Tag: Spicy food

A proper vindaloo

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

Chilli & Spice, Reading

Inauspiciously situated (and advertised) as being next to Burger King and above Perfect Chicken, Chilli & Spice is a restaurant which knows about proper heat when it comes to Indian dishes.

Is it just me or are vindaloos and Madras dishes generally getting milder? I suppose I might just be immune to spice heat after decades of curry munching but in recent years I’m increasing unimpressed by many of these so-called hot dishes. Hot? Hot? You call that hot? Do the chefs pop their heads around the door and think, “Oh dear, he looks a bit pale, think I’ll calm his order down a bit.”

You will find no such worries at Chilli & Spice because the chef clearly knows how much heat dishes really should have. First up a King Prawn Dhansak (£9.50). Most of us know that this lentil-laden Persian dish should have sweet and sour tastes (tamarind and sugar usually does the trick). But there is a third leg to dhansak dishes and that is… hot. Prawns and lentils absorb heat fantastically and the chef here certainly knows how to use them perfectly to create all three tastes. Spot on.

And when it came to the Keema Vindaloo (£5.25) the chef certainly didn’t pop his head around the door. This was a proper vindaloo, with the mince lamb so drenched in spice it led to sharp intakes of breath. When was the last time a vindaloo made you do that?

PS. Try to get your hands on a takeaway menu leaflet before you visit as it includes a 25 per cent discount on food for diners.

Chilli & Spice, 1st Floor, 10 St Mary’s Butts, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2LN. Tel: 0118 956 7080. Open: Mon-Thur 6pm-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-00.30am. Sun closed. E-mail: info@chilli-and-spice.co.uk.

Chilli & Spice snapshot

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Buy five curries get sixth one free

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Curry fans will love the loyalty card available from Green Chillies in Blackheath Road, Greenwich. Spend £12 or more on a takeaway (collection or delivery), get your card stamped and enjoy your curry. Do this five times and the sixth curry (up to the value of £12) is free.

Green Chillies, 110 Blackheath Road, SE10 8DA. Tel: 020 8469 1719. E-mail: info@greenchillies.com.

Tip or flick?

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

Red Chilli, London, E1

“Didn’t you tip him?”
“Yes, I added it to the card.”
“Oh!”

“Oh,” indeed. The question had been prompted because at the end of the meal at Red Chilli my credit card had been push-flicked towards me on to the table by the waiter from the plastic holder thing it’s always presented in along with the receipt. Had I imagined it? Sadly not. It had followed a couple of sharp comments from staff earlier which I had chosen to ignore (well, I had a curry to eat after all).

It’s pretty easy to keep me happy when it comes to curry. Give me a seat, a table and food that is spicy and a curry house has pretty much cracked it. Upmarket or downmarket, old-school or contemporary, cheap or pricey, hey, it’s all curry in the end. I’m not against that complimentary brandy when the curry is finished but it’s not crucial. But I think I’ll skip the bit where my credit card gets flicked towards me thanks.

Red Chilli had come highly recommended and its walls are covered in certificates celebrating various awards. The menu is extensive and, as well as the usual dishes there are two speciality sections – Red Chilli specialities and more unusually Vegetable House specialities with no fewer than 19 dishes listed. The word ‘Signature’ dots the menu indicating the restaurant’s special dishes.

Sadly, as well as the main waiters being off on holiday (I’m assuming), it seems the main chef had the night off too. My taste buds must have though I’d stumbled into a Chinese. The Chicken Shashlik (£7.50) came with fried tomatoes, peppers and onions as you’d expect. I suppose even the stir-fry style of the Mushroom Bhaji (£3.25) in a thick sauce could be enjoyed as ‘something different’. But there was a theme emerging and the Chicken Pathia (£6.50) stayed true to form. There was certainly sweet but where was the sour and hot? I quickly check the rice to see if it’s egg-fried.

Red Chilli, 137 Leman Street, London, E18EY. Tel: 020 7481 3300. E-mail: redchillicurryclub@hotmail.co.uk.

Red Chilli snapshot

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Red Chilli on Urbanspoon

Curry chic

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

Curry Leaf East, London, EC1Y

This smart restaurant near Moorgate appears to have a steady stream of City workers looking to enjoy a decent curry in clean, cool surroundings after work or after a few post-work drinks. It is one of about 20 in the group I am told (and yes there is a Curry Leaf West, it’s near Tottenham Court Road).

