Karma

I stopped by at Karma on the Stafford Road in Shirley last night and I was very pleased. It was a spur of the moment choice. I just saw the sign and a convenient parking space. I was tired and busy, and needed a quiet and friendly place. The décor is rather plain but the service was relaxed, friendly, and unassuming. Perfect for my state of mind at the time.
The menu was good with a mixture of classic Indian recipes and their own specialties. I went for my usual Chicken Tikka and rice, but had an interesting Aloo and Mushrooms starter. The food was well cooked, nice and hot, and delicious.
There was a group business guys around a large table and a few of other people. So there was a nice hub-​bub going on that made the whole visit relaxing.
If I am ever in SHirley again, I will make sure I go to Karma again. It is a good find.

Karma Restaurant is on a stretch of the Stratford Road in Shirley, Solihull, that is so densely packed with competing eateries (particularly Indian curry houses) that it really needed to do something to capture my attention and draw me away from neighbouring businesses such as the Ashiana and Darjeeling Indian Cuisine. It did so (possibly inadvertently) by eschewing the mantra of curry houses all over the city (and the UK) that when it comes to menus, bigger is better. I’ve become so used to seeing curry menus with quite literally hundreds of different combinations of sauces, sides, and fillings, that seeing such a relatively small menu at the Karma restaurant immediately drew me in, as I have a general rule that if a restaurant has a small menu, then they will presumably have a lot of experience cooking the same few dishes, and therefore will be able to replicate them at a higher level of quality than a chef who cooks five dishes he’s never had to before every single night, and Karma proved my theory right and then some. Their prices are in fitting with the area, with mains generally ranging from around £6.50 — £9 for eat in, and a couple of pounds less for takeaway. The interior appears slightly bare and lacking in character (if you’re wanting more in this department, check out the similarly excellent Darjeeling Indian just a few doors down), but don’t let that put you off, Karma Restaurant is one of the best of Birmingham’s famed curry houses that I’ve visited.