Paisley Beer Festival + G-RAF
This morning when I was in Poznan… yes I did leave my Poznan Accommodation at 02.00 B.S.T. To commence the journey back to Blighty. Unfortunately despite offering my time at the Foreign Bar, there was no Polish Bier on sale at this Fest. Piwa should be available at G-RAF, the Glasgow Real Ale Festival at the end of June, see you at The Briggait.
Hector chose to split his shift to enable Curry-Heute. Jim told me where not to go, I had pretty much decided that the choice of venue would be the Koh-I-Noor (40 New Sneddon St, Paisley PA3 2AZ), less than a ten minute walk from the Town Hall.
The building is Substantial. The ground floor has a Bar and reception area. A Gentleman sporting a Turban manned the Bar, I saw comparatively few Turbans in India. Oops, Hector has mentioned India again. In a few weeks I shall stop dropping – The India Trip – into every Blog. A few weeks?
The Restaurant is upstairs, it was comparatively empty, the Good People of Paisley were either at the Beer Festival or queueing to get in.
I was given a small table at the rear of the room. There was a assumption of – Buffet – I asked for the Menu. Methi Gosht (£8.95) was listed under the Karahi Dishes. The Ubiquitous – Green Peppers – were listed as the Unnecessary Ingredient. Rogan Josh (£7.95) would be the fallback.
The Waiter returned, the Sparkling Water was ordered, £2.20 for 500ml. The question had to be asked. All was well, The Hector Tweaks were acceptable. A Mushroom Pilao (£2.95) would be the base. I am not ready for Bread yet.
I did not manage to take a photo of the Fish Tank, however, this was a symbol of the available space upstairs. There was a sense of Light and Space, so I was therefore amused when four American Gentlemen were sat at the adjacent table. They opted for the Buffet. Here I learned that an Array of Starters would be prepared Freshly and brought to the table. They enjoyed their Starters.
When one orders Methi Gosht it is hoped that it is Masala with Methi, and not a Palak by another name. What came this evening was Perfect. I have not seen such a Dry and Thick Masala since…
Decanting the Rice, it was pleasing to see Fresh Mushrooms and a Sensible Quantity of Rice, the colour Orange was puzzling. The Curry was carefully arranged, the photo captures the Thickness of the Masala, nothing Runny here. The Spice Level was exactly as asked – Hotter than Medium. The Seasoning was a tad under. The Waiter returned to once again assure me there were no Green Peppers. The Lamb was plentiful, into double figures. What happened to the – Methi Blast? I could see the Herb Presence, but could taste nothing distinctive, the only let down.
A Pleasing Curry overall, way better than that served yesterday in Poznan. It is fair to hope that a Mainstream, West of Scotland, Curry House would be able to serve up something more than – Decent.
The Bill
£13.65. Bang on the Typical Price.
The Aftermath
The Calling Card was left, the place was filling up, Buffet customers. How many staff does it take to run a Buffet?
Meanwhile back at the Town Hall, the queue was even longer…