A family-run Indian restaurant has been named the best of its kind in the UK - and there's a good reason why.
The Buraq has been feeding families in Kirkham, Lancashire, since 2005. It is well known in the area as a local gem, but has now gained national recognition for their mouthwatering curries after picking up the Best Indian Restaurant 2023 at the Lux Life Food and Drink Awards.
It isn't their first trophy in the cabinet - in 2019, the Buraq won Best Restaurant in the North West at the English Curry Awards. But is it really worth the hype? LancsLive's Susan Newton ordered a Friday night takeaway to find out for themselves.
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Susan's review
The restaurant and by extension, takeaway service, opens up at 4.30pm and through the power of hindsight, I am able to provide some much needed advice. We called just before 6pm on a Friday night, which I know now to have been an error. One thing I can say we've learnt here is - plan ahead.
You expect popular spots to be busy on a Friday, but I do think this is in a league of its own. I’m no stranger to a Buraq, so I knew this might take a little longer than the likes of a Chinese or a kebab delivery.
In fact, I was told it would be a little over an hours wait, but at just before 8pm, I found myself having to call the restaurant back to see if my order had been lost on the 10 minute drive. The man on the other end of the phone apologised profusely and after checking, informed me that my order was indeed on the way - better late than never I suppose.
10 minutes later and the food does indeed arrive - a bag filled to the brim with goodies. Thankfully that the food was still hot, we laid it out on the table and got to grips with our order.
Now, I want to preface this by saying I want no judgements, this may not be an explosion of taste and flavour but they are staples of an Indian order in our opinion, which is a good way to judge any takeaway. So here it is, we ordered: Chicken pakoras to start, a Chicken Tikka Massala, King Prawn Bhuna, Pilau Rice, chips, Poppadoms and Peshwari and Garlic naan.
We can get any judgement out of the way now, agreed? But at least I didn't get a Korma.
Laying out the food is arguably one of the best parts, it's where you get most excited for taste testing everything and before you're too full you can't even move, a common side effect of an Indian takeaway. Diving in, you've got to get a little bit of everything to try, particularly when you know you can come back for the bits you enjoyed the most.
The chicken pakoras, priced at £3.20 for a portion are always delicious from Buraq, although slightly odd in their shape. They're crispy, meaty and are certainly satisfying as a starter.
For £7.95 the Chicken Tikka Massala is a staple in our household, it's the one curry we always order from anywhere we go because we know it's going to be tasty and a safety net if everything else isn't up to scratch.
The Massala from Buraq is electric red, giving it an authentic feel and gives you the distinction between a takeaway curry and a homemade one. The King Prawn Bhuna, at a slightly pricier cost of £11.10 was a new addition to our order, but certainly one we'll be trying again.
The pieces of King Prawns are characteristically large and cooked in a thick, intense sauce. It's a little spicier than the Massala (not really a hard feat), but certainly not blow-your-head-off spicy.
Cooked with lots of different Indian spices, the curry is a mixture of tomato, onion, garlic and ginger and it's truly delicious, so we'll definitely be ordering this one again. The rice (£2.40 for a portion) has its usual multi-coloured grains, the chips (£2.15) provided the classic half and half and the naans were fluffy, warm and full of flavour - and at £2.25 for the garlic and £2.55 for the Peshwari, it's hard to say no.
The poppadoms (70p each) were also exactly what you expect, which comes with a chutney tray - arguably the best part of the curry? There's something about the little pot of red onions, mango chutney, mint yoghurt and the warm soggy bag of salad that accompanies any Indian takeaway.
All in all, I can definitely see why Buraq has become so well-established in the area. For a total of £37.90 and spot on food, it's easy to see why the takeaway is winning so many awards, but I would advise to order a little earlier at the weekends.
