If you are looking for a pleasant evening out at a curry house, then look no further than Mumtaz in Fuengirola. Located off the paseo maritimo on Calle Jaen, directly opposite the Hotel Angela lies a jewel of a place where the food is simply heavenly for lovers of spicy curries.

Unlike Indian restaurants in the UK where the tables are lined up almost military style in an attempt to cram in as many peoples as humanly possible, Mumtaz’s layout of tables are positioned at angles to each other, allowing every diner to feel at ease in their surroundings without being uncomfortably aware that your neighbouring diners can overhear every word of your conversation. A row of several tables is, however, lined up against one wall to accommodate larger parties and then, of course, it is irrespective of how close your immediate diners are.

The restaurant has a welcoming feel from the moment you step through the heavy wooden doors studded with iron bolts. Enormous swathes of silky cloth coloured smoky purple and dusty pink, festoon the ceiling and are tightly gathered in the centre whilst the walls are fairly tastefully adorned with decorative pictures. Sturdy panelled doors allow the night air to drift in through the attractive wrought ironwork, allowing you to people watch if you wish whilst you wait for your dinner to be served. Fortunately, the strains of the sitar that are usually piped through speakers in most Indian establishments are missing here and is not an element that I personally miss.

Customer service here is most definitely an area where Mumtaz excels as you will quickly realise as you are guided to your table. For newcomers to Mumtaz, you will be politely greeted by the proprietor, Ash, and invited to take your pick of the available tables whilst he takes your drinks order, which are reasonably priced from 2 euros. So far, all is as you would expect in any eating establishment but as the evening progresses, you will notice that this old fashioned gentleman has an astonishing memory, for he takes every order without committing anything to paper. Not once, despite how large the party, how complicated the dishes or the number of drinks ordered, will he get the final bill wrong at the end of the night. On subsequent visits, you will be warmly received as if by an old acquaintance as, believe it or not, the owner appears to remember every single person who has passed through his venue which, as he is able to memorize each individual order, is probably not surprising but again, is a lovely touch and has the desired effect of making you feel at home. Another surprising touch about this restaurant is that even if you are a party of two, they will endeavour to take your order ahead of any large groups so that you will not have to wait an inordinate amount of time for your own dinner.

All the usual dishes are available, from chicken tikka massala, jalfrezi to vindaloo, all made with breast of chicken and priced at 8.50 euros a dish. Main courses of lamb murglai to dhansak cost between 10 and 12 euros and seafood dishes cost between 12 and 15. Their speciality dish of a tandoori mix is available for 24 euros and is designed to be shared by several. Vegetable dishes are all about the 5 euro mark. My own personal favourite for starters are the chicken tikka, which arrive on a steaming platter, sizzling with lots of juicy onion strips slathered all over them and the onion bhajis, which are amongst the nicest I have come across. You can tailor make your dishes according to your personal tastes for mild or fiery heat. The food is always consistent in its flavour and well presented in the traditional rounded metal bowls, kept piping hot by the expected hot plates. Portion sizes are just right to satisfy the hungriest appetite and if not, the naan bread is sufficiently large enough to fully sate your hunger.

Careful attention to your every dining pleasure is paid to ensure that you have a thoroughly enjoyable experience and will want to return at the earliest opportunity, which, based on my own personal experience, has succeeded in making this one of my favourite places to devour a curry.

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant Telephone : +34 952 477 121
Calle Jaen
Fuengirola
Malaga