Author: Daniel Ford

Daniel Ford is a media entrepreneur, writer, editor and publisher who specialises in launches and re-launches. He is the Publishing Director of media company Chase My Snail. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of GQ (South Africa), Editor-in-Chief of Sunday Life magazine (Independent News & Media) and CEO of the African design magazine Ogojii. He has consulted on digital media, magazines and books in England, India, the USA and South Africa, including creating a glossy print edition of the SABC's TV show Top Billing and branding for the Laureus World Sports Awards. He has written a number of books on fitness, sport and travel, which have been published all over the world, from China to Africa and from Russia to Australia. He loves carefully crafted words, digital and print publications produced with passion. And curry.

Bexleyheath, Kent (Masala Inn)

On By Daniel FordIn 1. Reviews (London)Leave a comment

Masala Inn, Bexleyheath

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Out on tour then, eh?
Indeed, right to the fringes of London for this trip. But it’s a really good restaurant and worth the trip. I’ve been here before and thought a second visit was in order.

What did you order?
The pan-fried Scallops and Chilli Ponir to start. The lightly spiced scallops were the business and perfectly cooked. The nice, chunky Ponir was certainly home-made and moreish enough and I could have done with more. The fresh chopped chillies were gobbled up.

Sounds like a good start. What came next?
The Railway Chicken. I’ve had it before and it just had to get a second tasting. The dish is served on the trains of India and with 16 million travellers using them every day it’s fair too assume the dish has been served a fair few times over the years. There is no standard recipe for a Railway Curry because there are thousands of kitchens serving the travellers across the country (although the India Railways did attempt to standardise dishes served on the railways in 2009). Similarly, you’ll find variations from restaurant to restaurant, although all of them are generally thick with chunky ingredients and rustic in style.

Is it hot?
No, Railway Chicken is medium-hot but if you want real heat then look no further than Garlic Naga Chicken. With the fiery sauce from the tiny north-eastern Indian state added to slices of the heat-giving garlic you’ll soon be looking around for a swig of Cobra. Of course, if you are silly enough to order a Chilli Nan to go with it, then you’ll need an extra swig.

Surely no one is daft enough to do that?
Ahem, er no, of course not.

 

Price check
Drinks: Cobra (pint) £5.50
Popadoms: 75p each
Starters: Scallops £5.95, Chilli Ponir £5.50
Mains: Railway Chicken £11.95, Garlic Naga Chicken £8.75
Rice: Pilau Rice £2.60
Nan: Chilli Nan £2.65

Masala Inn, 220 Broadway, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AU.
Tel: 020 8303 5245 (reservations)

Open
Monday–Thursday 5pm to 11pm
Friday– Saturday 5pm to 11.30pm

You can enjoy savings on food at the Masala Inn with the Spice Card. Get your Spice Card here…
Sunday noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 11pm

Liss, Hampshire (Madhuban)

On By Daniel FordIn 2. Reviews (Other UK)Leave a comment

Madhuban, Liss, Hampshire

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Ok, where’s this place?
It’s a village of about 6,000 people, about 20 miles north of Portsmouth.

What’s its Indian restaurant like?
It’s actually got two but Madhuban is the famous one.

Famous?
Absolutely, people travel from far and wide to eat here and the curry guru Pat Chapman raves about the place. He even named it as one of the top restaurants in the country in his Cobra Good Curry Guide.

Have you been here before?
Been here before? I came here the year it opened in 1987 and have been coming here whenever I’m in the area ever since.

Wow you must have seen some changes?
You bet. It was a 30-seater restaurant when it started and now it has 130 covers. It’s well designed, with a modern bar and waiting area and side-lit carvings of classical dancers (Bharat Natyam) and plants in the wall recesses. It was even packed on my last visit on a Wednesday night. It felt like everyone turned up at the same time which meant the service was a bit slow but it was still as friendly and warm as the first day I visited the restaurant.

And so to the food then?
The Railway Chicken and Egg Curry is a nod to the famous food found on the Indian railways. I’ve had it a few times. It’s thick with meat, vegetables and sauce, with a boiled egg in the middle. Rustic, just as it should be. The Chicken Tikka Darjeeling Masala is also highly recommended, with green tikka a great change (and very fresh tasting). According to the menu, the dish is in tribute to the garden in the Bangladeshi home of Lodue, the man behind the Madhuban. The Achari Chicken and Kashmiri Pilao (with lychees) was also devoured, as was the Madhuban Special Chicken, which  is a combination of the flavours of Bhoona, Korma and Tikka Masala.

