We are delighted to report back that the Greenwich Curry Club Charity Curry Night held on 12 August raised £550 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Many thanks to our hosts at the Plume of Feathers, chef Jamie Necker, and, of course, everyone who donated money or supported the event.
http://www.justgiving.com/Greenwich-Curry-Club
Discovered in The Fiddler, Cleethorpes, a nice pub in the market square, the Curry-Lover’s Pie is a nice addition in the attempt to spread the curry word. At £5.95 the menu states that it’s been “created by Ruth Armstrong from Akenside Traders in Newcastle Upon Tyne and is British chicken in a curry sauce with potato, peas, onion, garlic and coriander on a short crust pastry with a puff pastry lid”. It comes with chips, peas, and a pot of curry sauce to smoother over the pastry.
The Fiddler is part of the Stonegate group of Great Traditional pubs and the pie, which was entered into the group’s annual pie competition is available in 144 of those pubs across the country.
Bombay, Benidorm, Spain
Cheesy weekends away should always include a cheeky curry. Bombay is not too far from the hotel where the Benidorm TV show is filmed. It’s not quite cheesy enough to appear in that but it’s certainly an eclectic place with a glass food counter circling round the top end of the restaurant and a random collection of photos, fake vine leaves and various other nick-nacks to keep you amused while you wait for your food.
It’s not suitable for about 70 per cent of Benidorm visitors as it’s a located on a steepish hill. I’m not sure many of the buggies zipping the old people around the town would have enough oomph to get up there but it would be funny watching them try.
The Fish Pakoras (€3.60) were tasty and made a nice change while the Vegetable Jalfrazi and Chicken Chillie Garlic (both €7) were nice enough, although the sauces were a bit too similar for my liking. The waiters were nice enough but they were a bit naughty in not telling us we could have had a starter, chicken curry dish and rice/chips/nan for €7.95, a deal where we could have got more food and paid less.
Bombay, C/. Londres, 4. Rincon de Loix, Benidorm, Spain. Tel: +34 966 446 218. Open: daily 2pm–4am.
Scores on the tandoors
Food 6⃣
Decor 3⃣
Value 6⃣
Atmosphere (Saturday night) 5⃣
Service and friendliness 6⃣
Salina’s Balti House, Fuengirola, Spain
When it comes to curries and curry restaurants I’m a pretty tolerant diner. So when I visited Salina’s Balti House, newly opened in Fuengirola and self-proclaimed specialists in Birmingham Baltis I could forgive the fact that the tout attracting us in showed an extensive list of dishes that fell under the €7.95 Mon to Thur special (any balti with rice or nan) only for the waiter to trim it down to a handful of dishes once we’d sat down. I could forgive that the guy who does the draught beer must have forgotten to put the gas on it was that flat. I could even forgive that the bottled beer replacements were hotter than the curry so we had to drink them with ice in the glasses.
Because the food was rather good and there were decent sized portions.
What I can’t accept is being dismissed with the flick of a hand by a member of staff and told to “go away” when I raised a perfectly acceptable query about being whacked with €2.80 on the bill for a spoonful of lime pickle. That, for the mathematicians out there is a staggering 35 per cent of the cost of the meal itself. Imagine if a hamburger seller or hot dog seller did the same when your squirted ketchup on your food?
I’ve long been baffled by Indian restaurants charging for what is no more than a condiment. Regular readers of this blog will know I refer to it as the Lime Pickle tax. To be charged €2.80 is an insult. To be dismissed rudely by a member of staff for daring to query it is a disgrace.
Salina’s Balti House, C/ Moncallo, 37, Fuengirola, Spain. Tel: +34 602 014 893. Open: daily noon–3.30pm, 6pm–late.
Scores on the tandoors
Food 7⃣
Decor 5⃣
Value (if you get the special and don’t order lime pickle obviously) 7⃣
Atmosphere (Wednesday night) 6⃣
Service and friendliness 1⃣
Taste of India, Brough, Humberside
(Takeaway)
It’s not often the presentation of a takeaway is the first thing to strike you. But the Taste of India has superb menus, with an easy-to read layout and loads of silver printing (got to love it), the waiting area is pleasant (comfy couches and you can watch the cooking going on in the back), then, when the food is opened up at home you see the chef has added a nice presentation touch with the tomatoes in the corner and a sprinkle of fresh coriander on top. Presentation is not the deal breaker, I’ll admit, but the food is top-notch; the Keema Raj (£6.90) was deliciously meaty and with plenty of potatoes, just how I like it. And the Chicken Biryani (£6.90) also got the thumbs up.
