Post Christmas diets are rubbish.
After a few days of kale, thin soups and limp salad I was ready to throw in the towel and desperate for a meal which tastes of anything more than water.
So one Tuesday evening, my partner and I sought out Voujon, a Bengali and Indian restaurant serving up colourful Asian cuisine to lift the spirits on a cold and rainy night.
The small and friendly eatery is a little off the beaten track down Newington Road, which has the added benefit of not being filled with starving students, as can be the case in many Southside Indian restaurants.
Voujon has the feel of a local favourite, a best-kept secret by the clever residents who swing by for a midweek treat.
Care and attention has gone into the decor with flowers on every table and optimistic white table cloths that will undoubtedly not stay clean for long.
We started off with a huge portion of chicken pakora (£4.25) and dhal puri (£3.25), along with a couple of poppadoms (£0.60) with chutneys and dips to whet our appetites.
The pakora was tasty and came accompanied with a delicious jug of special mango-ey sauce that is apparently a top secret family recipe.
My dhal puri was even better, as the crispy pancakes had the perfect texture and the lentils inside were flavoursome and steaming hot.
For the main course my partner opted for a safe yet spicy lamb rhogan josh (£8.95) and a garlic naan (£2.35), both of which were hoovered up pretty quickly.
The naan was particularly good - or what little I had of it anyway - with a light and fluffy texture and a subtle hint of garlic rather than the overpowering chunks you sometimes find.
I wanted to try something a little different to I went for a king prawn curry with jeera rice (£15.95). The succulent dish came beautifully presented and with a generous kick to it - as I had boldly said I could handle a bit of spice.
After all that I could barely breathe but somehow managed to find room for a small scoop of mango ice cream (£4.25), which was a good choice as it tasted like a real mango rather than the synthetic flavours of many ice creams.
My boyfriend went straight for the chocolate mousse (£4.25) to feed his incorrigible sweet tooth
The waiters were exceptionally sweet and attentive, offering up advice on dishes and saving me from accidentally ordering a cold starter on a freezing night.
They proudly told us of plans for their families to come in for a day of home cooking later this month, which certainly sounded worth returning for.
Voujon is a solid bet for a weekday dinner or a relaxed evening with friends so it is well worth taking the time to find.
It is amazing how much of a difference helpful waiting staff can be, especially if you want to branch out and try something other than your usual korma or biryani.
Voujon does not quite have the culinary wow factor to push it in line with the Capital’s best Indian restaurants but the food is really fresh and inventive so I think its star is on the rise.
HOW MUCH?
Starters £2.95-£7.95
Main courses £7.95-£15.95
Puddings £4.25-£4.95
ALSO ON THE MENU
Voujon offers its own spin on all the old classics, from bhunas and dupiazas to madras curries. There is also a wide array of appetising kebabs which I jealously spied on a neighbours table.
Specials such as a spciy lamb dish called Methi Gost or the Kathmandu Chicken Delicacy kebab will feature high on my wish list for a return visit.
The set meals also look like a good option as for just £36.95 you can have a three-course dinner for two chosen by the chef. The vegetarian dinner is even more friendly on the wallet at £32.95.