What else is on the menu?
Maybe you should ask what isn’t on the menu! It’s one of the biggest menus I’ve every seen – and I don’t mean just the printed menu, which is a large-format eight-page masterpiece of information on dishes and spices. There are something like 150 menu options (I gave up counting after page three) and a promise to try to make anything that’s not on the menu if you ask!

The chefs must be superhuman.
They certainly do a top job with all those options. Everything on our table of eight was very good. The bill, including drinks, came to just over £160.

What’s the damage?
Drinks: Cobra (draught) £3.95 (large bottle) £4.75, white wine (large glass) £5, Lemonade (pint) £3.50, Diet Coke or Lime and soda (small) £2.50
Popadoms: 60p each and 60p each for pickles
Starter: didn’t have any
Mains: Zeera Prawn Masala £11.50, Chicken Tikka Darjeeling Masala, Achari Chicken, Railway Chicken and Egg Curry £10.95, Madhuban Special Chicken £10.50, Jungli Maas Chicken £9.95, Rogon Chicken £9.50
Sides: Sag Paneer, Bombay Aloo £3.95
Rice: Mushroom Rice, Kashmiri Pilao £3.50, Pilao Rice £2.95
Nan: Keema Nan £3.95, Peshwari Nan £2.95

Madhuban, 94 Station Road, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 7AQ.
Tel: +44 1730 893363 or +44 1730 894372.

Open
Monday to Thursday: 5.30pm–10.30pm.
Friday: 5.30pm–11.30pm.
Saturday: noon–2.30pm and 5.30pm–11.30pm.
Sunday: noon–2.30pm and 5.30pm–10.30pm.

Greenwich (Mogul)

On By Daniel FordIn 1. Reviews (London)Leave a comment

Mogul_1_53

10 Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich, SE10 9BJ
Tel: 020 8858 6790
E-mail: mail@mogulindian.co.uk
www: mogulindian.co.uk
Open:
Monday–Friday noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm
Saturday–Sunday noon to 11pm

Where is it? Right in the heart of Greenwich at the Church Street entrance to the famous Market.

How do I get there?
DLR: Cutty Sark DLR station is just over the road.
Train: Greenwich station is a four-minute walk away.
Bus: 177, 180, 188, 199, 386 and N199 stop nearby.
Parking: There is some street parking if you get lucky or the car park behind the Greenwich Picturehouse (accessed off Burney Street) is a short walk away.

What’s their story? The Mogul, the only Indian restaurant in the centre of Greenwich, celebrates its 40th year in business this year. Spread over three floors, it is housed in an attractive four-storey Grade II Listed building dating back to the 17th century. The street-level ground floor is perfect for watching Greenwich life drift by, while smaller groups looking for an intimate atmosphere will be attracted to the downstairs cellar area and its cosy alcoves. The upstairs area is reserved for private dining or special events and can accommodate up to 20 seated diners. Each floor has its own service bar. Note: The Mogul also has another premises, a dedicated takeaway called Mogul Home Dining, in Trafalgar Road.

What’s the menu like? Contemporary and classy, with a modern-take on its sprinkling of old-time favourites. There is a dedicated lunch menu for busy people who are looking for a smaller meal at a decent price.

Oh, please tell me more…
Popadoms: Plain or spicy with chutneys (£1)
Starters: Okra Fries (£4), Onion Bhajis (£4.50)
Mains: Paneer Saslick (£7) Chicken Jalfrezi (£9.50), Acharia Gosht (£10.50), King Prawn Masala (£14.50)
Sides: Channa Masala, Saag Aloo (£4.50), Daal Makhani (£5)
Rice: Pilau rice (£3.50)
Bread: Tandoori roti (£2), naan (£2.70)
Lunch: Aloo Paratha and yoghurt (£6), Selection of wraps (£7)
* You will enjoy a 20% off these prices (eat-in and takeaway, including deliveries) with your Spice Card in the evening from Sunday to Thursday.

Mogul PDF Menu

Tell me something about one of the dishes… The deliciously creamy Punjabi favourite, Daal Makhani, is a dish so packed with energy that it’s been called the marching food of soldiers because of the energy it gives them. It’s cooked with urid lentils and kidney beans, which have to be soaked for hours to make them soft, and then spice and cream are added.

