Create your own Balti

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

We’ve all heard about creating your own pizza (bit of this, bit of that) but how about creating your own Balti? Well, that’s an option at  Sartaj in London’s West End. It’s a popular pre-theatre place and offers lunch and a theatre-goer special (before 7.30pm) at just £7.50, including unlimited nan bread. Can’t be bad.

So this is how it goes. Choose your base (various choices such as chicken or lamb for £5.50, fish for £6.50 or mixed vegetable for £4.95). You add your sauce for a pound (masala, dupiaza, korma, take your pick). Then vegetables (anything from mushrooms to potato to pumpkin) for a pound a pop. Then you tell the chef your preferred cooking strength (mild, medium, madras or vindaloo hot).

Now that’s got to beat a ‘extra pepperoni with a thin crust’ any day of the week.

Sartaj, 26 Earlham Street, London, WC2 H9LN. Tel: 020 7831 1413. Open: Mon–Wed noon-2pm and 5.30pm-midnight, Thur–Sun noon-midnight.

Sartaj on Urbanspoon

All change for the drunks

On By Daniel FordIn 4. TakeawaysLeave a comment

Simply Indian, Aldershot (Takeaway) UPDATE

Since my last visit Simply Indian has become a takeaway because “we can’t continue to deal with the hassle and the drunks.” Very sad because when it was a BYO and I was told enthusiastically, “we just want to concentrate on good food,” this was a great little restaurant.

The guys in charge are still friendly but there is a sense they’ve lost heart. Seeing a shell of what was a nice friendly restaurant is a bit sad and although the space means the waiting area is large, as it would if you convert a restaurant into a takeaway, it feels a bit ramshackle. Shame on you hassle people and drunks.

The basic Chicken Rogan (£5.95) and Pilao Rice (£2.30) was decent enough but this is no longer a place you’d go out of your way to visit.

• Simply Indian, 14-16 Station Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 1HT. Tel: 01252 330 070 or 01252 336 667. Open: Daily 5.30pm-11pm.

Simply Indian snapshot

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British Curry Award Winners

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Restaurants
Tamarind, Mayfair (Best in Central London)
Shampan 3, Welling (Best in London Suburbs)
Cinnamon Kitchen & Anise, London EC2 (Best Newcomer)
Taj Tandoori, Prestwick (Best in Scotland)
Vujon, Newcastle (Best in North East)
Dower House, Doncaster (Best in North West)
Rilys, Redditch (Best in Midlands)
Bokhara Brasserie, Bridgend (Best in Wales)
Haweli, Twyford (Best in South East)
Spice Lodge, Cheltenham (Best in South West)

Other awards
Shelim Hussain MBE, Eurofoods (Personality of the Year)
Keka Ferdosi (Special Recognition)
Khalid Sami Khan, Lasan restaurant, Birmingham (Culinary Chef of the Year)

Curry one-liners

On By Daniel FordIn Curry News2 Comments

Curry lover 1: I am going to try Chicken Tarka Masala tonight. It’s meant to be like Tikka but this is a little ‘otter
Curry lover 2: Some man in our local Indian Restaurant collapsed with a heart-attack the other night in the middle of eating. Rumour is he had a dodgy Tikka.
Curry lover 1: Did he fall into a Korma?
Curry lover 2: No, but he was on the Vinda loo a lot.
Curry lover 1: This is getting Phaal-sical.
Curry lover 1: Sorry, I was only Rogan Joshing.
Curry lover 2: At least his Nan was close by.
Curry lover 1: And she gave him a Pilau to rest his head on.
Curry lover 2: They had to revive him with a Chapati on the back.
Curry lover 1: Which was an Aloo-dicrous thing to do.
Curry lover 2: But it worked so nobody could Sag-ue with that approach.
Curry lover 1: And I’m pleased to report he was Raita as rain afterwards.


Curry tip of the week 4

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Cabbage can be used as a substitute for onion in curry recipes if you do not like the strong taste of onion.

Courtesy Sweet ‘n’ Spicy phone app

Went to Coventry

On By Daniel FordIn 2. Reviews (Other UK)Leave a comment
Akbars, Coventry
(Review by IF of GCC Coventry branch) 

This was not the first visit by to Akbars by the GCC’s Coventry branch but unlike previous occasions we were treated to a surprise. On entering the previously small (15 tables) narrow shop fronted, cramped, old-style restaurant in the run down, edge of the town street, we were pleased to find that it had been transformed into a modern expansive and vibrant venue that had increased its capacity fivefold by extending behind the adjoining properties.Service was attentive but not overbearing and the mix of ages and genders made for a lively and pleasant atmosphere. We were seated at a table for eight with ample room for manoeuvre and were surrounded by groups of various numbers all dressed up for a good time early on a Saturday evening.

