Some restaurants you visit once and file away. Others get under your skin, and you find yourself plotting a return before the bill has even landed. Junoon, on Talbot Road in Talbot Green, is firmly the latter for us. We featured it online back in the Spring and liked it so much that Richard, our designer at Vale Life, and I went straight back for seconds. Verdict this time around: a confident 9 out of 10, with the Tiger Prawn Puri earning a perfect 10 all on its own.
Talbot Green sits just outside the Vale of Glamorgan border, but we distribute there, so it counts. The decor is lovely, tucked right in the heart of the town.
Service that’s beyond reproach
The team were so welcoming and polite throughout, the kind of service you hope for but is rarely delivered elsewhere.
We kicked off with a few poppadoms, a chutney tray and a couple of Kingfishers. Excellent. We could have sat there all evening working through those alone. I joked to Richard that this would be the perfect setup for watching MotoGP on a Sunday: a dozen poppadoms, a mega chutney tray and, of course, the beers.
Starters worth the trip alone
To start, we shared a couple of mildly spiced lamb chops, which were super scrummy. The star of the show, though, was the Tiger Prawn Puri. Wow. Just wow. This beautiful little dish, like a “flattened savoury doughnut” with prawns nestled at the centre, ticked every box. Give me ten of these to take home. Honestly, if you stopped in for lunch and had this alone, you’d leave very happy indeed.
Mains: a proper food adventure
For mains, Richard went for the Tandoori Mixed Grill. The lamb chops made a welcome reappearance, much to his delight, and the rest of the plate was perfect. Being a greedy monkey, he added a Chicken Masala too, which certainly hit the spot.
For me, it had to be the legendary Butter Chicken Masala. Not too spicy and none of that insipid yellow gunk you get at some Indian restaurants. This was the real deal: tender and full of flavour. I bolted on a Lamb Karahi too, knowing I wouldn’t manage it all, with one eye on a takeaway repeat the following day. Equally greedy, I added a Sag Aloo, one of my favourites, that lovely mix of spinach and potato adding another layer of flavour.
A shared Peshwari Naan helped mop up here and there. All in all, perfect.
A sweet finish
For dessert, Richard went for the Gulab Jamun with ice cream, not a large dessert but just enough to counter the heat of the mains. I went for Rasmalai, delicate and milky, it reminded me of a rice pudding from my school days -no bad thing. The perfect end to a perfect meal.
Would we return?
Oh yes, in a heartbeat. Junoon is an excellent Indian restaurant and one that deserves to be busy. The service, the food, just about everything would comfortably earn a 9 out of 10, and elements of it, like the starter, are a perfect 10.
Good to know
* We went on a Friday evening and it was pretty busy, so booking is recommended.
* Talbot Green is about half an hour’s drive from Rhoose (our home village).
* It’s just 10 to 15 minutes from Cowbridge.
* Yes, they offer takeaway.
Junoon
Contemporary Indian Cuisine
17-19 Talbot Road
Talbot Green
Pontyclun CF72 8AD
01443 704091
Opening times
Always check before you leave – better to book!
Tuesday to Sunday 5pm til 10:30pm
Love Indian cuisine? Ever been to India?
Check out India at Travel Life Magazine. There are some great features.
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We featured Junoon back in March.
Click here to read that article. Actually, stop reading about it and book. If our experience was anything to go by, you won’t be disappointed.
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