The Bubble Bursts
Marg and Hector spent the day being tourists in Cambridge. This was Marg’s first visit and she had not actually seen the city centre despite having been here since Friday night, this was a little overdue.
Kings and Queens
It was the dear lady who spotted The Curry King (5 Jordan’s Yard, off Bridge St, Cambridge, CB2 1 UG?) as we approached the Cam with the objective of being punted. A splendid Meze at a Turkish restaurant nearby was the venue for lunch. We resolved to complete the symmetry of Curry House titles
Marg had to be reminded later of Hector’s Primary Curry Rule as the walk to the town centre from the accommodation loomed large before us.
Maybe I’ll just have a Pakora – were the immortal words.
Marg opted for the Chicken Bhalti – Fairly dry, tasteful – cooked with bhalti sauce which is created from many different herbs and spices by Patak. Served in a wok with pilau rice separately. Hector’s mind had been made up earlier in the day from the menu on display at the door: Lamb Garlic Fairly spicy, not hot – Whole cloves of garlic deep fried in oil, then cooked with selected spice. Served in a thick sauce. I asked for it to be served hot, this was not a problem.
Overlooking the fact that the Balti came with Rice, we ordered a Mushroom Rice and two Chapattis.
The Drinks
At this point I should have anticipated what was to come later. For an undisclosed price (£2.95 per half pint) Marg ordered a Lassi. It was not Mango as she desired but sweet. The Sparkling Mineral Water was £3.50 a pint, the same price as the draught Kingfisher. There will be someone on the planet who can explain the logic behind this, I cannot. The beer was ordered, my first with a Curry for …. a long, long time. It was terrible. The water would have tasted much better.
A Micro Robin
The time it took you dear reader to load this page is commensurate with the time it took for the meals to arrive. This house must have the classic two pots of sauce. One may deduce that given Patak is mentioned on their menu, the subtle blend of Spice and Herbs is a paste out a catering sized tin? Marg did enjoy her meal, one suspects she is easier to please. Chicken? Who orders Chicken? The meat was perfectly cooked and cut with a fork. Hector does not order Chicken Curry as the meat is not porous. If I want Spicy Chicken I go to Nandos. I found the dish far too sweet; Marg had been content with the quantity she had eaten and so left me my usual taster. We both agreed that the Mushroom Rice was outstanding. Here endeth the positive.
The Lamb
There are times Lamb is so tough one suspects it could be bovine. The meat was cut small in the Bradford style, but that was the only similarity to the wonderful food served in North Yorkshire. The meat was far too tough. The Masala was anything but the advertised thick. It was the Garlic that had attracted me to this dish, … the fond memories of Garlic overload on Pollokshaws Rd by the New Anand spin-off. The Garlic had been pre-fried, whole Cloves indeed. I found this to be quite unpleasant in some mouthfulls. Was the Masala so sweet it created a juxtaposition?
Hector has had a good run of late. This has to be reported as possibly the worst Curry set before me since the Zwarg experience in Bamberg last summer. A major disappointment.
A Service Charge?
The Bill came to a surprisingly inflated £35.85 including a £3.50 Service Charge. This was either a flat rate charge or 10.8% of the core price. Either way in the true Edinburgh style they’ll have had their tip.
Hector will not be back.