The food in Curry Leaf East is not going to be the cheapest you’ll ever enjoy but you’ll be hard pressed to find better curry. This contemporary venue is right up there when it comes to quality ingredients and offers a balanced and interesting menu without completely ditching the old favourites.

The colour palette of the restaurant is mostly cool creams but set off with dark wood chairs and metal, latticed Indian-style lights. The centrepiece is a wooden installation hanging from the ceiling that will remind you of a small whale skeleton. A couple of tables sit under this, while others line the walls of the long, narrow space.

It’s always a delight to see Chicken Nilgiri Korma (£10.95) on a menu. This spicy version of the classic offers a nice balance of creaminess and spice bite, although this one came in a greener sauce than you’ll usually find thanks to freshness of the mint and coriander used to create the sauce. There is also dark rum in this dish.

Lal Maans (£9.95), a rich Rajasthani dish, was the closest dish we could find to the craved-after Keema. But don’t expect frozen peas anywhere near this dish. The small chunks of lamb were perfectly cooked and tender, and smothered in the trademark thick, dark sauce of northwest India.

The Khumb Makai Masala (£4.50) offered button mushrooms instead of the more common slices served in other curry houses, and the baby corn supplied an excellent crunch to add to the sweetness of the dish. Add to this the tang of the Lemon rice (£3.95).

The obvious freshness of ingredients ensured all the various flavours of each dish was distinctive and balanced and none were overpowered. One moment there was the creaminess of the korma, then the kick of the chilli, then the sweetness of the lamb and the zestiness of the rice. It’s what makes Indian food so wonderful and not something we should really be surprised at, but as we all know from the more cheap and cheerful corner-of-the-street curries, this isn’t always the case.

Curry Leaf East, 20 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AJ. Tel: 020 7374 4842. Open: Mon-Fri noon-3pm, 6pm-11.30pm; Sat-Sun 6pm-11.30pm.

Curry Leaf East snapshot

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Curry Leaf East on Urbanspoon

So far, yet so near

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

Gaylord, London, E14

The foot tunnel linking Greenwich with the Isle of Dogs was opened on 4 August 1902. Prior to that there was a ferry service. On 3 December 1999 the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) line linked the two places. The foot tunnel is free and takes about 10 minutes, while the DLR takes a couple of minutes (one stop from Curry Sark) and costs a bit more than a pound.

My friend tells me his grandad from Deptford never went north of the river in his whole life. And when it comes to curries the people of the south haven’t moved on much.

The Gaylord is a superb restaurant on the Isle of Dogs. Granted, it’s not in the most salubrious of locations but this place consistently delivers great food with friendly service and in a decent setting.

There is a large menu with all the old favourites (Murgh Madras, Murgh Korma, Murgh Dhansak, all £5.50), some even older favourites that have dropped off many other menus (Gosht Ceylon and Murgh Malaya, both £5.50), as well as specialities such as Bakhara (£6.95) with a heavily spiced herb flavour, or Shahi Jhinga Pakeezah (£10.95) charcoal-grilled prawns with diced onions.

It’s worth noting some interesting dishes. Fish lovers rejoice because the Tandoori Fish (£7.25), mildly spiced trout cooked in the tandoor offers a deep fish taste perfectly offset with some salad a bit of mint sauce. Mach Bortha (£5.25) is tagged as ‘exclusive’ and offers mashed mackerel (no bones), fairly hot (in spice terms) which can be served either hot or cold.

Bangladeshi telapia is well represented: Fish Tikka starter (£3.50) is a variation on a favourite, a classic Fish Curry (£7.95), or try Fish Massalla (£7.95) for fillets cooked in a massalla sauce.

But, why oh why is Aloo Bhortha (£3.15), a traditional Bengali dish, not on more menus? It’s worth a visit just to try this mashed potato with mustard, green chilli, fresh coriander and onions (would go well with the Greenwich Curry Club’s specially created curry sausages actually). Remember, people of south London, there is a foot tunnel and the DLR…

The Gaylord, 141 Manchester Road, Isle of Dogs, London, E14 3DN. Tel: 020 7538 0393. Open: daily noon-2.30pm, 6pm-midnight.

Gaylord snapshot

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Gaylord on Urbanspoon

West End curry

On By Daniel FordIn 2. Reviews (Other UK)1 Comment

Strand Tandoori, London, WC2E

The only thing wrong with the West End (apart from the high prices, the tourists blocking the pavements etc) is that curry houses are thin on the ground. First you have to search for your curry fix, then you get ripped off with the prices, then the food is naff because they don’t need to try because of where they are. Luckily there is the Strand Tandoori.

