Tag: Curry

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

Greenwich Curry Club Award Winners

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Greenwich curry club logo      Goa Beer logo

The Greenwich Curry Club’s Favourite Restaurant for 2017 is the Darjeeling in Lewisham. The friendly 50-seater restaurant got the thumbs up from voters for the main prize in this year’s Greenwich Curry Club Awards, which is sponsored by Goa Premium Beer. This is the first year the company, which produces gluten-free beer that is ideal with spicy food, has sponsored the Awards.

“Thanks to the support of Goa Beer we have enjoyed the best ever Awards and are delighted that they joined us in celebrating the restaurants, takeaways and staff that make this such a great industry in our area,” said Daniel Ford, founder of the Greenwich Curry Club.

The Awards, which recognises excellence in the local industry, has been held in association with the Greenwich Visitor – the only local newspaper to run a regular curry column – since 2011. All the awards were chosen by local curry lovers, who voted online for their favourite restaurants and takeaways, except for the Goa Beer Greenwich Curry Club Special Award, which was chosen by members of the Greenwich Curry Club. Restaurants and takeaways in SE10, SE3, SE8, SE7 and SE13 were eligible. This includes Greenwich, Maze Hill, Blackheath, Westcombe Park, Lewisham, Ladywell, Deptford, New Cross and Charlton.

Darjeeling owner Foyeg Kazi, who has been running the restaurant for 15 years, said: “We have a loyal following so it is thanks to them we have picked up this award. I’m thrilled for the team and we will keep working to serve up good quality food at real value prices.”

The restaurant has built a reputation for offering a menu that offers exceptional value, so it is no surprise that the Darjeeling also won the award for Restaurant Offering Outstanding Value, an award they have now won three times.

Mogul Home Dining Kitchen, located along the Trafalgar Road in Greenwich, picked up the Favourite Takeaway award. The Mogul name has become a byword for top-quality Indian food in Greenwich and this year the restaurant celebrates its 40th anniversary. The Home Dining Kitchen was opened in 2011 to offer a dedicated takeaway service. Owners Mr and Mrs Dev said: “This is great, especially as it comes on such a special anniversary for the Mogul.”

The ever-popular Mountain View, also on the Trafalgar Road, was voted as the Restaurant Offering Outstanding Service. Some fresh, young faces have joined the established service team this year and the smooth, friendly service from everyone on the floor has clearly not gone unnoticed by the voters.

Kasturi, Charlton’s classy Indian restaurant, announced its arrival onto the local scene by picking up the Favourite New Restaurant award and with its undoubted quality it is sure to be challenging for more awards in future years.

Members of the Curry Club decided that this year’s Goa Beer Greenwich Curry Club Special Award should go to the Royal Nepalese in Westcombe Park in recognition of its outstanding main dish Langtang Lamb. This succulent Himalayan dish, cooked with garlic, ginger, green chilli, fresh mint and mango chutney, had even the grumpiest of members cooing in delight and that in itself is worth an award.

“The Greenwich Curry Club Awards are an excellent initiative, recognising the merits of best local curry houses and encouraging ever higher culinary standards,” said Goa Premium Beer MD Ben Parmar, who added, “We applaud Daniel Ford’s endeavours and hope other areas of the country will take Greenwich’s lead and organise their own, similar local awards scheme”.

The Winners
Favourite Restaurant: Darjeeling (Lewisham)
Favourite Takeaway: Mogul Home Dining (Greenwich)
Restaurant Offering Outstanding Service: Mountain View (Greenwich)
Restaurant Offering Outstanding Value: Darjeeling (Lewisham)
Favourite New Restaurant: Kasturi (Charlton)
Goa Beer Greenwich Curry Club Special Award for Outstanding Dish (Langtang Lamb): Royal Nepalese (Westcombe Park)

 

 

Goa Beer to sponsor Greenwich Curry Awards 2017

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Goa Premium Beer is to sponsor this year’s Greenwich Curry Club Awards. The award-winning gluten-free pilsner is brewed by the family-run boutique Impala Distillery & Brewery in Goa. The brewery was acquired in 2015 by Bollywood actor and film producer Sachiin Joshi. Exclusively imported into the UK by Viiking Ventures, the beer is popular as an accompaniment to spicy foods.

