With Marg away, Hector is out to play. Lord Clive and Lady Maggie of Crawley are hosting the Hector, as is the custom, Curry is on the menu.
Stop Press!
Ayaz, Mein Host at Karahi Palace, texted today to declare one of Glasgow’s foremost Desi Curry Cafes has reopened after their hiatus. I have promised to celebrate this on Thursday when I return to the erstwhile Curry Capital.
With respect to Maggie’s own ongoing hiatus, she declared herself hungry enough to join Clive and Hector at Zari Restaurant & Lounge (212, 214 Ifield Drive, Crawley RH11 0DQ) at 17.40, ten minutes after their advertised opening time. Zari was empty, as ever we were asked if we had a reservation. We were led past the bar and waiting area to the far side of the dining room. Whatever the psychology of clustering may be, subsequent diners were sat at adjacent tables leaving the bulk of the room empty.
Tablecloths, wine glasses, Zari is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Hector’s customary venues. The menus were brought, even a vegan one for those who require this. I gather restaurateurs are becoming frustrated at customers asking for vegan options even though they’re not, a fad, allegedly.
Clive and Maggie were already sold on the Chicken Chettinad (£12.95) before we arrived at Zari. I had warned them that the super-dry Chettinad served at Indian Mango (München) is unique, usually this Dish is Shorva-esque. Why it has to be this way, who knows? A Keema Naan (£3.25) and Mushroom Rice (£3.95) would accompany, respectively.
For Hector, the Famous Red Mutton Curry – Laal Maas (£13.95) caught the attention. Resisting a Laal Maas, difficult, but would it resemble The Village (Glasgow) who once served this beautiful creation? A Fig and Coriander Naan (£3.25), this was something new, bring it on.
I thought the – small – bottles of Still Water (£3.50) and Sparkling Water (3.50) would complete the Order, Clive had other ideas.
Poppadoms, I love them – he declared, even at £1.95 a pop. That’s six quid on The Bill for hee haw. When they arrived, one modest plate of Dips accompanied. Had we been two diners, I assume the same quantity would have arrived, what about four?
I was surprised to find six Poppadoms, three of which were cone-shaped and contained Cumin Seeds, a rarity in the UK. Hector played along, with – grrrritted – teeth.
The staff were attentive throughout our visit, certainly enough were on duty to assemble the Order with efficiency.
The Mushroom Rice looked appealing, a sensible portion in comparison to that reported in recent Blog entries. The Naans were served halved, both were a bit peely wally, not large, by any standard. When Clive broke his Bread, I spotted the sign of a quality Keema Naan. The Mince was brown, precooked, not the pink – Donner-like – creations that too many venues serve. The Fig and Coriander Naan gave a big, gritty hit. Figs, I love. However, Hector had just added a source of Sweetness to his Curry, would this dominate in the same way that Garlic Naan does?
Famous Red Mutton Curry – Laal Maas
A Rajasthani Curry, so the menu informed me, the Masala was Thick as promised. The – red – was thankfully down to the abundant Tomato content. With shredded Onion featuring prominently, the Masala was more of a mixture than the Mainstream blend.
The Spice Level I noted as – reasonable. The Seasoning was decidedly lacking, consequently there was no big hit of Flavour coming from the Curry, a real pity. The Meat was cooked to perfection, well-tender.
As feared, the Figs swamped the palate with their distinctive Flavour, whether this was indeed masking that of the Curry, I’ll never know. At least I had found a distinct source of Flavour. This was – Curry – but not as I know it.
I ate the lot, all the Curry and the Naan. For the Hector, finishing a whole Naan is a rare event. London Portions can be the only explanation here, yet we’re a good bit south of the metropolis.
Chicken Chettinad
South Indian – the menu informed us, I should hope so. Coriander topped the light brown Masala. The viscous texture was far removed from the predicted Shorva, a definite – plus.
Maggie had asked for hers to be served – milder – and this was reportedly achieved. However, when she offered her verdict, she clearly still had Indian Mango’s version in mind:
It was slightly wetter than it needed to be. The flavour and spice level were ok.
Clive offered no comment on his Curry other than the customary statement of enjoyment. A Soupçon of Chettinad and Mushroom Rice came in Hector’s direction. I was looking forward to tasting this.
There may have been Sweetness lingering on the Hector palate, what I sampled was also Sweet. If this was meant to be a South Indian Curry, then where was the associated Smokiness? This was just Curry, a Chicken one at that. I did not recognise this as a – Chettinad.
The manager joined the younger staff in clearing the table, an opperchancity to offer the Calling Card. Discourse was brief, the mention of India, where the three of us have been, was treated with – I have been to India too.
Ah well.
The Bill
£73.10 This included a £6.65 service charge. Cheeky.
The Aftermath
The manager engaged once more. Remnant grains of Mince were spread across the table. He explained that they cook the Mince before adding it to the Naan. A lesson for Maggie who had not appreciated this. He asked what I thought of the fayre.
Restaurant Curry – was the response, Hector too can be curt. I showed Maggie the Oppo – Posh Restaurant Curry is what I had already written. So it goes.
Perhaps I need to define three classes of Curry House: Desi Curry Cafe, Mainstream Restaurant, Posh Restaurant.
Adventures In Real Indian Dining – is written above the door at Zari. Setting foot in Ifield, – where’s Frank? – may have been an adventure, the Laal Maas did not live up to what was hoped for. We might agree to disagree, but in what way was this a Chettinad?
Menu extracts