Okay, you have to accept that a place so close to Covent Garden is going to be a bit more more expensive than your local on the corner of your road. In fact there will be a few dishes you will probably avoid due to the prices (Tandoori Chicken at £15.50 and King Prawn Biryani at £15.95 for instance) but generally it’s not toooo bad on the wallet.

The Chicken Dopiaza (£8.25) was probably the best I have ever tasted, with a delicious slightly creamy sauce that had me scraping the serving dish and thinking there must have been a bit of yoghurt added (the waiter’s raised eyebrows told me “no” when I asked). Great sauce, crunchy onions and perfectly cooked chicken. The Lamb Sag (£8.75) also delivered with an excellent consistency and no shortage of spinach (i’ve been in a kitchen where a sag dish was bulked up with the basic masala sauce to keep costs down). Add pilau rice (£2.95) and an extremely fresh nan (£2.25).

Strand Tandoori, 45 Bedford Street, London Wc2E 9HA. Tel: 020 7240 1333. E-mail: strand tandoori@live.co.uk

Strand Tandoori snapshot

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Strand Tandoori on Urbanspoon

Let there be (chandelier) light

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

Jewel in the Crown, Swindon

On a short stretch between the old town and new town of Swindon you will find a glut of choices for your spice needs. The Jewel in the Crown, we were told, was the one to choose. And clearly everyone else knows it.

The restaurant has many inter-leading rooms so the atmosphere remains intimate enough for a big place. And the big place was buzzing with couples and larger groups of friends out for a Saturday. In return they get good food, attentive service and, wow, glitzy decor (including the waiters’ outfits).

The interior designer certainly took the name of the restaurant to heart, possibly even a little over the top for some. Chairs are beautifully carved and upholstered, the dish warmers a notch up from anything you’ll usually see, and there are more chandeliers in here than a lighting shop. Waiters are dressed in traditional long, white shirts with fancy, colourful waistcoats.

It was a nice touch to serve a ‘shared’ Sheek Kebab (£2.90) on separate plates, each with their own salad, rather than the usual one plate-two forks version elsewhere. And it was tasty, top-quality meat too. These different touches continued. As dishes are wheeled to each table a single-ring gas burner is used by the waiters to make sure each dish in a Karahi is bubbling hot. Then there is the complimentary brandy, of course.

Eyes down from the decor for a moment and you could enjoy a Large Vegetable Biryani (£5.90) served with a large Vegetable Curry, or a Gourmea Garlic Chicken Massalla (£6.95). The food’s as good as the decor.

Jewel in the Crown, 14-16 Victoria Road, Swindon, Wiltshere. Tel: 01793 522687 or 511943. Open: noon-2.30pm, 5.30pm-midnight.

Jewel in the Crown snapshot

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The old ones are the best

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

Halal, London, E1

Halal first opened its doors in 1939 (probably not the favourite year to be opening a new business in London, eh?) and says it is East London’s oldest Indian restaurant. Not sure how it was during WW2 but from current experience it’s no wonder it’s been going strong for so long.

There’s a touch of the old Raj about the place, with crisp, neat tablecloths, an old-style delivery hatch for the food in the middle of the room and waist-coated waiters  who clearly do the job for a living and are not working their way through their studies. Knowledgeable, friendly and polite. But best of all is a superb wooden special’s board.

“It’s works like a cricket scoreboard,” explained one of the staff as he slid out one of the boards and flipped it over to show me what tomorrow’s special will (probably) be.

The menu itself is a no-nonsense list of what’s on offer. No flowery descriptions of the birth of a far off land of spices and wonder. No overdone descriptions of dishes and most certainly no little chilli icons next to dishes to help the spice challenged. I suppose they figure that if you haven’t worked out what’s what in the 73 years they have been dishing up curries you won’t now.

The samosas are legendary here (customers order them to take home for later munchies) so a regular we were with just ordered platefuls of Veg (£1 for two) and Meat (£1.20 for two) to get us going.

Not surprisingly classic dishes dominate and are decently priced, with Vegetable Curry starting off the mains at just £3.50 (or a half portion for £2.30), while you can enjoy Chicken Vindaloo for £5.50, Prawn Kurma for £7.25 and Meat Dhansak  for £6.95. It’s also a nice touch that you can also order half portions of boiled rice (£1.40) and pilau rice (£1.60).

