Dr. Stan had arranged for – Friend – to take us around Antwerpen today. Friend had been forewarned that Hector would disappear for an hour on arrival in search of Curry. He met us off the train from Gent at the magnificent Antwerpen Centraal just after noon. Friend provided us each with a €4.00 day ticket for local transport, valid in Gent also. Why did we not know these things?
Two stops north of Antwerpeen Centraal / Diamante is Elisabeth, Iman Hallal (Diepestraat 101, 2060 Antwerpen, Belgium) was visible from the top of the escalator. Hector entered Iman Hallal at 12.40, the first customer of the day.
A laminated Menu (which did not photograph too well) was on the counter, the Waiter brought this – Snel Menu. The – Quick Menu – I concluded, with photos of many Dishes, few of them – Curry. Lamsvlees Korma Met Naan (€8.00) had to be Lamb, but would Hector order a – Korma? I enquired about the alternatives and was answered in Flemish, not much use. I most certainly was not risking Chicken Curry. The Waiter agreed to make the Lamsvlees Korma drier than in the photo, suddenly we had English. I ordered Rice instead of the Naan. A Can of Fanta completed the Order, Fanta in Belgium, less Colouring and a better Flavour then the rest of Europe.
A Modest Salad and Raita were provided. These I did not touch, I was simply not in the mood. I noted the next Chap who came in was given the same but with two large Green Chillies on top. He ordered a Biryani.
The Waiter brought a Large plate of Basmati containing Cumin Seeds and a karahi with a Curry whose appearance raised my hopes, this was far from – Korma – as is served in the vast majority of venues, this looked like a – Punjabi Desi Korma.
Lamsvlees Korma
I counted thirteen Large pieces of Meat, one was on-the-bone, Yay! The Masala was – Viscous – far from the – Soupy Masala – Hector eschews. The Thickness had not been achieved by overloading with Coconut. From the first sample of Masala and Rice I did not taste Coconut or any source of Sweetness. The Masala was Herb-rich, the distinctive Flavour of Fresh Coriander was not hitting the palate, was this the much more subtle – Methi? This was on the verge of being declared a – Wonderful Curry – then I took some of the Meat. Chewy – does not begin to describe this Lamb/Mutton. The Meat was tough, Grissle was visible, not that this tends to put me off. Either this Mutton (?) needed much more cooking or it was just poor quality meat. Iman Hallal would not survive serving this regularly.
From my seat I could see Chef attend to the – Big Curry Pot. Chef produced a huge box of Dry Herbs and added a generous handful to the pot. Methi! It was written on the side.
Pieces of Tomato were mixed through the Masala, when these were encountered, so the Flavour of the Curry came through. The overall Flavour was thankfully far from Euro-Curry, not particularly Strong, but decidedly – Pleasant.
The Bill
€13.00 (£11.50) This included two Cans of Fanta.
The Aftermath
I presented the Calling Card and gave my usual spiel.
How did you find us? – the Waiter asked, then repeated Google Maps as I answered.
Chef admitted his Meat was hard but offered no explanation. I congratulated him on adding Methi to his Masala.
I add Methi to everything – was his reply. I like this man.
The Website for Iman Hallal shows a full Menu is available. Perhaps I was there too early, or simply had to be more assertive. Given the firmness of the Meat, maybe nothing else was ready. This could well be the only venue in Antwerpen serving anything approaching the Curry I seek, so next time I shall hope for perfection. Still, today’s was way better than what usually passes for Curry in Belgium.
And so back on the Tram/Metro to meet Dr. Stan and Friend in down-town Antwerpen, Hector was back in familiar territory.