Hi

This is just by way of a follow on from my first introductory post earlier today.

I just wondered what other members' first experiences of BIR curry was like. I mean the first time you remember going to a BIR restaurant, what the occasion was, what you ate etc?

For me, I remember almost exactly - it was in 1982 I think, aged 13, after going with my sister and brother in law to watch ET at the cinema. Not having a clue myself, my brother in law ordered for me, and very kindly made it a basic chicken curry, nothing too hot. It was just wonderful, and over the years I became a regular customer of the restaurant in question. I like the hot stuff better now of course!

The story has a less than happy ending though, which may be familiar with others' experiences: After a longish break when I lived elsewhere, I ended up at the end of my stag night a couple of years ago dragging my mates to this restaurant, fully expecting another wonderful curry experience. Nothing could have been further from the truth! The place was run down, empty on a Saturday night (which should have been a clue but I was a bit the worse for wear by then), and food was just terrible. Bit of a let-down to say the last. About a month later it closed, soon to be replaced with a modern-looking eatery that I haven't dared try yet.

Oh well, at least I have the memory of that first fabulous curry - ET phone for takeaway!

Quote from: Old Trousers on September 22, 2012, 11:24 AM
I just wondered what other members' first experiences of BIR curry was like. I mean the first time you remember going to a BIR restaurant, what the occasion was, what you ate etc?

My memories are very vague (probably because they go back to the '60s) but include the Maharajah of Chislehurst [1] (where a friend used popaddoms as a condiment, and sprinkled them on his meal), the other Indian restaurant in Chislehurst (name forgotten, but introduced me to egg pulao and chilli pickle), one in Orpington (where I had a whole spring chicken stuffed with keema and boiled eggs for lunch one day : Murgh-e-masalla), one at London Bridge, where I used to go for lunch while studying at the Borough Polytechnic, one in the Finchley Road (where I used to go for lunch while working at Westfield College) and one in Nottingham [2] where I used to go for lunch while on loan to John Player.  All very different, and the last had an amusing side effect : it was used almost entirely by people from the sub-continent, and I soon fell into their way of eating, using the chapatti in the right hand to pick up everything and eschewing spoon and fork.  When I finally returned from Nottingham, and was enjoying a nice English lunch in the dining car of a B.R. train, I could not understand why people were staring at me, until I realised that my knife, spoon and fork lay unused at the side of my plate and I was eating everything with my bare right hand !

Oh, and I nearly forgot : an 2-storey Indian restaurant in Smallbrook Ringway, that claimed to have the first tandoor in Brum, and the Agra in Whitfield Street, where I discovered tandoori chicken and to which I returned every Saturday evening for month after month after month.  Those were the days : I can still remember the thrill of biting into a green cardomom for the first time, and the pleasure I continued to get every time I bit into one for years after that.  Sadly they no longer have the same psychological/physiological effect

** Phil.
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[1, 2] Each owned by a Mr Chowdhury, but neither was related to the other as far as either knew.

I think my first curry was as a treat from my parents for doing well in my school exams that year. I can't recall the name of the BIR but it was on the Bristol road, just up from Birmingham University.

The only thing I remember about the curries was the one my mom ordered for herself. I tasted a bit and nearly spat it out it was so cloyingly sweet, with a distinct taste of Nestle evaporated milk (which I hated). Can you guess what it was? Korma, of course.

I hated Korma then and I hate Korma now, not even considering it fit to be called a curry (in its BIR guise). It was left uneaten.

I don't recall my first BIR per say but it would have been with my parents back in the mid 80's. I do remember however, the dish I would have eaten, and in stark contrast to SS, was the Chicken Korma. Mind you, i've said this before, the restaurant we ate in was the Indian Garden and to this day, only one other restaurant has ever produced a Korma as good.

That said, the two most memorable dishes I do remember were my first tastes of the IG Karahi Chicken and Lamb Dopiaza. These were days of revelation and I never looked back.

It's making me hungry now!

Oh how this brings back memories, it was the summer of 1979, at a packed Indian ,"the Harpenden Tandoori", in the high street, guess where!!. I had a butter chicken along with rice etc, but the butter chicken was out of this world and probably why i try to replicate the curries i had back then, without success, i may add!.That butter chicken, i can still taste it (methodically speaking). By gum, what a fabulous restaurant, but like everything, it went down hill and eventually became a Thai, which i might add is also brilliant and long may it stay that way.
Andy

My first real BIR was a chicken balti from 'Daves Balti House' in Telford.
What? no spoon?, Eat by using the naan bread?


never looked back...

I remember my first BIR ever very well. I was working in Allied Carpets in Hayes Middlesex, as a delivery driver back in early 1979 and one of the salesman (Peter Lacey), went and got an Indian takeaway for lunch one day and bought it back into the store. I asked him what it was and he said, Lamb Korma would you like to try some?

I only had a couple of mouthfuls, but was hooked from that moment on. Spent a few years on Korma before moving onto Lamb Bhuna, (I was always a lamb person back in those days as the flavour far outweighed the Chicken dishes)....

The rest is history  ;D ;D

1972
I took my mum for a curry, with my first wage packet
I'd never had anything like it in my life
The music, the decor, the accents, the aromas,  I was in a state of severe culture shock
The only part of the meal I can clearly remember was Bombay Duck
Duck but it's a fish?
The restaurant was on Portland Road, South Norwood
I can't remember it's name

My next major stage in Asian culture, was seven years later when a friend started taking me to Indian cafes
No cutlery!!

Quote from: haldi on September 23, 2012, 09:49 AM
The only part of the meal I can clearly remember was Bombay Duck

Ah, Bombay Duck : where has it gone ?  I remember it from that era too, but it seems to have completely disappeared from the scene ...
Afterthought : probably banned under the Trade Descriptions Act, along with Scotch Woodcock

** Phil.

The restaurant associated with the take away which I frequented afterwards was the Palash Tandoori on Station Road, Hayes next to Barclays Bank. Just prior to that, it was the Appolonia, Greek Restaurant, which was owned by my best Friend's (at the time) dad. This is where I got my Greek cooking experience from

His dad sold the restaurant to the Indian's and moved down to Salisbury...