Last November whilst dining at Sangam (Martinsbühler Str. 1, 91054 Erlangen Deutschland) I could not help notice the banner advertising the imminent opening of Chai Roti (Goethestraße 26, 91054 Erlangen Deutschland). The impression given was that it would sell – Street Food – or snacks. Having abandoned Forchheim, it was back on the train to Erlangen which now has eight Curry sources. I could have a snack at Chai Roti then cross the road for – the most Seasoned Curry on the planet – at the Curry House. That Chai Roti had a full menu was unexpected.
Laila-Manju (€14.90) was a new name, then I read on to find this was a Kebab served with a Naan. The Fish options were few, it was back to the old faithful – Lamm Bhuna – (€13.50) which would be served with Rice and a Salad. A 0.4l glass of Sparkling Water (€2.50) would accompany.
An exceptionally beautiful lady with child sat on my right, a Scarlett Johansson clone sat diagonally to my left, I studied the décor with more vigour. Chai Roti operates in a setting which clearly has been a restaurant for some time. I could see the kitchen in the distance, the dining area being divided into three. This was a remarkably busy restaurant for a Monday lunchtime. It could be a case that with so many venues closed on a Monday, options were few. In terms of Curry, even fewer.
Keine Paprika – was my request.
Ohne Paprika – was the reply.
Lamm Bhuna
The Curry sat on a plate which had a huge portion of Rice and the promised Salad, not the customary – Side Salad – then. It felt sensible to decant the Curry to the available space rather than cover the Rice.
The Masala was definitely – Thick, initially I could accept this as a Bhuna. The Creaminess, however, forced me to think otherwise. Almonds were visible, a Kashmiri? I wondered how this came to be called a Bhuna. Their interpretation, this was very much a Marg Curry.
Cloves were the most apparent source of Flavour at the start, then I found a Green Cardamom, the hard way. The Spice built slowly from nothing registering at all, to me noting that this Curry did have – a wee kick.
The Meat count was well into double figures, the pieces were large, so I felt this was value for money. The Lamb was well cooked, suitably Tender.
There was the matter of when to address the Salad, being right there on the plate, I decided to mix it with the Masala. Hey presto, a Diversity of Textures was created. This worked better than I anticipated.
As far as Mainstream Curry goes, this was not bad at all. The Creaminess turned out to be a change from what I would normally order. There was a definite – Aromatic – set of Flavours present. I’ll admit to enjoying this Curry, but still have to ask – in what way was this a Bhuna? But then, I couldn’t see what was being served to the others.
The Bill
€16.00 (£14.55) Every day my Curry is becoming more expensive.
The Aftermath
As I did the usual introduction, I showed the main chap my review of Sangam. He asked how I found my Curry.
Aromatische!
And so back to Forchheim, there was a Bierfest to attend.
Menu extracts
