, and a gloriously happy, mellow creamy note. The chicken was good quality chicken breast that had evidently been marinated and then cooked in a tandoor oven, giving the dish a lovely char note.
The biryani was just the right side of heat and flavour but unfortunately a few pieces of the lamb were a little tough and fatty, however it was clear that they use real lean meat which is a plus. The accompanying vegetable curry looked a little like school dinners complete with peas in a swimming pool of nondescript vegetables.
The onion bhajia was not dripping in oil which was incredibly welcome since that's often quite off-putting. However they were dry instead, which leads me to wish they were oily and fresh from the deep fryer, rather than seemingly reheated which resulted in a brittle, sandy tangle of onion shards.
I was really impressed with the bhindi (okra) which was so flavoursome, and garlicky. Their Peshwari Naan was also perfect; super fluffy, light, sweet and generously filled with sweet almond and coconut, although I couldn't discern any fruit in there by way of even a rogue sultana (I wouldn't mind this, except that "fruit" is called out on the menu for this dish).
Oddly I found myself actually eating the "salad that no one eats" as there was a little more care in it than most Indian takeaways, with the addition of some crunchy red cabbage, olives and pomegranate seeds. I tossed it through with some fresh raita and had myself a lovely little side salad.
Overall the promise of 100% natural ingredients was clear throughout all the dishes. They tasted clean, fresh (aside from there bahjia) and cooked with care and attention.
Sometimes when we review food we fall into the trap of wanting something to be amazing, different, something we've never had before. While all of those things are obviously great, there is no shame at all in nailing a simple brief: being a reliable, tasty takeaway that you would happily have again.
Through that lens we should think about Olive. It doesn't do anything out the ordinary, or push the boat out too far, nor will this be the best curry you will ever try... But does it need to be any of those things? Olive is good Indian for a good price, that you will enjoy.
Service:
Old school ordering by phone was easy and simple. The chap was very friendly and polite too, and delivery was approx 35 mins.
Quality:
Great quality. Not overly salted or oily. A genuinely good curry and the quality was good enough that I wasn't to order again and certainly try more dishes.
Value and price:
£30 was enough for a generous dinner and lunch the next day. We like doing Indian this way so that we can have a good variety and stretch the delivery over two mealtimes. Good value.
OVERALL-GOOD- We would happily go back (especially to eat in one day as the place looks like a nightclub from the online pictures!) and would happily recommend them as a good reliable, tasty Indian takeaway.
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