Topic: The Bengal Dynasty, Llandudno.

[Secret Santa]

Or, maybe I'm just over analysing things a bit, it's probably just a shithole getting away with charging overpriced, sub standard curries to us tourists

Ray

I think you've cracked it Ray.

What you have to bear in mind is that late eighties, early nineties, when in my experience the BIR experience started to go downhill, you had many new BIR startups that came into it as a cash cow, with quality and pride in their product coming a distant second. We now have the results of that greed driven expansion in the generally low quality BIRs of today.

The point I was trying to make though was that when a newbie comes to the forum, makes a curry, and declares it the best curry ever bar none, and I've made the same curry and been greatly disappointed, I no longer feel that I've cocked up the recipe, or that my taste is going, or some other equally inane reason. I now know that it's because my BIR background has been a far different, and superior experience, and your post totally vindicated my feelings.

My only regret being that, at the risk of boring you by repetition, I no longer seem to be able to find that old style curry anywhere.   

[Cory Ander]

My only regret being that, at the risk of boring you by repetition, I no longer seem to be able to find that old style curry anywhere.   

And have you even tried ONE of the recommendations you're received SS?  No, of course you haven't! 

[Razor]

SS,

I no longer seem to be able to find that old style curry anywhere.

Once again, I agree, it's just not around anymore.  I do thinks the pastes have a lot to do with this, and anything that can increase the profit margin is the obvious route that the modern day BIR will take.

Every now and again, my local Jack of all trades TA, gets it right, but it's too hit and miss to rely on, and I bet he wouldn't even know what it is that he does different to achieve the taste!

Ray

[Secret Santa]

I do thinks the pastes have a lot to do with this, and anything that can increase the profit margin is the obvious route that the modern day BIR will take.

Ray we'll have to stop agreeing with each other or people will start talking!   :-X  ;D

You're absolutely right though, Pataks and other brand pastes almost certainly entered the BIR scene around the time they started to go down hill. Pastes lead to formula curries...nasty, nasty, nasty!

[Cory Ander]

With respect, Ray (by his own volition) is too young to really know if it's "just not around anymore"!   

[Razor]

Hi CA,

With respect, Ray (by his own volition) is too young to really know if it's "just not around anymore"!   

I do understand what your saying here, I was 16 (1986) when I had my first BIR curry (Dhansak) but, from then on, I've eaten them regularly, probably too regularly and I for one can assure you that I noticed the change.  For me, it all started to alter around 1990.  I don't doubt that there would have been a significant change in the 70's style curry to the 80's style also. 

What I'm saying is, the taste of an 80's style curry is not around anymore, even in the restaurants that have been under the same ownership for over 30 yrs, and there are many like that here.  Pastes and different produce are the obvious culprits.

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

We have a place in Dundee called the Balaka which has been under the same ownership for 20-30 years and may well be unique in the City for that reason. They have always produced excellent curries and after a gap of some years when I returned there 2 or 3 years ago their curries did seem different to what I remember, even though it was the same faces at the helm.

I have sometimes wondered if some places "buy in" things like base gravy, frozen, in bulk. I mean that kind of approach has happened in every other part of the restaurant business so why not Indian too?

[Razor]

Hi Stephen,

I'm sure that this has been mentioned before, and if I'm not mistaken, someone actually provided a link to site where you could buy big tubs of base sauce.

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

that doesn't surprise me Razor.

[Cory Ander]

I do understand what your saying here, I was 16 (1986) when I had my first BIR curry (Dhansak) but, from then on, I've eaten them regularly, probably too regularly and I for one can assure you that I noticed the change.  For me, it all started to alter around 1990.  I don't doubt that there would have been a significant change in the 70's style curry to the 80's style also. 

What I'm saying is, the taste of an 80's style curry is not around anymore, even in the restaurants that have been under the same ownership for over 30 yrs, and there are many like that here.  Pastes and different produce are the obvious culprits.

Ray

I appreciate that you're humble enough to admit that Ray.  However, several BIR recommendations have been made that some of us (i.e. SS) seem to have chosen to ignore.  I therefore find it hard to accept that BIR curries of the 80s cannot be found anymore.