Friday night is takeaway night in our house and we love nothing more than a cheeky curry after a long week at work.

Romford Recorder: Chocolate samosas. Picture: Craig Mitchell photographyChocolate samosas. Picture: Craig Mitchell photography (Image: Tandoori Lounge)

So when me and a couple of colleagues were invited to taste the delicious food at Tandoori Lounge, High Street, Hornchurch, on Tuesday, we were beyond excited to tuck in.

Honey Uppal, who owns the restaurant with her husband Sukh, welcomed us to the stylish venue where we were first presented with masala papadums sprinkled with onion, tomatoes and coriander, before the sizzling Tandoori Lounge special platter.

This was when we first realised that this was going to be like no Indian food we had tasted before.

From the pan roasted salmon, to the succulent chicken and lamb, everything was full of flavour.

The Punjabi restaurant, which has been open for almost a year, prides itself on using fresh ingredients.

Another benefit of the food being made from scratch is you can choose how spicy you want everything, so if you’re not the biggest fan of heat, you can err on the side of caution by having it mild.

Next step: the mains.

We opted in for the prawn biriyani, chicken makhani (also known as buttered chicken) and saag lamb-wala.

We couldn’t help but keep going back for more of the prawn dish served with yoghurt and my colleagues loved the lamb which Honey also favours.

But personally, I’m a buttered chicken fan.

If you enjoy a chicken tikka masala then you’ll love this creamy curry.

I cannot forget to mention the moreish naans either.

We picked both the garlic and lachedar nanns, the latter is layered with butter and cooked in the tandoor, and we couldn’t get enough of them.

If it wasn’t for all of the other dishes we still need to try, I would be more than happy with a big plate of naans.

We then shared a plate of warm chocolate samosas and as they were small, tasty and not too filling, they were perfect to finish off the meal.

I cannot rate both the authentic food and friendly service highly enough so think it’s safe to say we’ll be coming back soon.

Visit tandoorilounge.com