Albert Drive, one always feels there should be more Curry Houses here. Maybe I should explore further? I did note the lack of fencing and/or demolition since the last hiatus. Somehow, eleven months have passed since the last visit to Ambala Pakistani Cuisine (11 Forth St., Glasgow, Scotland, G41 2SP). Had Karahi Palace not reopened, Ambala would have become the obvious alternative to Yadgar, however, the aforementioned has been the focus of Glasgow Curry in recent weeks.
Arriving at 14.45 this Monday afternoon, there was a smile of recognition from the manager standing behind the counter. I took a window seat in the otherwise empty restaurant. The waiter brought the menu and accepted that the always provided bottle of chilled tap water would suffice, as far as drinks were concerned.
As expected, prices have increased since last time, around 10% for most items, however, the big hitting Karahi have increased by some 20%. Such is the way of things.
Today, Hector had already decided upon Gobi Gosht (£11.99), served on-the-bone, still a fair price. To accompany, a Plain Nan (£2.60), they have to make their money somehow.
There was a full half hour wait for my Order. Two chaps arrived, as I would discover, they had ordered a kilo of Karahi to share. Time for Chef to work his magic.
In the interim, I watched the end of – South Korea 2v3 Ghana. Having led 0-2 at half-time, I can imagine Ghana celebrating prematurely, they got there in the end.
When the food arrived, it was way better than anticipated. The Naan, served in two pieces, was as puffy as a Naan can be. With a Buttery sheen, light and fluffy, excellent. The waiter said he would bring another Naan if required. I assured him I would be lucky to manage half of this one. Some have Bread with Curry, Hector has Curry with Bread.
Gobi Gosht
Behold the – foliage! Accompanying the abundant Ginger Strips and Coriander were copious slices of Green Chillies, the large ones, so not as fierce as their thinner counterparts. I was expecting Curry, this looked more – Karahi – than – Curry. The given description was – thick masala sauce. What sat before me was way more special. The thickness was there and the Texture had – Tomato-based – written all over it. Normally I would have eaten straight from the karahi, but I had to see the Masala.
I took about a third of the contents of the karahi, the Cauliflower was present, but so was a lot of Meat, and not much sign of bones. I watched the Oil collect in the corner of the karahi which had been vacated. Excessive Oil has been a problem here at Ambala in the past, time would tell.
The colour of the Masala intrigued; no sign of – red – this was approaching grey-brown, almost the shade of Namkeen. As I dipped my first piece of Naan in the Masala, so there was a Peppery blast. Having expected Curry, I had definitely been given Karahi, and was now considering how close this was to Namkeen Karahi.
The Chillies and Ginger upped the Spice Level, still not too demanding. The Seasoning was maybe a tad low on the Hector Scale, but today I was not concerned with this, so much Flavour coming from the Meat and the Masala. I was further impressed when I realised I could still taste the Cauliflower as – Cauliflower. Soft, not too mushy, it was as much a distraction from the Meat and Masala as providing Diversity.
The Meat was chewy, in the right way. I didn’t count it, there was as much here as I have been served as a half kilo at other venues. Two bones stood out, their shapes planted – Chops – in the mind, having removed the Meat, clearly not. Three bones in all, lots of Meat, and giving of Flavour also. The next Mainstream Curry could bring the Hector down to earth with a bang!
So much pleasure here today, as ever, I reached the point where I had to take stock of how much Bread could be managed. A little over half of the Naan had been eaten, enough already.
Having finished the nth piece of Lamb, I was left with a mash of Cauliflower and Masala. A bit more Naan, and another revelation. The Seasoning suddenly revealed itself, the intensity of Flavour from the end game took me by surprise. A full half hour had passed since I started eating, if only I could have kept the Masala hot to the end.
I found a solitary piece of Tomato skin, had Chef removed the rest as I have been doing of late? A glorious Masala, – thick masala sauce – hardly does it justice. This made me wonder why I have not been to Ambala more often this year. Hector is not ubiquitous. Ambala Karahi – Wow!
Having served the flat karahi to my fellow diners, the waiter asked the customary question.
Wonderful – was the response.
The Bill
£14.59 Worth every penny.
The Aftermath
Travelling back north across the river, I added some comments for this meal on a well known map and navigation app, the reply, presumably from Zaheer, Mein Host, was much appreciated and amused many.
