Hector and Marg were invited to the launch of the new menu at The Radhuni (93 Clerk St., Loanhead EH20 9RE Scotland) on April 10. Unfortunately we were in Berlin, where the task of tracking down worthy Curry finally bore fruit. Thankfully, Julia and Scott of Hotel PR, whom we met at The Radhuni’s 10th Anniversary celebration in September last year, were able to liaise with Habibur, Mein Host, and arrange a separate invitation for two.
Today was our third visit to The Radhuni, a similar invitation was extended back in 2018. This meant that the 2022 menu could be compared with its predecessor which is posted on a well known and reliable Curry Blog.
We arrived at a sunny Loanhead a good half an hour before our scheduled 17.30 booking. A quick phone call, and all was sorted, we were expected. This evening we were shown to a table for two in the middle dining room. The sheer size of The Radhuni still amazes, the shop frontage belies the Tardis-like interior. And there’s outside dining to the rear.
The new menu was brought, a large bottle of Sparkling Water (£3.50) was ordered. Poppadoms etc. were declined so as not to take the edge off our appetites.
I reminded Marg that last time, she had the impressive Shatkora Lamb, whilst I had the Rogan Fish, we shared an Aloo Gobi. Hopefully tonight we would find something as enjoyable, who knows, even better?
Whilst I did my best to photograph the menu, Marg had a head start and found one of the new Dishes: The Indian Railway Curry (£15.95) – Tandoori cooked lamb chops in a ‘handi’ known as a pot in English, cooked with chef’s special spices and spinach, medium strength dish which is a must try to get a flavour of Indian street food.
Marg’s love of cremated Lamb Chops is well recorded in these pages. The declaration of – medium strength – was also up her street. That this was one of the dearest items on the menu did make her think twice. Hector’s brain was already pondering – how many Lamb Chops?
The list of Radhuni Specialities has certainly grown, I’ll list the changes below and all the descriptions are posted at the foot of this review. It was at the very end of the Specialities that I found my favourite word associated with Curry – dry. Khala Goost (£12.95) – a dry soft lamb dish cooked on our “Tawah”, slow cooked with medium spices and onions and peppers and tomatoes garnished with coriander and black pepper – was another new addition.
The description intrigued: a stir fry or a Curry? Soft lamb – which I took not to be – Tikka Lamb. Could the – peppers – be withheld? (Why were they even included in the first place?)
Again we would share a Side: Aloo Mater (£7.25). To complete the Order: Rice Boiled (£4.50) and a Nan (£4.50).
The waiter took the order at 17.30. As per the Poppadoms, I explained why we would have no Starters. We were here to appraise the Curry, also, we had an array of Canapés on our last visit.
The Indian Railway Curry was noted on the pad, as was the Khala Goost – without Capsicum and above medium Spice. Next the Rice, and eventually the Naan. The waiter had asked if we would prefer a Garlic Nan (£4.95)? Marg was straight in, pointing out that the Garlic can dominate, and hence alter the overall taste of a Curry. I put in a pitch for a Coriander Naan, the pad was not programmed for this it appears. A Paratha (£5.25) was also suggested, but declined. Last time, the Paratha did not pass the Curry-Heute checklist, and I had noted how wonderful the Naan looked. Hector was having his Naan, or share of one at least.
Without Starters, one had to accept that the Mains would take time to prepare. At The Radhuni, we had previously established that the Curry does not come in minutes as with too many venues I could name.
I counted ten new additions to – The Radhuni Specialities:
Methi Gosht or Chicken (£12.95)
Chicken Tikka Jaipuri (£12.95)
The Indian Railway Curry (£15.95)
Milly Jilly (£13.95)
Lamb Rezala (£13.95)
Ashok’s Special Mix Curry (£15.95)
Keema Chilli Masala (£12.95)
Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi (£12.95)
Goan Fish (£13.55)
Khala Goost (£12.95)
As far as I could make out, three Dishes have been dropped:
Sarisha Murgh
Achari Gosht
Chicken Jalfrezi
Achari Gosht is always a Hector fallback when nothing else stands out on a menu. Today, the Methi Gosht would have been my alternative. I feel one coming on soon.
At 18.00 the waitress brought hot plates and a candlelit platform for the Mains. As the food was assembled on the table, it became apparent that we had both ordered Mains that were distinctly different from the Mainstream Meat and Masala which prevails.
