Alexandria – Sizzlers – Another West Dunbartonshire Takeaway

The search for pastures new within the confines of Covid took Hector to the not so beloved Alexandria in The Vale of Leven. The 17km drive to Sizzlers (7 Main Street, Alexandria, G83 0ER) is legal, the 14km drive to Yadgar is not. So it goes.

Sizzler’s Special Handhi (£10.00) – Cooked in liquidised onions with Sizzler special ingredients – would hopefully be something different. That it comes with a choice of Fried Rice (£2.50) or Naan (£2.50) potentially made it good value, but makes ordering the preferred Mushroom Rice (£3.50) a non-starter. Marg opted for the similar Special Ginger Lemon Handhi (£10.00), both Dishes in Tender Lamb. So that Marg could have her preferred Buttered Chapatti (£1.20), I ordered a Rice and a Naan.

The App was slow, annoyingly so. Having added my customary caveat re Capsicum, it disappeared on the update. Still, we had chosen Curry which was clearly described as not containing the unnecessary ballast, many Dishes, too many Dishes, feature Peppers.

It was anticipated that by the time I drove from Clydebank to Alexandria, the Order would be waiting, it was.

The Bill

£19.58 The 50p Service charge was tempered by the £2.12 Online Discount, crazy.

On arriving at Sizzlers, the sign stating that it is a restaurant puzzled. The Pizza restaurant next door could be theirs, if not, where? On showing the Trusty Oppo, my already packed Takeaway was placed on the counter. I gave the Calling Card, this was well received.

17km plus whatever time the Order was sitting out meant a reheat was required.

The Naan appeared to be just the job, huge, thick and with the Tandoori Lip. The Wholemeal Chapatti had a decent girth also and would suit Marg.

The Rice was standard fayre and certainly more then one Hector portion.

Sizzler’s Special Handhi – Lamb

Typically, a Handi can be whatever Chef desires, the opperchancity to add a few surprises. The Blended Masala had the expected separation of Oil. As I decanted the Meat from the karahi, I stopped counting at fourteen, leaving plenty Masala and more Lamb for the top up.  Meat and Masala only, no Interesting Vegetable.

The first dip of Naan into the Masala revealed something decidedly decent and NOT the uninspiring Clydebank Curry Taste. As declared, the Spice was no more than – medium – a pity there was no option to pitch the level. The Seasoning could have been more, however, ordering online is hardly going to permit such a tweak.

The Meat varied in texture, one chewy piece, mostly Tender, some Soft. More importantly, the Lamb did not taste as if it had just met the Masala, even though the chances are this was so.

The Herb content was minimal yet a small Coriander blast was evident. From the impressive depth of Flavour came Tomato. To order this in person and have one’s tweaks applied, then perhaps something approaching sensational might be achieved? Hector always hopes.

Some features of the Meal detracted from the overall enjoyment. I should have had the oven hot and waiting on the return from Alexandria, the Curry needed more heat. There was a butteriness coming from the Naan which did not sit well on the Hector palate. I also found the Naan to be on the doughy side. Ironically, if I had managed to cook a Naan this thick I would be boasting about it. How I miss a light, fluffy, Tandoori Naan with burnt blisters.

Sadly, most of the Naan was abandoned.

Special Ginger Lemon Handhi – Lamb

Cooked in liquidised onions with fresh ginger, yoghurt and Sizzler special ingredients – no mention of the Lemon. One cannot have too much Ginger in a Curry, a touch of Citrus can also add that which makes a Curry stand out. It was the promise of Ginger here that made me not prepare the – foliage – today.  Neither Curry had Toppings.

This Masala was a shade lighter than its partner and had the same consistency.

Ginger – was Marg’s first pronouncement. I took a Soupçon hoping to identify the Lemon, nope.

A sweet and pleasant flavour – was her next description.

When the Meat count approaches twenty, Marg usually gives up about three quarters of the way. What was left in her karahi proved to be too tempting. In the end, both karahi were wiped clean.

An enjoyable lemon zest added to the full flavour of the meal. I liked it.

The Lemon tanginess reportedly took over from the Ginger, maybe Marg had the better Curry? The Menu shows a Keema Beans Tawa which may also interest Marg. As Lockdown continues, I predict that there will be a return visit to Sizzlers, Alexandria.

Menu – extracts