The Greenwich Curry Club began in 2010 with a group of friends meeting once a month, at a different venue, to “eat curry, drink beer and talk nonsense.”

The group has since grown, and now reviews curry houses all over the UK and internationally, as well as offering news, recipes and all things curry related on its website.

The original south London group still meets and new members are welcome if they are “charming, witty, and don’t do ‘a runner’ before the bill is paid.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Daniel Ford, founder of the Greenwich Curry Club, said:  “We launched the Greenwich Curry Club Awards in 2011 to recognise the restaurants, takeaways and people that work in this great industry and are thrilled to be able to work with Goa Beer closely, as we look to take the Awards to the next level. We know that Goa Beer is a forward-thinking company and are delighted to be partners with a company that offers a genuine Indian beer that is perfect for curry lovers.”

Local people can vote for their favourite venues in Greenwich, Blackheath, Lee, Lewisham, New Cross, Charlton and Deptford at www.greenwichcurryclub.com. Voting closes on 19th November and winners will be announced on 1st December.

Ben Parmar, MD of Viiking Ventures, said: “The Greenwich Curry Club does great work highlighting the best venues in the area, encouraging ever higher standards.  Our marketing strategy is to support local, independent venues.  I’m delighted to back the Club’s efforts and want to encourage similar organisations round the country to follow their lead.

www.goabeer.com

Click here to vote

Bengal Lounge (Wrecclesham, Surrey)

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

Bengal Lounge, Wrecclesham, Surrey

What a great find this restaurant is. Unless you live in this village or nearby, of course, in which case you’ll know all about it.

Housed in a former pub, and retaining all the interior nooks and crannies and split levels that make (or made in this case) country pubs so appealing, the Bengal Lounge is a gem with some great food. Smart and modern, and, so the owner told me, operating for umpteen years, this is clearly a popular place among locals. It’s got a bit of that local feel to it as if everyone knows each other (as perhaps they did when it was a pub) so expect a few of those “who are they?” looks.

You can also enjoy a huge car park and one of those huge menus too (something for everyone). I must say I’m usually a little suspicious of those (huge menus not huge car parks) with the obvious thought being that can a place really cook all those dishes really well? But on that front I was wrong (at least with the dishes we tried but I’ll report back when I’ve worked through the rest of the 158 items listed on the menu).

The Chicken Dhansak (£6.95) was declared as good as the best from the Dhansak lovers, the Lamb Shashlick (£8.50) was succulent and fresh, as this kebab should be, and the Mishti Kodhu Bhaji  (sweet butternut, £3.50) a delight of a side dish. Based on the experience of the latter two dishes mentioned the Lamb Mishti Khodu (£9.95) is a must try next time.

The service was friendly, if a bit random at time (loads of waiters, so you never know who is supposed to be doing what). But, hey, we’re not locals yet so I’m sure we’ll work this little thing out.

Bengal Lounge, 1 The Street, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4PP. Tel: 01252 713222. Open: daily noon–2pm and 5.30pm–11pm (10.30pm Sundays).

Scores on the Tandoors
Food 8.5
Service 7
Decor 8.5
Vibe (early Saturday night) 7
Value 8

Blackheath (Royal Nepalese)

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

Royal Nepalese, SE3

There really is very little going on commercially as you come out of Westcombe Park Station – and yet two spice restaurants have continued to operate in this little parade for years. And the reason is quite simple: they are both rather good. Coriander (that’s the one on the right as you exit the station) is well known but make no mistake, the Royal Nepalese, which has been operating since 2004, has plenty of its own fans.

The restaurant was packed on the night the Curry Club visited and with good reason because the food is excellent. So much so that one member declared that his choice was the best curry he had for years (he had the Langtang Lamb, £8.50, by the way). And considering this particular member would be described by Blackadder as the grumpiest Mr Grumpy from Grumpy Street in Grumpy Town this is some compliment.Needless to say, a range of Nepalese dishes dominate to chef’s recommendations such as the well-known green herb lamb dish Nepalese Khutta (£8.50) and the Royal Mismass Karahi (£8.50), an interesting combination of barbequed chicken, lamb, sheek kebab and prawns.

