A Hauptbahnhof at noon rendezvous for Curry-Heute, Lord Clive and Lady Maggie had coffee in hand, and bags of food. Strange. Curry at 12.30, even stranger, in fact the reality is worse. Five days ago the body clock was set at – GMT. Yesterday, Hector had to begin adjusting to – GMT+2. Hector was in effect, having Curry for Frühstuck.
Indian Mango (Zweibrückenstraße 15, 80331, München, Deutschland) was once again the chosen venue, The Crawley Two’s turn for Fisch Chettinad (€14.00) whilst Hector would have the alternative – Lamm Chettinad (€15.00). Two things to note already, the Basmati would be inclusive, Fish costs less than Meat in Europe, so why not in the UK?
Rakes, the new – Host -, greeted, allocated our table, and took the Order. Maggie asked for her Curry to be less Spicy. I asked for all to be – Traditional – an attempt to have Chettinad in the style which Indian Mango have made famous over the last two decades. A 0.4l glass of Sparkling Water (€3.00) and a 0.5l bottle of Still Water (€3.50) completed the Order.
Whilst we waited, Maggie observed that the cutlery clock has gone from the wall. Back in Crawley, their equivalent no longer works. The new co-Manager acknowledged the loss. The clock has gone, part of the subtle rearrangement of the room since the departure of Mr. Jolly Kunjappu and more recently his sidekick – Herr Battra.
The pungent smell of cooking Fish wafted through the seating area from the open kitchen. The Fish Chettinad, still not on the menu, may have changed, the aroma maintains. Rakes brought plates then a large plate of Rice which he divvied up between us.
There would still be Rice left at the end.
Lamm Chettinad Spezialität (scharf)
A Coriander Garnish, the pot was brimming with Meat in the Thickest of Masalas. That there was a visible Masala was the telltale sign that the almost – stir fry – era of Chettinad at Indian Mango has gone. Did Herr Battra take the Recipes away with him? This was clearly not the same Curry as has been enjoyed, indeed raved about previously, at Indian Mango. Hector can only review what was actually served: Curry-Heute!
The Meat count was into double figures, and each piece was – large. This meant that the Masala was decidedly Minimal, as Hector seeks his Curry. With everything carefully arranged on the plate, the sight was most appealing, in spite of the body wondering – wtf, why this early
The Curry was Spicy as already declared on the menu. The Seasoning was moderate, enough. Less smoky – was an immediate comparison with the previous version, however, this Curry was impressive in its own right. The Onions may have been caramelised, giving a slight Sweetness to the overall experience.
The Lamb was well saturated in Spice, this was certainly not Mainstream Curry. Indian Mango may serve that to those who order lesser Dishes, this Curry was much more demanding. Each bite of Meat gave off more Spice, more Flavour. A blast of (green) Cardamom took me surprise, not spotted.
Rakes came over to check on our enjoyment, I gave the thumbs up. This is how it is, a new era has dawned at Indian Mango.
I would end up leaving a couple of mouthfuls of Rice, the contents of my plate had swollen, some of Maggie’s Fish found its way in my direction.
Fisch Chettinad
The same oblong plate as yesterday, but the quantity of Masala was visibly less, an attempt at recapturing the past? Once again, there was a lot of Fish on the plate. My review of yesterday’s Fish Chettinad did not mention the couple of bones I encountered, hardly an issue. Today there were markedly more.
Food sex – is how Maggie described her Fish Curry. When I finally addressed the Soupçon, – Wow! – what a blast of Flavour! And that was from the Fish alone. Any restaurant that serves a Fish Curry with this level of intensive – Fishiness – will still get my vote.
Maggie: The first mouthful was divine, enough to make me go – …… – there was a few bones in it. The Masala was tasty, the Fish was tender, the portion was more than big enough.
Clive: What she said, a very generous amount of Fish in there. I didn’t realise I had ordered Fish on-the-bone, five in one mouthful.
The Bill
€49.50 (£43.42) Still good value. I have added the Lunchtime Menu below for those who want something less demanding.
The Aftermath
Until next year – was the hopeful farewell to Rakes.
Later, much later, I was walking along what is left of Schillerstrasse. As well as Cafe Schiller, the famous Sports’ Bar, Lahori Hajweri has gone. Around the corner, I spotted Rasoi, whose Pakistan heritage was prominent. Maybe on future trips, Hector may stray from Indian Mango.
