Hector and Steve had a swift half with the Chaps at Hengler’s Circus before the 19.00 rendezvous at The Bon Accord with some Colleagues – we are on vacation – once more – not again – oh yes! Euan took advantage of the chain’s Thursday Night Curry Offer. Hector has had one Wetherspoon’s Curry, it was his last.
The Colleagues Curry was for six, Hector went into The Punjabi Charing Cross (157-159 North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DA) in passing to advise that we would come in an hour or so and that the order would include four of the self titled Lamb Gurmeet (named after the Chef). For those who are not familiar with the dish which is not on the menu, it is a combination of two Punjabi dishes, features Lamb on-the-bone, has loadsa Methi and the Capsicum is excluded. It is the House version of a Bradford-style Lamb Karahi.
Marg, whose photograph will not appear in this report due to an incident at hockey on Monday, prefers her Lamb boneless so the Lamb Chilli Ginger was her choice this evening. Louise the token Vegetarian ordered Vegetable Biryani.
The Complementary Poppadoms and Dips were on the table as we sat down, the order for the Accompaniments was efficiently dealt with, Marg and Hector would share two Chapattis and a Vegetable Rice as is our norm, the Biryani takes care of itself, Steve asked for a Nan and a Chapatti (?), Ian and Anne – two Boiled Rice and a Nan. Anne also insisted that we have Vegetable Pakora, so we did.
It was a pleasure to have the company of Anne and Ian, the latter being Hector’s biggest critic. (He is not my brother, but could be my clone.) He has taken my advice on places to visit over the years and has rarely been impressed. His suggestions have been met with blank states by Hector. We look for different things in a Curry. Steve has not been back to the Punjabi Charing Cross since the opening night, he Marg and I were the first paying customers last April. That I insisted on coming here and not the new Akbar’s around the corner was challenged by Steve. I had to be in full Hector mode to convince him that the Lamb Gurmeet is one of the best dishes served in the City of Glasgow. So no pressure on me then. This was Louise’s first visit; the last time the six of us dined together was at Café Salma last October for a certain 30 year Celebration.
With the Starters out of the way the mains appeared ‘Visitors first.’ is how Hari put it as he presented the far side of the table from Hector with their meals. It was then that Steve realised he had not ordered Rice; Nan and Chapatti it would be then, somehow he ate the lot.
With the table straining, Hari appeared with another Karahi and opened with an apology: ‘This might not be as good as last time, we only had an hour to prepare it.’. Behold a mass of Karela, the Bitter Vegetable – genius! This was passed round the table for all to sample, The Vegetarian was reluctant, no comment.
The Vegetable Biryani did not look too dissimilar to Marg and Hector’s shared Vegetable Rice. There was a Masala, but as it was described as sweet I did not bother contaminating the palate. This end of the table was dry, with the exception of the largest bottle of Sparkling Water set before the Hector.
The Curry? Dear reader, I have already related that this is one of the finest dishes served in the City of Glasgow so it was no surprise when the three novices all began to make positive noises. Ian described the Lamb as ‘excellent’, praise indeed. Methi is not a Herb that the rest of the table appeared to be familiar with, it is on their radar now. The KRK grocer on Woodlands Road will no doubt be visited soon. The thick Masala was sheer perfection, the quantity of Lamb as it should be allowing for the bone debris. Those who had the Lamb Gurmeet (with extra Karela) were truly indulged.
Let us not forget the Lamb Chilli Ginger. Marg was delighted with her selection, a piece of her Lamb did appear on my plate but in no way could it compete with the taste overdose that we, the eaters of Gurmeet, were enjoying.
The Bill
£80.90. A tidy sum, some had Beer.
The Aftermath
Ian said he would return – !!!!
The end of the first full day of the vacation, time to consider how best to spend day two, day three….