What about drinks? There is wide selection of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and soft drinks. These include draught Cobra and Guinness (on surge), bottled Kingfisher, London Meantime Lager and Magner’s. The well-balanced wine list goes beyond the offerings normally found in Indian restaurants and includes white, red, rosé and sparkling choices from France, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Argentina and Spain.

What they say… “The Mogul has become an institution in the heart of Greenwich. The multiple floors in the restaurant, each with its different vibe, mean we can cater for a wide range of events, whether it’s a business lunch or dinner, an intimate meal for two or a lively night out with friends and family. We are proud to have been serving this beautiful part of London for 40 years.” – Pushvinder Dale, Owner.

What we say… “The Mogul has a long-standing reputation for serving top-quality Indian food and will always be close to our heart as it was the venue for the first-ever Greenwich Curry Club meeting. The alcoves are intimate and full of character for a night out. Order up a selection of dishes from around India such as a Goan Fish Curry, Hyderbadi favourite Lamb Pasanda and a spicy Chicken Chilli Masala and tuck in.” – The Greenwich Curry Club.

What can I enjoy at the Mogul with my Spice Card?
YES 20% Discount • Sun–Thur • Eat-in, Delivery & Collection • 2 diners per Spice Card
NO Mother’s Day • Father’s Day • Valentine’s Day • 20 Dec to New Year’s Day
020 8858 6790 (table bookings and collections) or 020 8858 1500 (deliveries)
Minimum for delivery: £15 (after discount)

Nu Delhi Lounge (Belfast)

On By Daniel FordIn 2. Reviews (Other UK)Leave a comment

Nu Delhi Lounge, Belfast

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From top left: Chicken Chilli Garlic, Punjabi Lamb Masala, Garlic Nan, Mushroom Rice.

 

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Tandoori King Prawn.

Where is this restaurant then?
It’s right in the heart of Belfast.

Isn’t that the place responsible for sinking the Titanic?
Well, not exactly, that was an iceberg, but this is where they built the ship. At the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Shouldn’t that be infamous, considering the Titanic sank on its first trip?
Yes, the city does have a strange attraction to this sinking ship; there is even a Titanic Quarter in the city, although I think that’s the tourist office at work.

Did the prices at Nu Delhi sink you?
Very good. Yes, they were maybe a notch about the average for an Indian (or Punjabi, as the venue says) but certainly not too outrageous. The bill came to just over £55 for a shared starter, two mains, rice, nan and drinks.

I like a drink. What did you have?
A mango lassi and pint of draught Asahi.

Isn’t that Japanese?
You’re right. I was a little surprised because it’s the first time I’ve come across it on draught in an Indian restaurant, but it is clean and sharp and pairs very well with spicy food.

Make sense. It would be nice to have it at the bar before the meal.
It would indeed, especially as it’s such an attractive bar, with the red and white strip lighting and hanging globes adding a touch of Bollywood glitz. The decor overall is smart and modern, with dark wood tables, lots of reeds in pots and back-lit wall panels.

I suppose I should ask about the food?
About time, that’s what we there for, after all. The prawns in the Tandoori King Prawn starter really deserve the title of king because they were plump and deliciously spiced. No extra sauce needed there. The Chicken Chilli Garlic is certainly one for the garlic lovers and on reflection the Garlic Nan was a clove too far for the table. The nan itself was top notch and some of the freshest I’ve enjoyed outside of India. I was a bit surprised that the chicken came in a reddish, creamy sauce, not something I’ve come across with this dish before, but it worked well. What I really liked was that the texture of the other main, the Punjabi Lamb Masala, was different, as the chef used chopped rather than pureed onions. Too many restaurants use a one-fits-all sauce, so all the curries end up a bit samey.

Is that a word?
Probably not, but you know what I mean. Lots of restaurants have a big, long menu but when the curries come out they look and taste the same. Certainly not the case here.

Sounds as if you like Nu Delhi then?
I do indeed. It’s smart but you don’t feel as if you are on parade and it’s a lot better than your average High Street curry house but doesn’t whack the pocket for your pleasure.

What’s the damage?
Drinks: Asahi £4.75, Mango Lassi £3.50
Starter: King Prawn Tandoori £9.95
Mains: Chicken Chilli Garlicn £12.95, Punjabi Lamb Masala £12.95
Rice: Mushroom Rice £2.70
Nan: Garlic Nan £2.60

Nu Delhi Lounge, 25 Bruce Street, Belfast. Tel: +44 28 90244 747. Info@nudelhilounge.co.uk. Open Mon to Fri, noon–2pm and 5pm–11pm, Sat to Sun 5pm–11pm.

