Topic: Resturant tyranny

[Muttley]

She says that more and more people are looking for authentic food in pleasant surroundings and the number of people looking for curry house style food is waning. She also points out that the fresh chilled and frozen curries are improving dramatically and more and more people are happy to eat these at home, whereas once you would have had to go to a restaurant or take-away.

An interesting anaysis, but I don't know where she gets her data from. There is a general upsuge in eating out, so, I'm sure there will be more people looking for authentic foods of al types, but I've seen no evidence of a downturn in the standard IR trade - quite the reverse. New ones appear, but I don't ever remember seeing one shut down completely.

By the way, does anyone remember the old Vesta boil in a bag curries?
They seem a million years away now.

I remember them, but I'm glad to say I've never actually eaten one (shudder).

[pete]

In Nottingham there seems to be a change in the Indian take aways.
One long established restaurant "The Himalayan" on Mansfield Road closed.
One small takeaway called "Tandoori Hut" that has been around ages too, closed.
There are several new ones which are these "all round" takeaways
They sell curry, pizzas and burgers
And the curry is very good, made to the standard I know and love!
I reckon these "all round" places will take over
By the way, they don't seem to speak English any better than their predesessors.
My urdu is non existant
So asking questions is still very hard work!!

[Muttley]

I reckon these "all round" places will take over

You could well be right.

Each of the types of 'cuisine' mentioned, has been refined to a sort of production line process, and anywhere than can accomodate a group where one person wants a pizza, another a burger, and a couple more (the intelligensia ), a curry, will be bound to thrive.

[Joe the Schwab]

By the way, does anyone remember the old Vesta boil in a bag curries?
They seem a million years away now.

Yeah!Still buy em  :DI live in Malta and there are many things that one was once acquainted with in the UK that cannot be bought on a regular basis or at all in Malta.What one has noticed though is the decline of Vesta(pepper disguises all).Nostalgia makes one buy such quirky foods.

There are no Paki or Indian spice/corner shops.Even today trying to make CA's Madras curry I lacked methi leaves dry or fresh.There are no such thing as 'Indian' takeaways.Indian restaurants yes,but miles away from what is/was known as the BIR.

On a different note.May I ask foodies here wether they think or find there is a difference in grinding spice/s with an electronic gadget or by hand with a mortar and pestle?If so,which method do they prefer?
  regards and thanks Joe.

[JerryM]

Joe,

v.lucky chappy living where u do.

on the grinding i can't imagine using anything else than the electric grinder. i've chucked my mortar & pestle out - it don't get the smoothness that the electric achieves. for mix powders this is essential otherwise u're picking out hard bits in the cooked curry.

[George]

By the way, does anyone remember the old Vesta boil in a bag curries?
They seem a million years away now.

A million and five years now, except I had one last night - Vesta Beef Curry. And it wasn't kept since I last had one when I was a teenager on camping trips. Not bad, actually, as standby food. This one came c/o Lidl:

[peterandjen]

There will always be a place in my Heart for a Vesta curry lol.
As for takeaways closing down or dwindling away, i can't say as i've noticed it, and from the way the immigration department keeps going on about "There's a shortage of Indian Chef's, lets import a few thousand", i can't see it happening.
The fact that there are more high end/posh Indian restaurants around now isn't surprising at all really, i mean its just the natural progression of things, a takeaway gets a good name>becomes a restaurant, can charge more> becomes posh restaurant, can charge more.
Its just business.