The service was very friendly and this clearly attracts people from all over the local area judging from the chats as people caught up with news while waiting. You’d be hard-pressed not to find something you like as this is one of the most extensive menus I’ve seen. All the old-school classics are available (Chicken Madras £4.90), along with Tandoori dishes (full chicken £9.50), Biryanis, Baltis (prawn £6.20), Jalfrazis (beef £6.20) but there are also nan kebab meals (nan, meat and salad from £5.90), Passanda, Rossoon, Shanaz, Rezalla, and Koriah dishes, Balti Massalas, as well as large range of specials and the usual range of sides, breads and rices. The lime pickle tax was 70p for a small pot.
Parking: a few spaces in the drive through area right outside.
Delivery: for orders of £7.50 or more (charge applies).
Specials: set meal specials.
Beer while you’re waiting: the Red Hawk pub is a few minutes walk away.
Waiting time: was about 25 minutes from the time of order.
Taste of India, 57c Welton Road, Brough, Humberside, HU15 1AB. Tel: 01482 668406. Open: Sun–Thur 4.30pm–10.30pm, Fri–Sat 4.30pm–11pm.
Scores on the tandoors
Food 7⃣
Waiting area 7⃣
Value 7⃣
Service and friendliness 8⃣
Chicken Tikka Palace, Durban, South Africa
I’m not sure what they feed the chickens in South Africa but they certainly enjoy it because they are huge! My snack order (the Pakistani staff had the cricket on and I fancied watching it with a bit of tandoori) was a quarter Chicken Tikka (R30) but when it arrived I had a double take at the size. Snack indeed. I tucked into the meat, which comes with chips and salad and added a Butter Nan (R4) and a Coke (Chicken Tikka Palace is Muslim run so no alcohol is served).
The meat was deeply marinated, the edges were nicely seared black as they should be, and extra sauce coated the meat. The chips and bread smothered in butter just added to the mouth-watering experience.
This is not the fanciest of places (let’s just say it’s not first date material) and late at night the beachfront is not the most salubrious area but for quality, value food and a friendly welcome, you’ll have to search far and wide.
* £1 = approx R15 at the time of visit.
Chicken Tikka Palace, Shop No 4, Blemont Arcade, 5 Weat Street, Durban, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0) 31 337 9460.
Scores on the tandoors
Food 8⃣
Decor 4⃣
Value 9⃣
Atmosphere (Saturday night) 4⃣
Service and friendliness 8⃣
Oyster Curry
Serves 3-4
What you need
• 24 medium-sized oysters shucked and cleaned (keep the liquor)
• 4 tbls oil
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 300ml coconut milk
How you cook it
1. Cook the oysters in their liquor over a medium heat until the edges start to curl (about 5 minutes). Set aside and cover.
2. Heat oil to a high heat. Fry mustard seeds for a few seconds. Test the heat is right by testing one seed (it will pop).
3. Add onions and fry until they are golden brown (about 5-6 minutes).
4. Add spices and garlic, stir in and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and stir in until fully warmed through.
6. Add the cooked oysters and when hot serve with crusty bread.
Oysters are from Mersea Island and are courtesy of Lockies Shellfish.
Sea Bream in Spicy Batter
for 2 pieces of fish
What you need
• x 2 pieces of sea bream about 200g each 10 tsp cooking oil
• 125g plain flour
• 250g any beer
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
How you cook it
1. Mixed flour, beer, spices and salt until the mix is thick but still workable.
2. Dry the fish using a paper towel (do not remove the skin from the fish).
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan to a high heat. Make sure the whole of the pan is covered fully with oil.
4. Coat the fish generously in the batter mix and drop into the oil skin side down first. Be very careful of the spitting hot fat.
5. Cook until the batter is crispy and fish cooked through. This will be about 3–5 minutes on the skin side and 3–4 minutes on the other side depending on the thickness of the fillet.
6. Drain off excess fat and serve with chips or salad.
We are pleased to reveal our new logo, courtesy of designer Ross Akehurst…
Serves 3
What you need
• 1 litre water
• 1kg chicken feet
• 1/2 cup oil
• tsp salt
• tsp mixed spice
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• tsp flour (optional)
How you cook it
1. Boil chicken feet for one hour.
2. Fry all other ingredients except flout in oil until the onions are soft (not brown).
3. Pour in chicken and sauce to pan and cook on a low heat (you can add flour to thicken if needed).
4. Serve with pap, samp, steamed dumplings or spinach.
Recipe courtesy Florence Chareka, chef at TSA restaurant in Randburg, near Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Royal Curry Club 