Curry Night at Pelton Arms

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Join us for the Greenwich Curry Club’s fortnightly pop-up Curry Night at the Pelton Arms, Pelton Road, Greenwich, SE10 9PQ from 6pm on Monday 1st October…

Menu 1 Oct Menu

Join us for an Indian Feast

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Tickets available from Ticket Lab

Menu 13th June Meet District

Tickets available from Ticket Lab

Ricardo’s Fast Food (Beau Bassin, Mauritius)

On By Daniel FordIn 3. Reviews (International)Leave a comment

Ricardo’s Fast Food, Beau Bassin, Mauritius

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Ricardo’s Tandoori chef

Not much beats deeply marinated chicken that’s served up within seconds of leaving the tandoor oven. Especially if you’ve got a nan bread dripping in butter and it’s one in the morning.

Ricardo’s is hardly on the beaten track for tourists visiting Mauritius, but lucky for us we’ve got a couple of friends in the know. We’d been planning to visit the place for days so it’s fair to say I had Malai Tikka on the brain by time we’d arrived. The tandoor chef certainly knew his stuff and it was a delight to watch him work his magic as he slid an array of meats onto large skewers – Sheek Kebabs (Rs 125), Haryali Kebabs (Rs 100) and, of course, Malai Kebabs (Rs 100) – and then plunged them into the over furnace. The breads were next and it didn’t take long for one of the tastiest street food snacks to emerge.

The tandoor menu is short and to the point – kebabs, nans (Rs 25 to Rs 50) and nan rolls (Rs 150 to Rs 200). There are a few other things on the menu like chips and sausages but frankly why would you bother when there is a super skilled tandoor chef waiting for your order? Just find a perch in the bustle of this ramshackle takeaway joint and watch the locals come and go as they fill up with late-night snacks.

Ricardo’s, Beau Bassin, Mauritius. Tel: 5759 2043. Open: till late.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 9
Decor 2
Service and friendliness 9
Vibe 9 (late night Friday)
Value 10

 

 

 

 

 

Greenwich Curry Awards 2017 (Winners photo gallery)

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Favourite Restaurant: Darjeeling (Lewisham)
Restaurant Offering Outstanding Value: Darjeeling (Lewisham)

Favourite Specialist Takeaway: Mogul Home Dining (Trafalgar Road, Greenwich)

Restaurant Offering Outstanding Service and Friendliness: Mountain View (Greenwich)

Greenwich Curry Club Special Awards for outstanding main dish Langtang Lamb:
Royal Nepalese (Westcombe Park)

Greenwich Curry Club Awards Dinner 2017 Photo Gallery

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

The 2017 Awards dinner was held at Darjeeling, Lewisham on 23 January 2018.

 

 

The Riz (Margate, Kent)

On By Daniel FordIn 2. Reviews (Other UK)Leave a comment

The Riz, Margate

If you love a good old British-style seaside resort and you love a good curry may I direct you to the Riz in Margate?

The smartly dressed owner directed proceedings and gave us all the information we were after when it came to what was and what wasn’t in certain dishes. It’s always good to gauge different dishes and if the owner or staff are happy to help out then they’ve found the right man for a chat.

The decor is as smart as the owner. This is a real little gem, albeit not in the smartest of streets. And it looks like the locals know it too as there was a gaggle of girls getting stuck into and a couple of families enjoying the food.

My previous experience of trying to get a curry in this street had not gone well (yawn! Is it ever coming?) but my Margate friend assured us that this was the place to try. He was right.

The Riz serves superb dishes and they are as fresh as they come. This is the place to dip into South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes. So where to start? How about Nethli Meen Varuval (£4.50), spiced anchovies which are then deep fried. A pretty lively taste of Kerala I’d say. Or Fish Cutlet (£2.50), Sri Lankan traditional fish dumplings, crumb fried and served with hot spicy sauce perhaps?

House specials are parathas, iddapams and puttus, which all use eggs. A chicken paratha, scrambled with eggs and cooked with minced parathas is £6.95. But it’s got to be fish for me so the recommendation is Monkfish Curry with Mango (£8), a Keralan dish made with mango, coconut milk and ginger.

The Riz, 49 Northdown Road, Margate. Tel: 01843 293698.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 9
Decor 8
Service and friendliness 8
Atmosphere 7 (Tuesday evening)
Value for money 8