​WORCESTER is very well catered for in the curry department, with a wide range of restaurants offering really good food at reasonable prices.
 

It’s a tough market to break into, but Altaf’s Balti is certainly proving itself to be more than up to the task if our recent experience was anything to go by.
 

Admittedly, from the outside, the building doesn’t look all that welcoming, despite obvious efforts to spruce it up.
 

However, all that does is to remind you to never judge a book by its cover – for as you enter the restaurant, you are struck by the modern, tasteful interior which oozes class.
 

The staff were very helpful and attentive throughout our meal...speaking of which, down to business!

The menu offers a fine choice of Kashmiri food, along with the traditional baltis and curries.
 

We ordered poppadoms to munch on while we made up our minds and we were pleased with the selection of dips they came with. The raita in particular was lovely.
 

STARTER:
For starter, I chose the onion bhaji (£2.15) and my husband selected the special chicken tikka (£3).

The bhajis were lush – tasty and spicy (probably spicier than your average bhaji), crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
 

The special chicken tikka, we both agreed, was definitely something we would try again.
Tender pieces of chicken cooked in a spicy coating which had more than a little kick to it!
 

MAIN COURSE:
Moving on to the mains, I was determined to try something different, so ordered chicken ginger (£6.50). What a great choice.
 

The curry was gorgeous.
 

Beautifully spiced with a fairly hot sauce, the ginger was a revelation. The chicken was perfectly cooked and I polished off the whole dish – which is unusual for me.
 

My husband chose the chicken jalfrezi balti (£5.40) and was pleased with his choice too. The sauce was lovely and thick, there was plenty of it and it had just the right amount of spice.
 

We shared a pilau rice (£1.95), a keema naan (£1.95) and a special peshwari naan (£1.95).
 

While my husband was a little disappointed with the keema naan as it wasn’t quite to his taste, I thought the peshwari naan was one of the nicest I have ever had in a restaurant.
 

It was sweet and filled with nuts and was the perfect accompaniment to the chicken ginger.
 

Altaf’s is definitely worth a visit – we’ll certainly be going back.
 

HOW IT RATED

Food                         * * * * (4 out of 5)
Service                     * * * * (4 out of 5)
Ambience                * * * * (4 out of 5)
Value for money     * * * * (4 out of 5)​