Other thumbs up go must to the large Prawn Puri starter (£5.95) which could be enough for a dinner for some people and the tender Squid starter, while the Chicken Chilli Dry Fry (£8.50) was delicious. As the name suggest, it’s not for those who like their meat smothered in sauce but with a beautiful coating of marinade the chicken is delicious and set off beautifully with chunks of pepper and onion. Needlesss to say it had friends on my table reaching across for a taste of something just a little bit different to the old-school favourites.

Royal Nepalese, 2–4 Station Cres, Blackheath, SE3 7EQ. Tel: 020 8269 0505. E-mail: info@royalnepalese.com. Open: daily 5.30pm – 11pm.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 8.5
Service and friendliness 9
Decor 8
Vibe 8 (Tuesday night)
Value 8.5

Gurkha’s Inn (Greenwich, SE10)

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

Gurkha’s Inn, SE10

The Gurkha’s Inn in Colomb Street has been one of the Greenwich Curry Club’s most visited restaurants over the years, so it was no surprise that it was chosen as a venue again when we recently asked members: “where shall we go for a curry next?” It was also no surprise that owner Giri and his team again came up trumps

Now, when it comes to ordering the food, we all have a friend who orders the same thing every time and the Curry Club is no different. But apart from Biryani Man, the rest of the gathering was determined to avoid the old school favourites and try lesser known (mostly Nepalese) dishes.

And so the table heaved under plates of Tareko Squid starter (spiced and battered, £4.65), a double portion of Sekuwa starter (lamb cutlets, £4.45 per portion) Khasi Bhutuwa (lamb with garlic, green peppers, spring onion, ginger, tomatoes, fresh coriander, £7.75) Hariyo Chicken (a green curry of fresh mint, coriander, green chillies, £7.85), Keema Kukhura (chicken and minced meat cooked with garlic, £8.25) Gurkhali Lamb (lamb with mint and chilli, £7.85) as well as an array of nans, veg and rice sides.

The Khasi Bhutuwa tastes as multi-layered tastewise as its ingredients suggest thanks to its rich sauce and the Keema Kukhura is a delight, with the mince adding a fantastic thick texture to the sauce that covers the chunks of chicken. And the Hariyo Chicken delivers an amazingly fresh taste thanks to the amount of mint and coriander used, even if the green colour is a bit unusual visually.

Gurkha’s Inn, 17 Colomb Street, Greenwich, SE10 9HA. Tel 020 8293 5464. Open: Mon to Thur, 5:30pm – 11pm, Fri and Sat 5pm – midnight, Sun 5pm – 10:30pm.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 9
Service 8.5
Decor 7.5
Vibe 7.5 (Wednesday night)
Value 9

Blackheath (Chinipan)

On By Daniel FordIn 1. Reviews (London)1 Comment

Chinipan, SE3

Usually, no matter which corner of London you visit you will find a curry house. So why has there not been one in Blackheath Standard for the last umpteen years? Luckily the rain has come to the desert in the form of Chinipan, a smart Bangladeshi-run place in the premises of the old hardware store.It’s only been open a few months and I’m pleased to see it’s going strong.

The name, meaning sweet leaf, is used on a few of the specials on the menu. I tried the Chinipan Fish Curry (£8.95), with tender, large chunks of salmon. The fish is marinated overnight then sealed in the tandoor for a few minutes before joining the spicy, creamy coconut sauce. A touch of smoked tamarind keeps your taste buds alive throughout.The Chicken Tikka starter (£5.50) was tender and moreish, and a fan of Biryani assured me the chicken version (£10.95) they had was excellent too. It certainly disappeared quickly.

Service is friendly but relaxed and there is an attractive lunch deal (£8.99 for two courses, £10.99 for three) which means it is one of the few local curry places where I often see people eating in the day. The decor is smart, if a little sparse, but it looks as if the team is slowly building a good reputation in this part of SE3.

The restaurant is now fully licensed after a spell of BYO when it first opened at the end of 2016

Chinipan, 15 Old Dover Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 7BT. Tel: 020 8853 5800. Open: daily noon – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 7.5
Decor 6
Service and friendliness 8
Vibe (early Wednesday night) 6
Value 8