Topic: Let's have a restaurant review section!

[Yellow Fingers]

in some areas madras is hotter than vindaloo where as Northampton curry houses the vindaloo is hotter than madras.

hello John,

I see my restaurant review idea died a death, ahh well? ?

I see you come from Northampton and I will be stopping off there in a few weeks time. Can you recommend a good curry house somewhere near the bus or train stations please? Actually I don't mind a walk of a mile or so from the stations if that helps. Hope you can help.

[John]

Hello Yellow,

Most of the curry houses i've been in are on the other side of town to the train station. However there is an indian just 5mins walk from the train staion called Jeera Masala, as you walk from the station into town it will be on your right handside, it opened a couple of years ago so im not sure if it has the taste yet! But might be worth ago, im sure you'll know if its any good as you approach it, just open your nostrels and sniff for the smell.
There is also an indian buffet type of place dead oposite jeera masala in a complex with a chinese and a cinema, but i wouldn't try it if i were you as the dishes taste very boring and they definatly dont have the taste.

[pete]

Ther is a takeaway on Haydn Road, Nottingham
It's called "The Sizzler"
It's run by a really nice man and they make fantastic curries
The meat or veg is never overdone
They have a spiced but fresh taste
The gravy is superb
It has the flavour and, a smell that is out of this world
It's slightly out of my way, but whenever I can, I go there
Because the main ingredients are so fresh, they can be frozen.
Gorgeous.....I want one!

[traveller]

Can someone suggest some places to eat in Leicester (along that line of indian shops) and a place outside Burmingham, called Hainsworth or something like that??  That place near Birmingham is where we have found lots of indian shops and many places to eat.  I have yet to eat the BIR curry and want to go to a good place.  Those are the 2 cities I will be going to the week after next as my family is coming to visit from the states.  I did find a very good place in Hainsworth - its been open for like 3 months and served very authentic indian food.  The lunch buffet was excellent but I want to try this fabulous BIR curry that everyone raves about.  Knowing and using all the indian spices very thoroughly, I may be able to help out in the mystery!!  Thats my hope!

Payal

[George]

I have yet to eat the BIR curry and want to go to a good place.

Payal

I fear you may need to visit half a dozen or more restaurants and have at least twice as many meals, to get a good feel for how similar (recipe?) they are on the one hand, and how the quality (execution?) can be a bit different on the other hand. You may get lucky or unlucky with just one or two visits and meals. You almost need someone with you who can confirm that the food on the table is representative of what we call BIR. Birmingham Balti houses may be a bit different, in my experience.

>its been open for like 3 months and served very authentic indian food. 

Yes, as I'm sure you know, there's a difference between authentic and what we call BIR.

>I want to try this fabulous BIR curry

This BIR term was sort of coined here. Don't ask for it, whatever you do! The restaurants are unlikely to have a clue!

>Knowing and using all the indian spices very thoroughly,
>I may be able to help out in the mystery!!  Thats my hope!

Go for it! We're counting on you, and look forward to reading your feedback.

Regards
George

[traveller]

George

Thanks for that reply.  You are absolutely right in that it would make more sense to have someone with me who can tell me what is a good curry or not!  I can say from experience that the same restaurant can serve the same dish on 2 nights and it can be very different in quality and taste.
Yes, it was only after coming here 4 months ago that I discovered what a "curry" was.  We dont use that term in indian cooking.  We did have someone from england come to Texas and tell us he was craving a good "curry" but when i asked what that was, he couldnt really explain.  I assumed it to mean something with a gravy/sauce to it.
I went to one restaurant in Derby (Anoki) that i actually enjoyed but I dont know if what I had classified as a "good curry" or not.  It didnt have any taste that I differentiated as being special - just had onions and garlic and spices cooked in plenty of oil.  It will really drive me crazy if I go and have trouble identifying a "taste" in the food
Can someone suggest some places for me to start at..i know there was some place that some people said to stay away from in Leicester - I dont want to end up there!

Payal

[George]

I went to one restaurant in Derby (Anoki) that i actually enjoyed but I dont know if what I had classified as a "good curry" or not....Can someone suggest some places for me to start at..i know there was some place that some people said to stay away from in Leicester - I dont want to end up there!

Payal

Chances are, I'd say 90% likely, that the restaurant you visited was a fair example of a BIR, simply because most curry houses are. There are only a handful of 'authentic' Indian restaurants in the UK, like the Red Fort and Bombay Brasserie in London. And then there are a few (small minority of) BIRs where the food quality is so poor, that they would be bad places to eat out for any purpose.

We all talk about 'the taste' as if we're all in agreement, but are we? Most of us have never met and our ideas may be quite different.

Leicester must have plenty of curry houses, I guess. Try searching at www.tandoori.co.uk or anywhere which has restaurant reviews, like this site should really have.

Regards
George

[Curry King]

I have sent Stew an email about adding a restaurant review section, I think he is traveling at the moment though so I don't know when he will get it.

[raygraham]

Can someone suggest some places to eat in Leicester (along that line of indian shops) and a place outside Burmingham, called Hainsworth or something like that???
Payal

Hi Payal,

Go to a local Taxi Office, or phone one, and ask any of the Asian Taxi drivers ( plenty in Leicester ) where they would go and eat.
If the restaurant is frequented by the ethnic locals it will not be far off a good quality restaurant.

Ray

[George]

Payal and others

Here' an extract from a review I found. I feel like visiting Leicester now! But have these people never heard about base sauce? I can't believe many places don't use it.

"This is what Indian food is all about! The variety of food is outstanding and the naan breads are to die for! I had the finest Chicken Tikka Masala dish ever, all the food is cooked to order and you can tell. The chefs special's are just that!"

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review169341.html
Tamarind Indian Restaurant - Leicester

http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-harmans-punjabi-dhaba.htm
Harman's Punjabi Dhaba
But the reviw says: " Punjabi Dhabi serves real indian food at rock bottom prices. It is to my knowledge the only place in Leicester serving totally authentic indian home cooked food compared to the commercial anglo/bangladeshi fake version sold almost everywhere else."
 
http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-the-taj-mahal.htm
"Leicester's oldest Indian restaurant"
"unlike in some other Indian restaurants, each dish was distinctive with a subtle approach to flavouring."

http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-dylans.htm
"the chicken just melts in your mouth"
"This restaurant is quite different fron the old flock wallpapered anglo/bangladeshi type of yesterday. It is a modern restaurant with tasteful and stylish decor. The food is truly indian cuisine with indian not bangladeshi chefs. "
"There are few if any (other) restaurants of this calibre in Leicester, but Shimla Pinks runs close. Curry fever, an award winning restaurant makes a very poor comparison in decor, service and even the food. Portions are large and prices for a place of this quality very low....Pilao rice was almost white with a hint of real saffron and not the normal yellow fake saffron style..."- reviw by Chris the curry eater, 35+ years experience

Maybe BIRs are starting to die out!

Regards
George