But there are plenty of interesting dishes to tantalise (in fact the waiter smiled a knowing smile at a bespoke request and assured us they can cook anything). The Meat Ball Vindaloo (£5.95) got the nod and it’s hard to remember a time when the tastiness of the meat itself fought through a vindy sauce. Meaty balls indeed.

This was scooped up with a, wait for it… egg nan (£2.50). How indeed do they get the egg inside the bread? The answer is they don’t – an omelette is laid on top of the bread. Apparently it doesn’t work to break an egg before cooking, although in true, “we can cook anything style”, I was offered an egg inside version (boil egg then break it up before cooking the bread).

Halal, 2 St Mark Street (Off Alie Street), London, E1 8DJ.
Tel: 020 7481 1700.
E-mail: info@halalrest.co.uk
Open: Mon–Fri noon–11.30pm, Sat–Sun noon–10.30pm. 

Halal snapshot

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Halal on Urbanspoon

Costa curry

On By Daniel FordIn 3. Reviews (International)1 Comment

Papadum, Riviera del Sol, Spain

You deserve a good curry if you can find Papadum. People who regularly visit this small Spanish resort are likely to go years without knowing Centro Commercial even exists. Up a steepish hill, but only a 10-minute walk from the main centre, this small cluster of bars, restaurants and shops serves the many ex-pats who can do without the walk up and down for beers and food.

The restaurant is neat, tidy and modern but has a slightly empty feeling  which was not helped by the lack of music. Who would have thought you’d ever miss that piped Indian music, eh? Once the bulk of customers had left, though, this was the first time I have ever heard football commentary broadcast in a curry house (Europa Cup Final between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao).

The Tandoori Chicken Salad (€5.50) was something new. Slices of cold, marinated chicken on top of a crunchy salad of lettuce, onion and tomato that had been smothered in a spicy chaat masala sauce. Fresh and delicious.

I plumped for a rare forage into the vegetable mains and the Vegetable Jhal Fraize (€6) was just right, thick with sauce and a variety of veg and spicy to the core. It’s a shame a lot of us overlook veg so often as they really do absorb Indian spices so well. Add a generous portion of pilau rice (€3) – the waiter was honest enough to say they used tinned mushrooms in the mushroom pilau, which was the first rice choice – and a Lamb Bhuna (€9), coated in thick tasty sauce oozing with the meat’s sweetness for a decent Costa curry.

Papadum, Calle Acuario, Centro Comercial Las Terrazas de Miraflores Golf Local No 11, Riveria del Sol, Mijas Costa, Spain. Tel: +34 951 273 032. Open:5.30pm–late.

Papadum snapshot

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Lunch not so special

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

Zaika, Fuengirola, Spain

Lunch specials are sometimes a bit hit and miss. For a limited menu you get good value, but not necessarily great portions or quality. So it seems with Zaika, a pleasant curry house facing out to sea in the busy Spanish holiday resort of Fuengirola.

The special, offering a starter (Pakora, Onion Bhaji or popadoms), a main (Chicken Curry, Madras, Bhuna or Korma) and rice or nan. Not bad for €8.95, especially washed down with a large San Miguel.

But I always get suspicious when I see the chicken in a curry has been in the tandoor. I know it’s a bonus to some people but when the dish doesn’t normally include marinated meat I can’t help but think it’s just a way of using up unsold tikka from the night before.

Suspicions aside, the Chicken Bhuna was perfect in consistency, thick with tomatoes, onion and fresh coriander, but plenty of tasty ghee (ideal for me but maybe bit greasy for some) and the rice and nan fresh. But the Chicken Madras flopped, with the sauce some sort of spicy tikka masala, which would have been fine for a lunch curry fix had it not been for a bitter taste of uncooked ground spices.

But there are worse places to have a curry lunch, with a number of outside tables offering views of the sea (albeit across a road) and a large, nicely set out interior that deserves an evening try.

When the lunch special ends at 4pm, by the way, the evening special kicks in. Add €2 to the price and your selection of dishes rockets, and includes a number of lamb and tikka masala dishes. Don’t mind marinated meat in that one, thanks.

Zaika, Paseo Maritimo Rey de Espana, 18, Fuengirola, Spain. Tel: +34 952 462 695. Open: daily 1pm–1am (lunch menu 1pm–4pm)

Zaika snapshot

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