The menu contained all the old favourites and was supported with more adventurous recipes. The Tandoori Pollack cooked in 12 spices and Royal Cumin was… delicious. Starters were a decent size and deliciously spiced to set the taste buds up for the main event. Prices ranged from £3.95 to £5.50 with main courses from £9.95 to £14.95 and the general opinion around the table was of good quality food at a reasonable price.Akbars is highly recommended to visitors to this industrial wasteland and emerging university campus.Akbars, 7-9 The Butts (Queen Street), Earlsdon, Coventry, CV1 3GJ. Tel: 024 7622 2213 or 024 7622 8899. Open: daily 5.30pm–midnight.

Akbars snapshot

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Akbars on Urbanspoon

Curry tip of the week 3

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Do you like cooking curry with spinach but hate the chopping? Freeze a bag of baby spinach then while it is still in the bag simply scrunch it up and it will snap into tiny pieces. No chopping needed.

Hurray! Back to the ’90s

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

Darjeeling, London, SE13

You could be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported back to the 1990s when you visit Darjeeling in Lewisham. Not because the decor is tired, because once past the garish pink sign that announces the place it’s pretty smart and contemporary.

But, joy oh joy, you’ll be transported back by the prices. Eyes were popping out and gasps were heard from around the table as the menus were opened.  “This is the place to order king prawn,” was a good shout. And when the usual, “we’ve ordered too much,” was heard it was decided that this was the place to pile high the table and taste new dishes, even if we had over-ordered (does anyone ever under-order in an Indian?)

And so the dishes came… Malai Lamb Chops (£2.85) marinated in cream cheese and spices, so tasty you’ll be sucking on the bone long after the meat has gone, the favourites Chicken Chat (£2.05), Sheek Kebab and Shami Kebab (both £1.95) and a more unusual Spicy Calamari (£2.85) that was stir-fried with onions, peppers and chilli.

It’s becoming popular for restaurant to have an Old Favourites section in a grid and Darjeeling’s, which starts at just £3.15 for a Chicken Curry, was raided for a Chicken Madras (£3.45). But most in the party opted for something a bit different, including Lamb Randaam (£6.85) a very hot and very red dish cooked with tart tamarind, Chicken Morisa (£6.85) another hot dish with fresh green chillies, Lemon Chana Chicken (£5.35) with chick peas, an ideal order for people who find Achari dishes a bit too tart. Meat lovers should look no further than the main version of the Malai Lamb Chops (£5.60).

But come on, let’s over-order. Add Tarka Dall, Mushroom Bhaji and Bombay Aloo (all £2.05 as side dishes or £2.95 as mains), a good selection of rice (Plain at £1.65, Sabzi and Special at £2.25), nans (Plain at £1.55 and garlic at £1.65) and wrap up with a couple of Chapatis (£1.15).

Is it any wonder the place was buzzing midweek?

Darjeeling, 134 Lee High Road, Lewisham, SE13 5PR. Tel: 020 8473 8222 or 020 8852 5566. Open: daily 5.30pm–11.30pm, Sat and Sun noon–2.30pm.

Darjeeling snapshot

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Darjeeling Indian on Urbanspoon

A place to watch

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

Am Kitchen and Bar, Leeds

There can few better surroundings in which to eat a curry than Am Kitchen and Bar. There’s the pay-through-the-teeth grandeur of legendary place like London’s Veeraswamy, of course, or the feet-in-the-sand style of Karma Café in Goa, but right here in the centre of Leeds there is a gem of a curry house.

Based in a former watchmakers, the property is a Listed Building boasting two levels with a large open well in the middle where you can look down on diners below, beautiful chandeliers, and a mind-boggling amount of intricate glass work panels and display cabinets. The necessary contemporary elements needed to operate a restaurant are incorporated into the space well, in particular the way the light grey high-backed chairs offset the dark wood of the tables. But best of all for the Greenwich Curry Club is a superb Greenwich Mean Time clock that takes centre stage over the bar that faces the entrance.

Greenwich Mean Time Clock. It's one of those that's only correct twice a day…

It’d be easy to get distracted from the main reason for being here, yet the Chicken Balti (with extra garlic as requested) delivered that beautiful fresh taste that baltis should and is well priced at £8.55, while there was also no problem adapting a hearty Keema Madras (£8.55) by adding some fresh green chillies. If you’re a starter fan you’ll struggle to find tastier Lamb Chops (£4.25); for a large table of people who can think of a better way to start the communal evening than with a large of pile of these?

By the end of the first bite I’d forgiven the staff for (what appeared to be) a deliberate policy of keeping people waiting at the entrance to ensure the front of house table are always occupied rather than filling up the empty places upstairs. In fact I was rather pleased because Briggate on a Saturday night is ideal for people watching. Coats are a complete no-no even as temperatures plummet. Instead boys seem particularly keen on tops so tight it looks like they’ve just got out the gym and girls on skirts so short that Am Kitchen’s very large Rotis (£1.10 each) would offer more cover.

Am Kitchen and Bar, 24-26 Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6EP. Tel: 0113 242 2626. E-mail: info@amkitchenandbar.com 

Am Kitchen and Bar snapshot

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