The Rice portion was the same as last time which I reported as – Modest. Tonight, I wondered what we were going to do with all this Rice? The Naan, look at this Naan! For Hector, everything here was ticking the boxes. The size, the teardrop shape, the risen, puffy blisters. Marg liked it because it wasn’t doughy, I prefer the chunkier pieces. Can we both be right? Only crumbs were left at the end. The perfect Naan.
The Indian Railway Curry
The presentation was a major departure from what was expected. Three large Lamb Chops sat under a smothering of a Spinach Mash. Was this in fact a Curry? Did it matter? Nobody was going to be disappointed with this.
I cannot recall seeing a Railway Curry which was not Meat and Masala, and usually a thin one. The term – handi – had appeared in the description, often a license for Chef to do as he pleases. I took a Soupçon of the Spinach Mash, as its appearance suggested, this would not have been out of place in a Saag/Palak. The – herby bitterness – was present. Thereafter it was down to quality of the Lamb Chops, and none were coming my way. Beneath their dark and mysterious coating, it was difficult to tell if they had been suitably cremated.
Whilst the three Chops were certainly enough for Marg, she did admit that maybe someone with a larger appetite may have found this Dish to be on the small side. Marg and Hector do take the eating of Lamb Chops very seriously. There’s one thing better than three Lamb Chops – four. There’s two things better than three Lamb Chops…
Marg’s verdict:
Three richly covered chops, with a thick masala of spinach, onion, and herbs. I enjoyed the tender meat, and the necessary gnawing of the bone, to extract the remaining meat from the bone. The hot and crispy Naan worked well with the sauce. A thin Naan, not doughy, no Rice required.
Aloo Mater
This was the only choice of the three which actually resembled a traditional – Curry. It was therefore a justification for having the Rice. Potato and Peas were expected, the cooked Tomato wedges offered even more. The Masala resembled a blended Vegetable pulp as is the norm in such a creation. The fluffy Potatoes had absorbed some of the Flavours from the Masala. From somewhere, possibly the Peas, a slight sweetness was evident.
Hector always seeks Diversity, the Aloo Mater certainly completed the meal.
Khala Goost
Presented in a karahi, this could easily have been served sizzling on an iron platter. Dry – was promised, Dry was delivered. When the Head Waiter came to check on our progress I informed him:
I think we have chosen well.
The waitress checked on us a couple of times, there was no more we needed.
Some of the Onions were cooked to black, how good did they taste? The Lamb puzzled, I studied it closely. There were no signs of skewer holes, so not Tandoori Lamb. My deduction, the Lamb had indeed been dry fried on the Tawa. This Meat did have cremated extremities. Every mouthful was going to be sheer joy, Meat that was giving Flavour, it had to, given the lack of an obvious Masala. The karahi was not just Lamb and Onions. Tomatoes were listed, again I deduce that these had been cooked down to create the fine coating over the Meat. This Dish was – Dry – but suitably – moist. It’s Soupy Masala we try to avoid, this creation was on another level.
The Spice built steadily, the Seasoning was not an issue. Bay Leaves were extracted from the Mash. There was a definite depth of Flavour to this – Curry.
On scraping the last pieces of Onion from the base of the karahi, an extra blast of burnt offerings, wonderful. Usually I use my Naan/Chapatti to mop up the Masala, today I enjoyed the Meat in Bread. Did I mention how wonderful the Naan was?
My deductions of course are possibly well wide of the mark. My favoured Karahi Gosht, is in effect a fried Curry, this Khala Goost was something else altogether.
We had chosen well, this indeed was a treat.
There’s more
Marg likes to finish her meal with a Coffee, tonight my mouth felt as though it required that special feeling that only Tea, after a Spicy meal, can create. A Caffe Latte (£2.95) and a Tea (£2.25) – no milk or sugar – were ordered as the waiter presented the Dessert menu. I reminded Marg we were here to review the Curry.
After Curry Mints – novel. By some miraculous process, my Tea was transformed into Coffee. No problem, it was piping hot, as not enough venues serve their Coffee.
This was the tastiest Coffee I’ve had in months. It was well after 18.00, no sleep for Hector tonight.
My thanks to Scott and Julia of Hotel PR who arranged this evening. My special thanks to Mein Host, Mr. Habibur Khan for the invitation, and his staff for looking after us. Hopefully the Calling Card went some way towards explaining our presence this evening.
In Curry-Heute, the majority of restaurants are described as – Mainstream. The new menu certainly proves that The Radhuni offers more.
2022 Menu
