Lahori Hajweri (3a Schillerstrasse, München) – …next to The Sports Bar!
Arriving in München at 22.00, one has to check into one’s hotel quickly and traditionally then go out for a Bier, or two. Priorities have changed – there is good Curry to be had in this German city. Hector was on the phone as soon as the S Bahn had left the airport to ascertain if the Indien Express was open and at what time they would close. In the summer when Jonathan and Hector so graciously went down to München from Nurnberg to wave off Marg and Neil, the Indien Express was mysteriously closed. It had only been open a few months; Hector knows this because he and Marg were the first paying customers.
The restaurant was open and 23.30 was the time given for the Curry ultimatum.
Many Questions
Juliet on her first experience of ‘Hector’s Horrible Holidays’ was happy to accompany Steve and I to what we still believed to be the Indien Express. What is all this green? A new name? Are we in for a horror show? What happened to the previous operators? The head waiter of the Lahori Hajweri could only say something along the lines of ‘Urlaub’. It must be a long vacation if they have had the decorators in.
Juliet selected exactly the same raised table Hector and Marg had sat at in February. The order was placed: no Bier vom Fass as had been the case earlier in the year. Hector would wait – the usual mineral water would suffice. Spicy Popadoms and the Chutneys came quickly.
There was quite a wait for the serving of the dishes. During the wait there was much sound of stirring and bashing in the kitchen. Someone was hard at work. It was evident that the dishes were actually being prepared with some effort. This was most encouraging; after all, the two previous Curries eaten by Hector had been outstanding. This was day 3 of Curry this week.
Juliet ordered a Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi, I believe. Until she becomes used to the Hector interrogation I thought I had better back off. I was permitted to sample the Masala at the end but my own Curry dominated the taste buds.
Steve was straight in to the Karahi Gosht. Whose company has he been keeping? Having both eaten here before expectations were high. Steve is not going to make positive comments for the sake of it any more than this commentator. When it is pronounced to be impressive, it must be. One slight critical observation was that Steve reckoned he could taste a ‘Powder’ in the Masala, we concluded it would be Garam Masala.
Hector in a moment of wonder strayed from the safety net of the tried and tested. Bindhi Gosht was the order of the day. OK, Okra is a regular feature of my own home cooked Curries and so this was not a strange departure. On arrival, the presentation was perfect as it was for the other dishes. The Masala looked thick and interesting. The distinctive ‘German Curry flavour’ was to the fore. This is the taste of a very good Curry – sweeter than served in the UK. Having asked for it ‘Scharf’ or ‘Indian Hot’ as the waiter put it there was a kick but not an excessive one.
The Okra was presented differently than in the UK – chopped into centimetre slices. This worked very well and I shall employ this in future. The Okra no doubt cooks faster and avoids the sliminess that can accrue when overcooked.
The Rice was a hoot
The proverbial mountain of boiled Basmati accompanied the three dishes and was served on a single long platter. Should we ask for more?
If The Indian Mango is closed over Silvester this could be the #1 venue of choice.
There was a single customer when we arrived and three more joined the assembly by the time we left. I wish this place well. I do not know why there was such a rapid change in branding. The food is well above average. Hopefully the location is not too off putting. Even ten years ago when Hector had his fascination with Weizenbier, he does not recall ever setting foot in this basement in its original incarnation as the Weissbierkeller. He does not recall…